dec. 23rd

[mark1]

air temp 38 degrees , water temp 42 degrees .....

 

[wellington]

Is it crazy? I'd be chilling deep down and mellowing out so I could feel the cold

 

[cdmay]

Good grief!
We might be at 87 degrees on Christmas day

 

[KevinGG]

Amazing. Is it active winter long or just coming up for air?

 

[mark1]

we started out the december averaging 5 degrees below normal , we've had quite a few days with near zero lows and highs in the low teens ....... it warmed up pretty good the last few days , I think we have a 60 in the 5 day forecast .......... Kevin , they pop up on sunny days throughout the winter , I've seen them in the sun on the bottom of the pond on single digit sunny days ....... when they come up it appears to me to be just for a breath , they go back down and you won't see them for weeks , they never come out the water until maybe may ........ it is amazing to me to see reptiles as cold tolerant as na wood turtles and blanding's are ..........

 

[KevinGG]

Really impressive. How long do they stay down for (what month do they go down -what month do they start feeding again )?

 

[mark1]

I can't say for sure how long they can stay down , but i'm pretty sure when the water temp is 40 or below they're not coming up . i'd guess they can stay down indefinitely if it's cold enough and the water is oxygenated well enough , as long as they don't run out of energy .............when they move around during the winter it always seems to be on sunny days , possibly because those are the only days i'm moving around where I would see them ......... they seem to start staying in the water more in late sept , by mid to late November they really don't come out of the water anymore .......... they seem to start coming out the water again mid to late april .... they seem to eat when the water temp starts hitting the 60's on the warm days , I think it has as much to do , if not more , with the sun and the time of year than the water temps . the water temps in a river can change 10 degrees in the same day , as can their ponds ....... I've never kept spotted turtles , but I understand they are extremely cold tolerant also ......

 

[cdmay]

There was a guy who filmed dormant map turtles under the ice. I think he was in Michigan, or Wisconsin. One of those ridiculously cold places.
Not sure where I watched the video now though...Turtle Forum, maybe Field Herp Forum?
Berkeley probably knows.

 

[mark1]

I googled it ..... some of them videos make it look like mine are wintering in mexico .......

 

[cdmay]

Cool stuff!
Since we hit the mid 80s today all of this hibernation talk is kind of foreign to me.
But then the danger for Florida is that we might get an Arctic Clipper that sweeps through and drops us to freezing PDQ and kills everything.
In 1989 we had a Christmas Day freeze just days after it had been 83 degrees.

 

[mark1]

was 68 and sunny here in northeast ohio yesterday ....... i'd wonder how cold you let your redfoots stay out in ? i kept them here quite some time ago , i left them in my parents backyard at least from june through september ..... i read a lot of negative about using red brooder lamps , but i do know one positive , they do learn that the red light is heat , and they can find it anywhere you put it .........

 

[cdmay]

Anything below 57 or 58 when its wet and I bring them inside for the night. If it will be bright and sunny in the morning and its dry then I'll leave them out.
Below 55 they come in regardless.

 

[Moozillion]

we started out the december averaging 5 degrees below normal , we've had quite a few days with near zero lows and highs in the low teens ....... it warmed up pretty good the last few days , I think we have a 60 in the 5 day forecast .......... Kevin , they pop up on sunny days throughout the winter , I've seen them in the sun on the bottom of the pond on single digit sunny days ....... when they come up it appears to me to be just for a breath , they go back down and you won't see them for weeks , they never come out the water until maybe may ........ it is amazing to me to see reptiles as cold tolerant as na wood turtles and blanding's are ..........

They REALLY are amazing!!!!!!

 

[Moozillion]

I googled it ..... some of them videos make it look like mine are wintering in mexico .......

IN.CRED.IBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[cdmay]

Hold onto your butts south Floridians, it's gonna be 55 degrees in the morning.
Maybe even colder inland.

 

[Berkeley]

There was a guy who filmed dormant map turtles under the ice. I think he was in Michigan, or Wisconsin. One of those ridiculously cold places.
Not sure where I watched the video now though...Turtle Forum, maybe Field Herp Forum?
Berkeley probably knows.

I think it was on Field Herp Forum, Carl. I'll see if I can track it down and post a link here.
--Berkeley

 

[Berkeley]

Lunch break sleuthing @cdmay and @mark1 :
I found the thread with the video that Carl was referencing: http://www.fieldherpforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=21495

(There is another link within that post to see the actual video on youtube)

Enjoy!
--Berkeley

 

[mark1]

January 7 ........ air temp 7 degrees , water temp 37 degrees ........

and some eastern box turtles

 

[mark1]

January 22nd , air temp 64 degrees , water temp 52 degrees ...... I have to think were on track for our warmest winter ever .....

 

[Maro2Bear]

Nice bright colors! Been unseasonly warm here in Maryland as well. Not warm enough today to have our Sully out, but warm enough to enable the "harvesting" of fresh green weeds and grasses to augment meal time.