Tortoise owners of Colorado??

MzNENA

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Hello everyone!
Starting this thread for any fellow tortoise owners in Colorado
Please make yourself known & introduce yourself & tortoises if you'd like :D

Any tips or information on how you deal with your enclosure, temperatures, humidity, etc, when it comes to this state's prone bipolar weather is appreciated! :blush:

I myself am the owner of a 2-3 month old Iberra Greek tortoise "Squirtle" whom I've owned for almost 5 days now, purchased from tortoisesupply.com :shy:
 

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Vishnu2

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Welcome to the forum Squirtle ;) Your tortoise is gorgeous. I am in Colorado Springs, Co. Depending on where in Colorado AND which kind of tortoise you are keeping depends on the advice I would give.. I don't know much about Greek tortoises. But, I am sure others will chip in. :)
 

MzNENA

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Thanks for the reply! I live in Denver Colorado but I visit Colorado Springs every now & then I have relatives that live down there. For now it's been quite some time since my last visit.
Certainly nice to hear of fellow tortoise owners on this forum from this state :D

What kind of tortoise do you own?
 

Jacqui

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Does living in Nebraska count as Colorado? :D
 

MzNENA

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Lol you are right above us with the similar weather! That would definitely count in my book :D:D
 

Ferretinmyshoes

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I'm located in south Denver. Colorado definitely presents some unique challenges for turtles and tortoises! And chameleons. I have box turtles (hatchlings, juvies and an adult), a star tortoise, gopher tortoises, and in a few years I will bring my adult sulcatas up from Texas. I feel bad about having to bring everyone indoors for winter, but snow isn't super conducive for reptile life. When I bring up the sulcatas I'll have to build a heated barn for the winter, and I'm already trying to make plans for it. Right now the challenge is keeping everyone warm without drying them out. Glad to see other Colorado chelonians owners!
 

MzNENA

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Nice! I live in Northeast Denver so just on the opposite side & definitely know what you mean. Cold erratic temps around here make it hard to give turtles the needed sunshine they need until the spring & summer months.

Freezing temperatures last week & mid 50 to 60s this week. And with the dry air, makes it hard to keep a steady humidity for torts.

You have a very nice group there! :D
Do you have any photos of your tortoises & other reptiles?
And what do you do to keep a steady humidity for your pets?

Yes, very nice to see other reptile owners in this state :)
 

sunshyne621

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I live in evergreen, co. I have a red foot, two ornate boxies, and a leopard. I have an enclosed space for my red foot that keeps her at 80% humidity and 85 degrees. My boxies I am having a hard time with the dryness this winter, not hibernating them this year. We just moved up to evergreen this spring so it's a new learning curve with temps and humidity. And my leopard I just got. Finally got her temps where I want them. I am hopefully going to build some tortoise friendly enclosures in my sun room for this summer. I hate having to winter them in smaller enclosures, at my last house in Fort Collins they had free reign in my garden. It's a learning process. And now I have predators like
HUGE raccoon, bear and mountain lion to protect them from!!!
 

MzNENA

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Very nice! Is hibernatiom difficult at all? I just received my Ibera Greek this week, he's been pretty lazy & has slept mostly the entire time I've had him, I know some of it has to do with his current temperatures, but I also wonder if my miniature wants to hibernate lol He sleeps ALL the time.

Oh yes, in that mountainous area there are a lot more creatures to deal with. Wild animals, foreign plants & those pesky insects in the summer.
Mosquitoes get particularly bad in this state from what I've seen.
Very nice that you can keep a steady humidity in your enclosure. Seems as though closed enclosures are the way to go when it comes to adequate humidity.
Any photos?

I've never ventured to Evergreen myself, but definitely need to make a drive down to that beautiful mountain landscape :)
 

sunshyne621

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I actually don't have any pictures I her enclosure. It's fairly new to me. I got it when we moved to facilitate better living in the mountains. Still planting it and rearranging it. Or rather my red foot is continually rearranging it :). Hibernating can be tricky and you can kill them. But a lot of people do it very safely and easily and if I remember there are lots of threads on it on here.
 

mcory

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So happy to find my fellow Coloradans:) I got my first tortoise just a few weeks ago...leopard tort named Penelope! Can not wait for warmer weather so she can explore the great outdoors! ImageUploadedByTortForum1387991007.323052.jpg
 
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MzNENA

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What a beautiful tortoise you have! :D
Very nice!
& yes exactly.
Greatly looking forward to the later spring temps in the 70's to finally get our lovely torts exploring the beautiful outdoors of this state :heart:
 

MzNENA

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Any other tort members in the wonderful state of Colorado? :D
How are you and your torts wearing through these recent frigid temps & snow fall?
 

Jacqui

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sunshyne621 said:
And now I have predators like
HUGE raccoon, bear and mountain lion to protect them from!!!

I wish we had wild bears and mountain lions around here. :(
 

sunshyne621

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Jacqui said:
sunshyne621 said:
And now I have predators like
HUGE raccoon, bear and mountain lion to protect them from!!!

I wish we had wild bears and mountain lions around here. :(

Yes, they are quite spectacular. I just wish they didn't want to eat all my critters!! We are trying to come up with a safe way to get the turtles and tortoises some outside time. You should see my fortress for my three hens [WINKING FACE]
 

Jacqui

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I'd like to see that fortress.

I just got back from a walk with my two larger house dogs and as I was walking I was thinking how I would love to go to CO and do some walking there. You have some beautiful places. I loved to stop, when we went through in the semitruck, at a park in Denver near a TA truckstop and then there was a spot in a mountain pass type area where they had a walking path between the road and the stream. It was just beautiful there. Sometimes you could even see the goats. :)
 

Jacqui

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Are any of you starting to get a break from the cold and snow yet? I am seeing the large flocks of geese flying over head and are robins have started coming back. Two of my three signs that spring will soon be arriving, too.
 

sunshyne621

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Haha! We'll a few days a ago I saw one bluebird in the meadow, and the last night 6 inches of snow!! I am ready!
 
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