To Hybernate or not??

[Lucymay]

I guess it is that time of year again... my torts are outdoors all the time in a fully enclosed pen (12' x 17'). They have lots of tunnels and hiding places.

This past week we had rain (well, actually drizzles - Los Angeles rain) and I haven't seen 2 of the torts all week.

I think they might be starting to hybernate. Is it too early for this? Last year I hybernated them indoors, I was hoping to leave them out for this winter.

Any thoughts?

 

[Yvonne G]

In my opinion, unless you live in a part of the country where your weather is almost exactly like the weather where the tortoises come from, you should NOT allow them to hibernate outside. Our weather here in California is too wet and Russians don't do well if allowed to get wet while hibernating. They do just fine under a layer of snow, but snow acts as a kind of protective layer. My first year of hibernating my Russians outside I lost quite a few of them. Since learning that terrible lesson, I always box them up and bring them inside for the winter.

 

[Lucymay]

Thanks Yvonne. I did do that last year but thought maybe they wouldn't hybernate this year. Have you boxed your RT's up for the winter already?

I guess I will pull them out of their hiding places and get to it