Hibernation indoors

[Littlelady56]

This is the first hibernation season I have had my 20-yr old three-toed box turtles. I have an indoor enclosure where they have been since early October when the weather got too cool for them outside {I live in northern Utah}. I have covered the enclosure with a screen now as I haven't seen them for three days. I'm assuming they have begun hibernating. What type of maintenance do I need to do for the next 4+ months? Do I need to continue keeping fresh water in there? Do I need to keep the dirt moist? Do I need to keep the UV and heat lamps on for a period of time each day?

Sorry if these are dumb questions to most of you but I'd appreciate some helpful direction.

 

[JoesMum]

Hibernation only occurs when temperatures are below 50F, ideally steady around 40F

No lamps. No heat, no central heating unless it is just to keep temperatures above freezing. @Yvonne G has experience with hibernating this species. Hopefully she'll be around later

 

[RosemaryDW]

Did you mean to post this question in the box turtle section, and not Russians? Hopefully Yvonne does show up; if you don’t hear from her I’d repost over there to be on the safe side.

 

[Yvonne G]

My box turtles live outside all the time. When the nights are consistently in the lower 40s they just dig under the pile of garden trash and disappear. They don't come out at all until the spring when the nights are consistently over 50F. They don't eat. They don't drink. They don't need a lamp. The soil gets rained on. The only thing I do other than nature is to rake up piles and piles of leaves and dump them over the spot where the turtles are brumating. If you live in an area where it gets VERY cold during the winter, you want to make sure the turtles are down below the frost line. That's why I dump piles of leaves over them.

It's pretty difficult to get the environment good enough for indoor brumation unless you don't heat your house all that well. The turtles need to be in an area that gets below 50F but above 40F. Maybe in a back bedroom closet where the heater doesn't work?