First time desert tortoise person - need hibernation help

[NLS]

Hello everyone, we adopted Louie a 33yo desert tortoise in August. He has an awesome set up outside with a large dog house with hay and coco fiber where he snuggles in at night. I have an area in our garage ready for him to hibernate in when he is ready. Our nights are cold now and he is slowing down. My question is this.....our garage is still housing a temp of between 75-80 degrees during the day and from what I have read, that is way too hot for him to hibernate in. Should I keep letting him do his thing outside and perhaps he may start his own hibernation in his doghouse then when it is cool enough in the garage, move him in there? Is it okay to slightly disrupt him if he does start his hibernation? I don't want to leave him outside as we will get random rain and much cooler temps as winter kicks in.

Thank you in advance and so sorry if this has been answered already!

 

[wellington]

Read this and see if it helps
Thread 'Tom's Brumation Thread' https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/toms-brumation-thread.201823/

 

[Tom]

Hello everyone, we adopted Louie a 33yo desert tortoise in August. He has an awesome set up outside with a large dog house with hay and coco fiber where he snuggles in at night. I have an area in our garage ready for him to hibernate in when he is ready. Our nights are cold now and he is slowing down. My question is this.....our garage is still housing a temp of between 75-80 degrees during the day and from what I have read, that is way too hot for him to hibernate in. Should I keep letting him do his thing outside and perhaps he may start his own hibernation in his doghouse then when it is cool enough in the garage, move him in there? Is it okay to slightly disrupt him if he does start his hibernation? I don't want to leave him outside as we will get random rain and much cooler temps as winter kicks in.

Thank you in advance and so sorry if this has been answered already!

Hello and welcome.

In addition to the brumation thread that Barb left, this one will help too. Lok for the temperate species care sheet near the bottom.

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[Yvonne G]

I leave my desert tortoise outside until it stops coming out of the shelter. I don't think your garage is going to be a good place for him unless it gets a lot cooler than that in winter. You want him someplace where it stays between about 41°F and 45°F day and night. Be sure it doesn't freeze. My tortoise is coming out daily and sitting in the sun for an hour or so, then goes back in her shelter. She's not eating, which is clearing out her digestive tract. I look for her daily and when the day comes that she doesn't come out to soak up the rays, I get her and put her in her brumation area. It's ok to mess with them at this time as they're not brumating yet, just sluggish because they're too cold.

 

[NLS]

thank you!