Help needed please

[Candy]

I'm trying to figure something out now about Desert Tortoises. I posted a thread that I adopted Fernando and now I would like to know what everyone has done or do with their own Desert Tortoises. I know that Shelly leaves his outside 24/7/365 and would love to know what everyone thinks about this. I bring Fernando in at night partly because that's what Walter told me he did and partly because of some of the older threads and posts that I've read on here in the last week or so. Please tell me what you do with yours and if you think it's a bad thing to bring them in at night. I also have opossums where I live and my dog is in the house at night during the winter so that might make a difference to me. Let the debate begin.

 

[kimber_lee_314]

I leave mine outside, but I have wooden boxes that I lock them up in at night. I have raccoons that grace my yard every night and don't want to take any chances. The door opens like a ramp so I just open the doors in the morning and they come and go as they want. Since Fernando is used to being inside at night, I would wait until the nights are warmer before leaving him out all night. I think it's hard on them to have sudden changes like that. Just my opinion - nothing to back this up with.

 

[Candy]

Now I want to see pictures of your boxes Kimber. Did you make them yourself or buy them? Do your tortoises know when to go in or do you have to put them in there yourself? Oh yeah, how many DT's do you have?

 

[Tom]

I do both depending on the weather. I've got indoor housing for them, but I leave them outside if the weather is nice enough. If we've got cold nights followed by cold days, I just bring them in. I don't mind the cold nights as long as we've got warm sunny days for them to warm up. Going back and forth has never bothered them. Mine have several boxes and natural nooks and crannies to choose to sleep in. One dog house has a heat mat in it and they usually sleep in there.

I don't think its critical, but it does depend on where you live.

Candy, aren't you in SoCal? Also, how big of a tort are we talking about?

 

[Candy]

I do live in Alhambra, CA Tom. I'm about 45 minutes (in good traffic) from you. Fernando is 12 inches and weighs 10 lbs. You brought up something else that I forgot to ask. Do you guys use pig blankets for your DT's like they do for Sulcata's? You say that they sleep in the dog houses. What kind of dogs do you have?

 

[Yvonne G]

My desert tortoises live outside year-round, day and night. They have a nice cinder block house under a large tree (in the shade) that they use during inclement weather and also where they sleep at night. I don't get them up from hibernation until the weather is good enough for them to go back outside, and once I put them out, they stay out until next hibernation. I hibernate my desert tortoises in cardboard boxes filled with shredded newspaper, and the boxes are placed inside chest-type freezers (not plugged in) inside an old vacant house on my property.

Every night I go around to all my pens and make sure all the turtles and tortoises are inside their houses. Then I block the doorways with a piece of plywood and a cinderblock. This keeps them safe from night time predators. In the morning I go around and open all the doors. If its cold, the tortoises don't come out. If the weather is nice, they come out on their own.

 

[Candy]

Yvonne how do they breathe being inside freezers like that do you not close the lid?

 

[Crazy1]

Candy I have been hibernating mine in a shed (tent type) in a box with aspen and shredded newspapers. But once I get my yard done I think I will be using Yvonnes method. When I was up there and seen how she had hers set up I thought that might be the perfect idea for mine. The block house for summertime and hibernated in the garage. Once out mine stay out all summer. He currently has a dog houses to go into (no dogs allowed in that house). It is in the shade, but I think the block would be much cooler for them. One of mine went to its forever home on Sat. before Easter. They had made a wonderful habitat for him. So now I only have Bixby as my one and only CDT.

 

[spikethebest]

mine stay outside 24/7. most winters though i have put them in a box and kept in my garage for the winter, but this past winter, i let them dig their own burrow and sleep in it all winter long. he has awoken from his winter sleep in good shape. so I will let them sleep for now on in his burrow.

 

[Yvonne G]

Yvonne how do they breathe being inside freezers like that do you not close the lid?

I put a pencil across one corner so the lids don't close all the way.

 

[Shelly]

this past winter, i let them dig their own burrow and sleep in it all winter long.

Just be very careful that the burrow is in an area where it will not flood in a heavy rain.

 

[Madortoise]

I'm in Long Beach, CA. I leave my Penelope outside now. She hibernated for 4 months in this dog-house on our porch. When she woke up, we simply moved the house to outside (right outside of my bedroom window). Here are some pix of the side of the house where she is secured and enjoying bunch of weeds to eat. She goes inside by 5 p.m. and I lock up the cage when I come home so that other trespassing animals cannot get to her. We get lots of cats...not so much predatory animals, thank goodness.

 

[Candy]

That's a very good idea, the dog house I mean. The holes are small enough that nothing can get to her. Thanks for the pictures.

 

[kimber_lee_314]

Now I want to see pictures of your boxes Kimber. Did you make them yourself or buy them? Do your tortoises know when to go in or do you have to put them in there yourself? Oh yeah, how many DT's do you have?

I've been meaning to get this pic posted for you Candy. Sorry for the delay. This is my DT box - the first one we made. Half of it is hard cloth -which was a mistake. I have to go cover it when it rains. Since then - all the others have solid tops. The doors act as ramps. Most of the tortoises go in them when it's time for bed, but I always go around and check to make sure everyone's in and locked up for the night. In the mornings I just open the doors and they come out when they want. I have four DTs plus a hatchling I'm babysitting. (They haven't come back for it yet, so I HOPE I'm just babysitting!) I will try to post some other pics of boxes if I can find them.

 

[Candy]

Kimber I am so glad that you posted this picture. I love pictures because then I can show my husband and say to him "I want one of those for Fernando" and he usually grunts, but given enough time he'll usually come back and say "fine I'll build one". Especially if I find something like it to buy. He says that he can build it better and cheaper and he's usually right. I love that box it kind of reminded me of a childs toy chest. I kind of wish that Rubbermaid would get into the business of tortoise houses and start putting doors onto their big outside chests. That would make it a lot easier for all of us looking for insulated outside boxes.

 

[Madortoise]

Boy oh boy, we had our share of rain all last night (or it felt like it). It poured so much I woke up in the middle of a night to go rescue Penelope (well, I put my husband to that task, to be honest). She was reportedly up and out of her burrow looking out of the dog cage (see pix above) at 12 midnight getting herself all wet. She wasn't really in danger of drowning b/c the dog house is higher up than the ground but we figured the moisture and coldness was not good so we kept her cozy inside all night. It's again little chilly tonight so she's inside again. Mommy here is very protective of the juvie tort just getting used to sleeping by herself outside.
Smiles,

 

[kimber_lee_314]

Here's another pic of one of my boxes - smaller version with on e of my damlatians. I use clips (like dog leash clips) to lock them up - for some reason I had them off when I took this.

 

[Candy]

I'm glad Penelope is doing alright and I know the about the protective mommy thing too and I also think that it's o.k.

Kimber thank you I love your boxes they are so nice. Where they hard to build? I can't wait until Fernando gets something like this to stay outside in. I would love just to open the door in the morning and when he's ready he could come out.

 

[Madortoise]

Here's another pic of one of my boxes - smaller version with on e of my damlatians. I use clips (like dog leash clips) to lock them up - for some reason I had them off when I took this.

Kimber--that's such a cute pix. Your tortie looks very happy.
Penelope actually has another outdoor pen build on concrete 4'x4' sectioned out by wood w/covered hide but the covered area seemed to have molded during the winter. I need to disinfect and make sure it's not harmful. Your box is portable, right? That'll keep it out of the rain.

 

[lgdpt]

Here is the one I made....the lid hinges up so you can get them in and out.