What to do next?

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ArkansasKelly

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Okay, I got 18" dirt, 3-4" of mulch and I just got done stuffing leaves into the hide boxes. What else should I do to prep for hibernation? Should I spread hay on top AFTER they go under or now?

On a side note, we have been in the middle to high 30's at night and in the 50's during the day. We are to have our first freeze tonight. Some of the boxies are still out and about. Is this normal? Will they eventually go under? Should I be feeding them anything special right now to help with fat storage or anything?

Sorry for all the questions, but I am new at "real" hibernation.

Thanks!
boxieenclosure.jpg
 
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Maggie Cummings

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I don't hibernate any of my animals. For me, too many bad things happen to animals in hibernation. But I do pay attention and I think that your enclosure is too small. I think they can't get deep enough, and my big fear is the eyeballs freezing because the turtle is not down far enough under the topsoil.
Right now I have a box turtle who came up from hibernation to be blind. She was fine until she was allowed to hibernate, now she is blind. So when I was researching this I read that if they are not down below the frost line their eyeballs can freeze. That's just too scary for me. But I am sure someone will come on right behind me to say your enclosure is alright for them to hibernate in...:)
 

Yvonne G

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Does this just about sum up your winter weather:

"The winter is the coldest time of the year in Eastern Oklahoma and Northwest Arkansas. With high temperatures usually in the mid 40s to lower 50s and overnight lows in the 20s and 30s, the winter months are chilly but bearable. Outbreaks of very cold temperatures sometimes occur sending temperatures below zero on occassion, but these extreme cold spells are often short-lived. Winter is also the driest season in Northwest Arkansas and Eastern Oklahoma. Although total precipitation is less than other times of the year, the area does average a few inches of snow each month with the majority of it falling on just a handful of days. Heavy snows are rare, but snows of six or more inches affect the region from time-to-time and are slightly more common in the higher elevations of Northwest Arkansas. "

If so, your turtles should be ok. But after they have dug in for the winter I would fill the habitat with leaves and garden trash. You do have a cover for the whole thing, right? Because when you fill it with leaves that means the turtles can just walk right out of the habitat. So fill it up with garden trash and leaves and put the wire covers on the whole thing. They need to be 2' below the frost line. That means, from where they are in the dirt up to the top of the leaf litter and garden trash needs to be 2'.

As for feeding them, its too late now to pile on the fat stores. This should have been going on all summer. At this time they shouldn't be eating at all. They need to clean out their systems for about 2 to 3 weeks prior to hibernation so that their digestive tract is empty. If allowed to sleep with food in there, the food will rot and cause problems.

Yvonne
 

ArkansasKelly

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emysemys said:
Does this just about sum up your winter weather:

"The winter is the coldest time of the year in Eastern Oklahoma and Northwest Arkansas. With high temperatures usually in the mid 40s to lower 50s and overnight lows in the 20s and 30s, the winter months are chilly but bearable. Outbreaks of very cold temperatures sometimes occur sending temperatures below zero on occassion, but these extreme cold spells are often short-lived. Winter is also the driest season in Northwest Arkansas and Eastern Oklahoma. Although total precipitation is less than other times of the year, the area does average a few inches of snow each month with the majority of it falling on just a handful of days. Heavy snows are rare, but snows of six or more inches affect the region from time-to-time and are slightly more common in the higher elevations of Northwest Arkansas. "

If so, your turtles should be ok. But after they have dug in for the winter I would fill the habitat with leaves and garden trash. You do have a cover for the whole thing, right? Because when you fill it with leaves that means the turtles can just walk right out of the habitat. So fill it up with garden trash and leaves and put the wire covers on the whole thing. They need to be 2' below the frost line. That means, from where they are in the dirt up to the top of the leaf litter and garden trash needs to be 2'.

As for feeding them, its too late now to pile on the fat stores. This should have been going on all summer. At this time they shouldn't be eating at all. They need to clean out their systems for about 2 to 3 weeks prior to hibernation so that their digestive tract is empty. If allowed to sleep with food in there, the food will rot and cause problems.

Yvonne

Yup, that sums up my winters. LOL That was neat. So, the frost line is 2', I did not know that. Maybe I will reconsider this whole hibernation thing after all.

I have heard of people having problems with hibernation, but after what Maggie said, I am a little scared. My boxies seem to want to stay in there hide box and not dig down. Crap, let me rethink.

Thanks everyone.
 

egyptiandan

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It looks fine to me Kelly :D sorry Maggie. You need to do more than stuff leaves in the hide box though. Seeing as you do have a cover, I'd fill the whole enclosure with leaves and yes you can put straw on top of the leaves. This lets the turtles choose where they want to hibernate. After they have hibernated once, you can leave the leaves in just a certain area and they will use that for hibernating. You do though need to leave some leaves in to make a mulch pile as you just keep adding new leaves every fall as the old ones break down.
The only box turtles that need to go below the frost line are the Ornate box turtles. All the carolina subspecies can take being frozen in the ground. Mine don't go more than a foot deep and some just 6 inches. I've even had 2 females caught out on a cold night and they had frost on the top of their shells. I just covered them up the next day and they were and stil are fine. The carolina subspecies pump their organs full of sugar and let all the fluid inbetween freeze, so they technically freeze for the winter.

Danny
 
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Maggie Cummings

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Please don't let my obsession about certain stuff make you afraid of hibernation. I just have seen so many problems, even tho hibernation is a natural thing, so is freezing eyeballs and losing arms and legs to be frozen...Yvonne hibernates all hers and so do most experienced keepers. So it's just my creepy feelings, I couldn't stand to lose an animal due to injuries occurred from hibernation.
 

ArkansasKelly

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egyptiandan said:
It looks fine to me Kelly :D sorry Maggie. You need to do more than stuff leaves in the hide box though. Seeing as you do have a cover, I'd fill the whole enclosure with leaves and yes you can put straw on top of the leaves. This lets the turtles choose where they want to hibernate. After they have hibernated once, you can leave the leaves in just a certain area and they will use that for hibernating. You do though need to leave some leaves in to make a mulch pile as you just keep adding new leaves every fall as the old ones break down.
The only box turtles that need to go below the frost line are the Ornate box turtles. All the carolina subspecies can take being frozen in the ground. Mine don't go more than a foot deep and some just 6 inches. I've even had 2 females caught out on a cold night and they had frost on the top of their shells. I just covered them up the next day and they were and stil are fine. The carolina subspecies pump their organs full of sugar and let all the fluid inbetween freeze, so they technically freeze for the winter.

Danny

Well, crap! I just dug most of them up already. Can I stick them back in? I am missing one small one so that one may wind up hibernating afterall. We are to be in the 70's next week, can I put them back in their pen then?

Thanks Danny.
 

egyptiandan

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You can put them back out next week. :) Just keep them without heat and no food. Just keep them hydrated.

Danny
 

ArkansasKelly

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Thank you Danny!

No worries Maggie. I get paranoid about new things all the time and when someone points out a negative, I tend to jump on it. No biggie. :)
 

ArkansasKelly

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Whilest I have them out, I went ahead and took pictures of them. I posted them in the photo section. I'm assuming none of them are ornates. :)
 
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