How Cold is To Cold for Desert Tortoise?

[robc]

It's getting to be about 50 degrees at night here in San Diego, CA. We built him (our Adult desert tortoise) a shelter made of a very large pot set on it's side with dirt and rocks inside. There is some insulation on the top. We are worried he will be to cold at night. Do we need to bring him inside at night? How cold is to cold for him?

 

[Tom]

Above ground with an open door in a pot is going to be too cold. In the wild he'd be underground down a burrow where temps are pretty close to an average between the daytime high and the night time low. The above ground extremes can be pretty hard on them.

Do you want to hibernate him or keep him up? Is he trying to hibernate on his own already?

 

[robc]

Above ground with an open door in a pot is going to be too cold. In the wild he'd be underground down a burrow where temps are pretty close to an average between the daytime high and the night time low. The above ground extremes can be pretty hard on them.

Do you want to hibernate him or keep him up? Is he trying to hibernate on his own already?

We cover the opening at night with blankets and a shower curtain in case it rains. We are not sure about hibernation, I don't think he's trying to on his own already.

 

[robc]

We cover the opening at night with blankets and a shower curtain in case it rains. We are not sure about hibernation, I don't think he's trying to on his own already.

Also, the pot is half underground.

 

[Yvonne G]

If you don't provide heat a desert tortoise will eventually hibernate. If you don't want the tortoise to hibernate you have to provide heat. I wouldn't let it get below 60F without heat. All my desert tortoises hibernate.