well it does get wet here but they do fine...I usually cover the burrows with some boards if I see them early enough...we sometimes get feet of snow...the thing is that when the snow all melts the frostline is still present and the melted snow does not permiate the soil, it just runs off.
These...
hello
My Russian torts have been outside here in the cold Michigan weather for over a decade [zones 4-5]...losing only one tort over that time...It gets cold here [-20 on occasion with many days below zero]...they do thier own thing and I see them in the early spring , sometimes moving around...