Cold Tort--Please Help

[Texastort]

I just went outside to check on my torts to find my two smaller ones somehow got out of the heated house and spent the night outside. Both are ice cold but alive, but barely. I have them under heat lamps and in my heated tort house where it's about 70 degrees. Any thing else I can do to warm them up safely? So upset right now.

 

[Yvonne G]

I don't think it harmed them. I have found one outside by accident on cold mornings, and all I've done is put them into their warm house and cross my fingers. It all worked out ok. I think the key is to warm them back up slowly.

 

[Tom]

Warm water soak. I wouldn't worry too much. Dean and I just toured the Ojai Sulcata Project facility recently and Dave, the owner, has some sulcatas the refuse to sleep inside ever. It was 29 degrees F the morning we went there and its right around freezing every night. He had sulcatas ranging from 10-26" or so that sleep outside in that cold every night with no problems. Been that way for years.

Now I would never do this, but the point is that it won't kill them.

 

[Tony the tank]

I would think a really warm soak would help..

 

[Laura]

that has happened to me too.. ice cubes.. nice warm water soak.... then under the heat lamps.. watch them, but let them be.

 

[Texastort]

Warm water soak. I wouldn't worry too much. Dean and I just toured the Ojai Sulcata Project facility recently and Dave, the owner, has some sulcatas the refuse to sleep inside ever. It was 29 degrees F the morning we went there and its right around freezing every night. He had sulcatas ranging from 10-26" or so that sleep outside in that cold every night with no problems. Been that way for years.

Now I would never do this, but the point is that it won't kill them.

Thank you all. They are back in the tort house near the heater and under the lights. The are looking better and more alert. Scary morning, when i first saw them i thought they were dead. I just can't figure out how they go out. They come inside every night, I just close the door. Worries me as we are going out of town for four days during Christmas and I was hoping they could continue to let themselves in and out.

 

[lynnedit]

Maybe a neighbor could check for you every night (gift card?), or a pet sitting service to stop in nightly?

 

[Texastort]

Maybe a neighbor could check for you every night (gift card?), or a pet sitting service to stop in nightly?

Yeah may have to. My neighbors are sketchy and we have kept our tortoise keeping hobby quiet, don't want any bored kids to steal them or worse. I'll keep "training" them and see how it goes. I have a few weeks before we leave, kind of doing a dry run this week to see how they do. So far not good!

 

[Laura]

i wonder if they feel over crowded in the house? one bullies the others?
They usually learn, but it can be frustrating...
If it doenst work out.. maybe place a heat lamp on the outside on a timer, but they have heat outside the house too if they leave?
If it warms up enough during the day, they should be fine...

 

[Texastort]

i wonder if they feel over crowded in the house? one bullies the others?
They usually learn, but it can be frustrating...
If it doenst work out.. maybe place a heat lamp on the outside on a timer, but they have heat outside the house too if they leave?
If it warms up enough during the day, they should be fine...

Great ideas. Just checked on them and they are good as new. Eating some mazuri! They have all lived in this tort house for about three months with no problems. Weird. Now I am wondering if an ant bit them? I am noticing some fire ants in the house.....great

 

[ascott]

Might be the ants.....I am alerted by my CDTs if there is a black endowment blocking their way to their hide/burrows by noticing them out of their normal when dark is approaching.....maybe deal with the ants and may no longer have the problem?????

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SORRY! using my dumb smart phone....the word endowment should have been widow......jeeeez