Inside enclosure for winter

[Obsessiveplantkeeper]

So i live in ohio, and it gets super cold and snowy during the winter, and i need to build an enclosure inside because it has started cooling down quite a bit, i was planning to use my outdoor enclosure and just bring it inside, but i dont know what to do for flooring because i dont want him to go in the carpet or the tile bc it will just spread everywhere, anyone have ideas?

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Hello!
You can't keep him without substrate: fine grade orchid bark or coco coir will work. Put thick pond liner underneath (you may want to cover bottom of the walls as well to protect wood from moisture).

You may also consider brumating (hibernating) him in winter. Fridge method is, probably, the safest.

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

What is the outdoor enclosure like?

 

[Obsessiveplantkeeper]

Its a 5x5 wood enclosure thats one foot tall(i said in a diff thread it was 6x6 but realized my tape measure was very off), what pond liner should i use? Is it expensive? I will have to buy more substrate to cover the bottom bc right now i only have half of a bag. I dont think i would be willing to do brumating(i have never heard of it and i dont want to hurt him). Also i froze a bunch of dandelions, phlox, and clovers to add into his food over the winter, will that work?

 

[Tim Carlisle]

Its a 5x5 wood enclosure thats one foot tall(i said in a diff thread it was 6x6 but realized my tape measure was very off), what pond liner should i use? Is it expensive? I will have to buy more substrate to cover the bottom bc right now i only have half of a bag. I dont think i would be willing to do brumating(i have never heard of it and i dont want to hurt him). Also i froze a bunch of dandelions, phlox, and clovers to add into his food over the winter, will that work?

Might be a good idea to vacuum-pack your greens. Mine would get all mushy by simply freezing them.

 

[Obsessiveplantkeeper]

Might be a good idea to vacuum-pack your greens. Mine would get all mushy by simply freezing them.

I havent heard of that! Ill look it up and collect new stuff before its all dead.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Its a 5x5 wood enclosure thats one foot tall(i said in a diff thread it was 6x6 but realized my tape measure was very off), what pond liner should i use? Is it expensive? I will have to buy more substrate to cover the bottom bc right now i only have half of a bag. I dont think i would be willing to do brumating(i have never heard of it and i dont want to hurt him). Also i froze a bunch of dandelions, phlox, and clovers to add into his food over the winter, will that work?

Pond liner is a thick plastic film used for water features in landscaping (ponds, streams etc). It's not very expensive - probably, cheaper than substrate 0.5 or 1mm (0.02 or 0.04 inch) should be enough.

Brumation is a winter sleep (similar to hibetnation in mammals). It's a natural process for tortoise species from temperate climates (like Greek or Russian tortoises). While not strictly necessary in captivity, it may have some long-term benefits for tortoise health (not much scientific evidence yet). There are risks when brumation is not done right (e.g. leaving tortoise at room temperature or brumating a sick tortoise). If you don't feel confident enough - just keep your tortoise awake. This thread explains in more details how to (or not to): https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/toms-brumation-thread.201823/

 

[Obsessiveplantkeeper]

I dont feel very confident brumating him, so i think i will just use the pond liner idea, it seems safer. Also he has never been brumated before so i feel like it would be stressful for him as well as me. Thanks for the explanation though, i might look into it for the future winters.