winter: outdoors or indoors?

[staunchweed]

Hello,

I'm somewhat new to being a tortoise mom, I got my russian tortoise at the beginning of the summer. I live in sunny New Mexico, and I've kept my tort outside in the nice weather, and he seems happy. Now it's getting colder and I don't know if it would be better to build him a burrow to hibernate in, or to build an indoor pen and keep it good and warm. What should I do?

Sincerely,
staunchweed



(this is Señor Nietzsche, my little russian tortoise kid)

 

[Yvonne G]

Unless your winter weather is VERY similar to the weather on the steppe where the Russians come from, I would not hibernate outdoors. A Russian tortoise that gets wet while he's cold will surely get sick and maybe die.

 

[Tom]

If you want to hibernate him, do it safely indoors under controlled conditions.

If you don't want to hibernate him, keep him indoors in a large enclosure over winter and use the outdoor enclosure during those warm sunny spells.