Does anyone here have boxies who they are letting hibernate outside this year? Can you post some pictures where they will be hibernating? This is the first time I'm letting some juvies stay outside and I'm really nervous about it.
hibernation help
- Thread starter terryo
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i let mine hibernate outside but i live in the panhandle of florida so its never colder than 20 at the most. All i do is mix a pile of dirt, leaves, and pine straw about a month before it starts to get cold so that they know that it is there and they usually start to burrow down as soon as its in there. My circumstances are different than yours so the way i do things with mine is gonna be totally different than yours due to the different climates. I am sure someone can give you advice better than what i have. The speces of box turtle may also affect the way you should hibernate them. I hope this helped you out somewhat!
I hibernate everything indoors under controlled conditions, so I'm no help. But I wish you the best of luck Terryo.
Thanks John and Tom.
I'm doing things the way I usually did....but this is a new garden. I made a cave at the end of the garden, and there's soil mixed with pet moss, and now I'm putting lots of dried leaves, and some pine hay on top. When everyone digs down, I'll add a bit of pool liner to keep the rain out. I'm just so nervouse because there are some young ones. One little one I'm bringing in because he seems too light and is still eating, so I'm thinking he's just too young. Oh well....have to keep my fingers crossed.
I'm doing things the way I usually did....but this is a new garden. I made a cave at the end of the garden, and there's soil mixed with pet moss, and now I'm putting lots of dried leaves, and some pine hay on top. When everyone digs down, I'll add a bit of pool liner to keep the rain out. I'm just so nervouse because there are some young ones. One little one I'm bringing in because he seems too light and is still eating, so I'm thinking he's just too young. Oh well....have to keep my fingers crossed.
What's pine hay? Needles?
Better safe than sorry on the little one.
How do you know if they've all dug in in the cave? When my lizards hibernated, I just searched the whole cage to make sure nobody was above ground and by process of elimination, they had to be dug in in their cave.
This was easy with three 4.5' long lizards, but how do you do it with a whole bunch of little turtles? I'm being a nervous nelly for you.
Better safe than sorry on the little one.
How do you know if they've all dug in in the cave? When my lizards hibernated, I just searched the whole cage to make sure nobody was above ground and by process of elimination, they had to be dug in in their cave.
This was easy with three 4.5' long lizards, but how do you do it with a whole bunch of little turtles? I'm being a nervous nelly for you.
Yeah Tom, pine hay is pine needles! 
You are right to bring in the little guy. Your box turtles should come out in the winter if it warms up at all like at noon. But before it starts to get cold again you need to make sure there are no stragglers out and about. You should put them back into the cave and probably put some type of barrier to prevent a venturous one from trying to come out when it is freezing temperatures.
You are right to bring in the little guy. Your box turtles should come out in the winter if it warms up at all like at noon. But before it starts to get cold again you need to make sure there are no stragglers out and about. You should put them back into the cave and probably put some type of barrier to prevent a venturous one from trying to come out when it is freezing temperatures.
My Box Turtle has hibernated outside every winter since we have had her. I know the general area where she hangs out/sleeps (especially during the warmer months), but I do not know where she hibernates.
I recently discovered a really cool cave/tunnel that something (tortoise or dog... I am thinking tortoise) has dug into a weird type of bush we have. Mojave, my CDT, sometimes goes in there, and I would think it's perfect for hibernation, as it probably stays pretty dry and it's warmer in there too. It goes back about a foot into the bush, then turns to the left and is about 2 feet deep in that direction.
I recently discovered a really cool cave/tunnel that something (tortoise or dog... I am thinking tortoise) has dug into a weird type of bush we have. Mojave, my CDT, sometimes goes in there, and I would think it's perfect for hibernation, as it probably stays pretty dry and it's warmer in there too. It goes back about a foot into the bush, then turns to the left and is about 2 feet deep in that direction.
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