# it is going to be a long winter...



## ascott (Oct 13, 2014)

So..I do support brumation with the men folk here...however, I prefer to do so with them indoors...well, apparently two of them have telepathically plotted against me ...they both have ducked into their natural dug burrows within the last 3 or 4 days....wiseguys I tell you....the other two are still mucking about...one is full on chowing down and the old man is just nibbling....no matter how long you have done the annual brumation host they can still pull an exit stage left when you least expect it...lol...great, Winter Hole Watch is on.....


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## tortadise (Oct 13, 2014)

ascott said:


> So..I do support brumation with the men folk here...however, I prefer to do so with them indoors...well, apparently two of them have telepathically plotted against me ...they both have ducked into their natural dug burrows within the last 3 or 4 days....wiseguys I tell you....the other two are still mucking about...one is full on chowing down and the old man is just nibbling....no matter how long you have done the annual brumation host they can still pull an exit stage left when you least expect it...lol...great, Winter Hole Watch is on.....


Oh man. I can only imagine. I am curious though. I think I need some advice on this as you may of seen a newcomer was relinquished few weeks ago here. I fear having a desert or Mojave in our climate. Would you think brumation would be a good thing to utilize for this species here? What sort of method should be used? We can get into the teens for a few weeks to a month sometimes.


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## ascott (Oct 13, 2014)

tortadise said:


> Oh man. I can only imagine. I am curious though. I think I need some advice on this as you may of seen a newcomer was relinquished few weeks ago here. I fear having a desert or Mojave in our climate. Would you think brumation would be a good thing to utilize for this species here? What sort of method should be used? We can get into the teens for a few weeks to a month sometimes.


Well..your temps are not that far off from ours here...so the temps should not present a problem IF IF IF the tort has had enough time to dig their own custom burrow...that is essential temp control...two full seasons of excavation would be even better...the variable that always concerns me is rain...here we can go years without any real rain..I mean a day or two every so often up to 6 days of torrential downpours...the rain dictates to me inside brumation as the method of choice for me...now, a couple years ago one of my plotters weathered the entire season in his burrow...we had below freezing temps hit every night for a couple weeks at a time...but very little rain...and he popped up in spring looking good...but then two prior times before that I had to literally dig him out by hand in the pouring down freezing rain with a hand shovel so as not to lose track of his burrow direction...so..there are so many variables...I would just say to really scout the high point on the property...then step as far back as you can and look at your overall property slope and dips in relation to the spot you are choosing...and then be completely prepared to be belly down in the freezing mud if something should go wrong...oh and be aware of any gophers you may have in that apace...they are Aholes...they will move into the hole while the tort is resting and the jerks will back fill the tort right into the burrow...I encountered this twice...not a prob now since the stray cats have cleared the yard of gophers and squirrels....


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## tortadise (Oct 13, 2014)

ascott said:


> Well..your temps are not that far off from ours here...so the temps should not present a problem IF IF IF the tort has had enough time to dig their own custom burrow...that is essential temp control...two full seasons of excavation would be even better...the variable that always concerns me is rain...here we can go years without any real rain..I mean a day or two every so often up to 6 days of torrential downpours...the rain dictates to me inside brumation as the method of choice for me...now, a couple years ago one of my plotters weathered the entire season in his burrow...we had below freezing temps hit every night for a couple weeks at a time...but very little rain...and he popped up in spring looking good...but then two prior times before that I had to literally dig him out by hand in the pouring down freezing rain with a hand shovel so as not to lose track of his burrow direction...so..there are so many variables...I would just say to really scout the high point on the property...then step as far back as you can and look at your overall property slope and dips in relation to the spot you are choosing...and then be completely prepared to be belly down in the freezing mud if something should go wrong...oh and be aware of any gophers you may have in that apace...they are Aholes...they will move into the hole while the tort is resting and the jerks will back fill the tort right into the burrow...I encountered this twice...not a prob now since the stray cats have cleared the yard of gophers and squirrels....


Yeah see that is what I was afraid of. The need to be dry during the "sleep". We get lots of rain during winter and can last very long time too. So there is issue número uno(number one in Spanishlol) then issue number two would be no burrow has been dug. So it looks like either keeping him awake or brumation inside is the option. Haha we don't have gophers here. I hear they're a pain though. Reminds of caddy shack. Greasy grimy gopher guts.


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## Yvonne G (Oct 13, 2014)

Kelly:

I would wait until he stops eating, and stops coming out of his shelter to sun, then box him up in shredded newspaper and put the box someplace where it will be dry and the temp stays between 40F and 50F. However, because this is a new-to-you tortoise, I advise that you set him up indoors and keep him awake for this first winter.


