Recent content by daveyjones1972

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    To Brumate Or Not To Brumate…

    Hello all! My exotics vet has recently suggested that they recommend people do not brumate their captive tortoises. I have a Mojave Desert Tortoise. He lives on my back porch—which is quite large. We are in Southern California, so it rarely drops below 40 degrees (although last winter I kept...
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    tortoise going camping

    I have a suggestion. Perhaps buy a Wyze camera and mount it so you can keep an eye on him. They have motion/sound sensing and night vision so you can even see him in the dark. Have someone on-call who can check in on the little guy if you notice he’s flipped. Perhaps that would solve the...
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    Whatever happens to Merlin?

    I was able to find the gofundme, but they haven’t updated in a while. Hope she’s okay. Thanks for the info Yvonne.
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    Whatever happens to Merlin?

    Anyone know what happened to Merlin, the sick tortoise from Burbank with the GoFundMe? I saw the original post about ten days ago, but can’t seem to find the thread anymore. Tried searching but seems like there’s nothing. Was curious if anyone knew if she got her surgery to remove the blockage?
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    Southern California Hibernation

    And thanks for the post. I’ve actually read it before, and that’s what gave me the idea to do a more controlled cool down period. Like I said it’s more about timing with the variability of the weather.
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    Southern California Hibernation

    I definitely plan to hibernate him. Just trying to get the timing right due to the weather fluctuations. Once it’s colder I’m going to slowly cook down his house and then keep it at the right temperature.
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    Southern California Hibernation

    Curious what other folks in Southern California are doing with their outdoor tortoises right now. The weather has been all over the place. I’ve got a Mojave Desert Tortoise and I thought he was going to go down last week when it got cold, but then he came back out because it was 98 degrees...
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    Hibernation Question

    Thanks so much for your help Tom! I’m not sure if I mentioned this in the original post but he’s a Mojave’s desert tortoise. The stock tank is a great idea, but we live in a small bungalow and there’s not much room, so it’s going to be tricky. In your opinion, what is the smallest size stock...
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    Hibernation Question

    Hello, everyone — Our tortoise at a piece of a thin styrofoam plate. Basically the piece was the size of his mouth. I understand that those will usually pass on their own, but we’ve got a complication: we’re about three miles from the Bobcat fire in Southern California. We’re well out of...
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    Mojave Desert Tortoise advice.

    If you don’t mind me asking, what’s your experience been during the summer? Does your tortoise have an underground burrow, or do they live in an enclosure/house of some sort. I’m a bit worried about the heat once summer rolls around.
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    Here is the 4x8 rendering of Tom's Night Box. With Exploded view.

    With the insulation (and perhaps some additional ventilation), this night box seems like it would provide adequate refuge from the heat as well. If anyone cares to chime in, I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on the subject. Thanks!
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    Mojave Desert Tortoise advice.

    Thanks for the information. I looked at the plans and they don’t look too daunting. The pig blanket sounds like a decent stop gap for cold nights—at least when it’s not raining. Would you happen to know if the Kane blankets are rigid or have some give? The word blanket would tend to make me...
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    Mojave Desert Tortoise advice.

    That’s a lovely setup! I noticed you’re in Southern California. Not sure how far South you are, but I’m pretty close to Pasadena. The daytime temperatures here have been fairly decent as of late, and it seems like with any luck we’ll be out of the woods for the evening temperatures in a couple...
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    Mojave Desert Tortoise advice.

    He’s in the laundry room and blocked inside a roughly 3x3 foot area where he can’t cause too much trouble. So far, so good. Just wanted to try and keep pee off the floor if possible.
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    Mojave Desert Tortoise advice.

    First, I wanted to thank everyone again for all of their help with our tortoise questions. I’m sorry if a lack of information in my original post caused any confusion. I thought the cold night was the night I’d posted, not the next, and I was rushing to get the question out there in hopes of a...
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