Yeah, I did... I found a spot that should work perfectly, its a plastic storage bench in our yard on our patio. and it closes pretty well. I haven't decided how often I should soak them; any recommendations? We're expecting at least a quarter inch of rain tomorrow so I wanted to get them tucked...
Well, today I checked my torts outside, they were damp and we have rain coming within a day or so, so I took the day off and am trying to take care of them... I bought a 15 quart Hefty and shredded brown butcher paper. I am going to put this into a cardboard box and store them either in my shed...
With recent and upcoming weather conditions, I am going to put them in plastic shoeboxes with holes drilled for ventilation and then put them in boxes. I really hope this works. Again, thanks for all the input!
They did dig burrows, these are about 4-5 inches and their burrows are about a foot into the ground but very difficult to access. They came to the opening of their burrows yesterday when it was raining and the openings were damp, later, they went back further into their burrows. Like I mentioned...
We're getting some rain and my SDT are outside, we are getting some rain and although they are not getting rained on, they may be getting damp; what do I do? Do I awake them? Someone told me that as long as they are not submerged that they can survive the rains.
Thanks for your help!
Tom, thanks... I have one problem, I don't have 8' to spare in my home; what would be the smallest I could humanely do for the two? Would I need a basking light? I would assume I could use a full-spectrum incandescent bulb...
No, to bring them in for the season and keep them up. Its pretty much been established that our temps in Mesa would really not allow me to keep them anywhere excpet in a refrigerator so I will keep them up and go from there.
Tom, they are closer to two years and looking at a ruler, I would have to say they are closer to 4-4 1/2"... I agree, species that are meant to hibernate should be allowed to do so. if I had a space for a styro cooler, I would try to do that but again, as you know, our temps don't go that low. I...
Since they're approximately 6" can I keep them in a rubbermaid bin and use cypress mulch? I understand both sides of the issue and I think i would opt to keep them awake then. Will it wreak havoc on they system to have no rest?
Thanks! You're right, we normally don't see 40-50° so can I continue to keep them outdoors and bring them in to soak and still feed them outside? Again, thanks for your response, I really want to do whats right for these two, they are awesome and when we moved out west, I wanted to make sure we...
Hey! Okay, my two yearlings decided to burrow in their enclosure and are still visible but obviously in brumation. Should I now put them in a styrofoam cooler? Is it okay to leave them outdoors if no predators have access to them? Our temps have been in the high 80s and are going to continue to...
Okay, another question. Our daytime highs are still in the 80s and 90s, our nightime lows are getting in the 60s and 70s, they have been cutting back on their food intake and have been burrowing in the substrate in their hide box. When will I know to start the hibernation process? We have no...
I have been steaming the pumpkin and baking the sweet potato, I have avian diet experience so I have been adapting that to meet their needs. I have also been wanting to add papaya to their diet; opinion? Given their size, approximately 5-6 inches what size box would you recommend? I have limited...
I have had them for roughly 6 months, they have been doing very well. They have been eating greens but have been hesitant to try pumpkin, squash, zucchini, etc. The greens I have been giving them are Chard, Kale, Green lettuce, red lettuce, cilantro, romaine. I have tried sweet potato but have...
Thank you!! Thank you! Thank you! I really appreciate your help! Since these are about two, I may try to hibernate them, I assume they would be doing so in the wild. One of them is already burrowing in the evening, I just need to find an appropriate space to allow them to do so, I am thinking I...
Okay, I took advice from this forum and I made my two yearlings hide areas deeper, now I need some help with hibernation... Do they need a tight area to hibernate in? Do they burrow and if so, how far? I have noticed that they are not eating as much and they are slowing down, from what I have...