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## tortadise (Oct 13, 2014)

Yvonne G said:


> Kelly:
> 
> I would wait until he stops eating, and stops coming out of his shelter to sun, then box him up in shredded newspaper and put the box someplace where it will be dry and the temp stays between 40F and 50F. However, because this is a new-to-you tortoise, I advise that you set him up indoors and keep him awake for this first winter.


Good thinking. That's what I was kinda waiver ing towards. Not too common having this species here in Texas. Any recommendations on winter awake time? Soaking etc.. It can get ambient lay dry during the winter hear, especially in the Big boy building.


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## Yvonne G (Oct 13, 2014)

In my opinion, you can treat them just like Russians. I have a couple that have to be kept awake...it's been 4 winters now, and I keep their light on for 14 hours. They have a drinker and I don't ever soak them. These are adult desert tortoises. They eat good and sit on their pig blankets at night. Their night time ambient temp is probably in the 60's, and the pig blanket is usually around 70-75F. But they can warm up more than that under the light during the day. Because their winter habitat is outside (on the car port) I don't use a UVB light. I have two 100 watt incandescent bulbs, one at either end of the habitat.


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## ascott (Oct 13, 2014)

I agree with the waiting on brumation...you really want to get to know him before he brumated...when you say big boy building...does that mean he has a space indoors? If yes, I would continue business as usual..now if he suddenly begins to brumate on his own regardless of your attempts..you then may want to revisit the thought of brumation..perhaps even a shorter one..just so he is offered that satisfaction...


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## kathyth (Oct 13, 2014)

My female adult desert has also gone under, approx 1 month early. I'm surprised that in 90-100 degree weather, she has stopped eating and gone into hiding.
Get the shovels out. The boys and girls are misbehaving.


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## ascott (Oct 13, 2014)

kathyth said:


> My female adult desert has also gone under, approx 1 month early. I'm surprised that in 90-100 degree weather, she has stopped eating and gone into hiding.
> Get the shovels out. The boys and girls are misbehaving.



Crazy right.....yes, shovels at the ready....lol...good luck with your ruffians as well....


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## ascott (Mar 22, 2015)

kathyth said:


> My female adult desert has also gone under, approx 1 month early. I'm surprised that in 90-100 degree weather, she has stopped eating and gone into hiding.
> Get the shovels out. The boys and girls are misbehaving.




All men folk here up and accounted for....the first one down was the last one up....crazy tortoise....how about the lady at your place?


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## kathyth (Mar 23, 2015)

ascott said:


> All men folk here up and accounted for....the first one down was the last one up....crazy tortoise....how about the lady at your place?




My girls are up and eating. Everything is good here.


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## ascott (Oct 11, 2015)

Okay, so here wwweeeee go again....it is that time...I have one guy down the hole with last sighting of him Sunday Oct 4 late afternoon, basking in his burrow entrance at about 5:30--I remember because I was in my bedroom doing something and looked out the glass doors and thought, huh, warming the shell to take it in warm for the night .. little did I know he was planning his rest...

So this morning I went and knocked on the door of his cohort from last year, he dragged his butt out of the burrow and I offered him a mulberry leaf, he ate one and no more...sign!! Plus he has only nibbled his fav tort crack (romaine) a few days ago...so I figure I am going to try to get a jump on it and try to thwart the disappearing act from him this year...I go out of his yard and retrieve the three pieces I use to cover the burrow and see that he is trying to keep up with me going back and forth...so I get all about covered and he walks over right up between my feet, sniffs my pink toenail polish and moves on and stops and looks left to right at where his burrow entrance use to be....just stands there --the moment I hate, because I feel like I am doing him wrong...I know every part of him wants to be inside that burrow--but my gut is saying it has not rained for a few years and we are due...so I clear out his above ground barrel hide and several dozen daddy long legs flee the scene followed by one dusty black widow...Okay,.eww. I open up the entrance a little by wallowing out the dirt from the entrance, he has grown since year before last when he used it for this same thing, picked him up and pointed him towards the hide...and he turned and came right out, I poked his head into the entrance and slide him in all of the way...and we did this a few times...I went out a few times to check on him and around 6 he was inside his hide...tomorrow is a new day and I am sure new attempts to break into his house...

So at least this year I have only one down a hole to worry about....the other two guys are accessible so I can swoop em when it is the actual time...

Funny, I see the date that I created the thread was about same time last year...within days....they are awesome, that inner clock and drive...


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