# Thistle & hibernation hold out



## Yvonne G (Feb 5, 2009)

The other day we were talking about whether or not thistle was good tortoise eating. Here's the thistle that comes in the Mediterranean Tortoise see mixture from Turtlestuff.com:







Last Autumn I *thought* I had found all of my Russian tortoises. But when I was taking the thistle picture I saw this:






Yvonne


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## Crazy1 (Feb 5, 2009)

oops missed one Yvonne. Looks like a little round ball of dirt.  Funny how you can see things in pics you don't with just your eyes.


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## Isa (Feb 5, 2009)

He did like a chameleon, he did not want you to see him


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## Yvonne G (Feb 5, 2009)

Actually, he was buried in that hole that up to the left of him in the picture. There was no hole or mound or indentation. It was all smooth dirt, which I raked and planted seeds on. No clue that there was a tortoise buried there until he came out, leaving the hole behind him.

Yvonne


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## Kristina (Feb 6, 2009)

Stinker!!! How did he hold out the winter? Is he healthy? Just curious 

Also, how cold does it get where you are?

Kristina


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## Yvonne G (Feb 6, 2009)

Well, no runny nose, so I guess he's ok. Its the wet weather that you have to worry about when hibernating outdoors. We don't get much rain here, maybe 10 or 12 inches for the whole season, but because no sun for days on end, the ground stays wet almost all winter. Our nights dip down into the 30's most of the time and occasionally into the 20's. Never any snow.

Yvonne


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## Millerlite (Feb 6, 2009)

is it raining for you right now, i know down hear we are getting a lot of wet weather, i dont know if its moving north or south though..


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## Yvonne G (Feb 6, 2009)

I think its going south...and are you in for it!!!!! I had to pick up a friend and take her to her mechanic and on the way home, the black sky (3pm) opened up! Almost every intersection was flooded on the way home. My wipers on the fastest speed wouldn't keep the windshield clear enough to see safely. In the 50 mile zone we were all creeping along at 35! I was terribly glad and relieved to have made it home without incident! I'm also very glad that I live on a hill.

Yvonne


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## Kristina (Feb 6, 2009)

Glad you made it home safe!

This is the thistle that we have around here...
















I think it is MUCH spiny-er than what you have.

Kristina


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## Yvonne G (Feb 6, 2009)

No wonder you take off the spines. That's wicked.

Yvonne


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## galvinkaos (Feb 6, 2009)

They are nasty Yvonne. You have to wear leather gloves when you mess with them.

Dawna


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## Meg90 (Feb 6, 2009)

I'm glad your little russian is doing ok! Who knew right? What a stinker.

How many russians have you got that your head count was off?


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## Yvonne G (Feb 7, 2009)

Meg90 said:


> I'm glad your little russian is doing ok! Who knew right? What a stinker.
> 
> How many russians have you got that your head count was off?



I was able to find 9.6 of them. The pen is large and after quarantine I put the rescues in there while they wait to be adopted. Problem is I neglected to write down how many I had in my original group, so even though I know how many I'm adding, I really didn't know how many I started with!

Yvonne


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## egyptiandan (Feb 7, 2009)

The thistle is milk thistle Yvonne and it's edible. 

Glad your Russian is fine Yvonne, but he could have taken worse than that.  One of my females is outside now hibernating. It's been down to 5F already this winter and been even colder past winters. This is her 8th winter hibernating outside here.

Danny


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## Yvonne G (Feb 7, 2009)

That's good to know, Danny. I've always thought that Russians were very susceptible to getting sick if allowed to winter in a wet habitat outdoors. And I have lost a few that way, but they were rescues that I couldn't find and probably shouldn't have been allowed to hibernate at all anyway.

Yvonne


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## egyptiandan (Feb 8, 2009)

Yes wet and cold is bad  When she hibernates her pen is covered so it gets no rain or snow on the ground in the pen. That I'm sure helps a lot.

Danny


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## Laura (Feb 8, 2009)

Those nasty thistles.. we have both types.. if let to go to seed.. the gold finches Love them!


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