Look who decided winter is over!

[Elohi]

Too bad Texas weather hasn't decided the same...


I have noticed this week that she(he) has been filling the water dish with substrate and wrecking the enclosure a bit, despite not actual lying seeing her out but I finally saw her once yesterday afternoon and again this morning.

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Great looking boxy , if what your saying is you want winter over ! Boy do I agree! We will have summer sooner then you think . Have a great day !

 

[Saleama]

My outside female Russian decided winter was over last week so she is in a small tub with the one I bought tuesday until all the ice melts. She was slow coming around but started eating this morning. Tonight she will get her first soak in three months. I have not seen the boys since the week before thanksgiving. They usually dig down in hard soil too deep for me to dig up with my hands.
I love your box turtle by the way! I have 3 ornates that seem to be hibernating above ground in the indoor table. The 2 gulf coast and 1 three toed in with them have been MIA since Thanksgiving! My babies are the same way. I have 2 that run around hunting crickets all the time and 4 that never come out unless I dig them up and make them.

 

[Elohi]

My outside female Russian decided winter was over last week so she is in a small tub with the one I bought tuesday until all the ice melts. She was slow coming around but started eating this morning. Tonight she will get her first soak in three months. I have not seen the boys since the week before thanksgiving. They usually dig down in hard soil too deep for me to dig up with my hands.
I love your box turtle by the way! I have 3 ornates that seem to be hibernating above ground in the indoor table. The 2 gulf coast and 1 three toed in with them have been MIA since Thanksgiving! My babies are the same way. I have 2 that run around hunting crickets all the time and 4 that never come out unless I dig them up and make them.

I didn't exactly let Lylah (or Lyle lol) brumate since I have just had her since August. Despite looking plenty healthy to do so, my lack of experience detoured me. Instead I kept her enclosure warm with lights on for 14 hours a day. All winter she had refused to come up on her own so once a week I was digging her up and seeing if she was interested in eating. At first she flat refused and had a major attitude about being bothered. But eventually she became less moody and started eating when I would dig her up. I also soaked her and took her outside when weather permitted. The last two outdoor adventures have seemed to really help get her out of the "I'd rather be brumating" rut she was in and has been pigging out on superworms. It's nice to see him/her coming out on his/her own again. Hopefully I get her set up in the yard this spring so she can really get outside and be a boxie. Do you think I should brumate her next year? Let her do it naturally? Bring her inside and keep her warm instead? This is the one that some of y'all think is a young male and not actually a female. I'll do whatever is best for health and happiness.

 

[Saleama]

I didn't want mine to either. They are all juveniles and only one of them has hibernated before because he was a garden baby that was not found until he was about 2.5 inches, so I'm guessing at least 2 years hiding in the garden. I put the lights on a 12 hour timer with a warm air driven heater blowing across the dark, cool end (sounds confusing but it works,lol). They were eating fine through November then one day one of them wouldn't open his eyes. Over the following few weeks the other two followed suit, but they only dig down every now and then and then I will find them out under the lights. Everyone I have talked to said they are brumating so I can only hope that is the case. their eyes seem a little puffy.

The debate over hibernation is a long one. Many folks believe it is absolutly essential for good health and steady, proper growth. Then there are those who say that it isn't necesary. I only allow my Russians and my adult Box turtles to hibernate out doors. If the babies and juveniles do so inside I let them. The one thing that stuck in my mind was told to me by a breeder I bought my first two Leopards from. He said that there is a reason they do it on their own and if they decide they want to then they should be allowed to. In his opinion, it is healthier for the turtle as it more precisely mimicks their growth rate in the wild. Turtles that do not hibernate grow faster than those that do hibernate. Sometimes much faster.

 

[Elohi]

Veeeeerrrrry interesting. Well maybe next year I will let him/her decide and let her do her thing. She really wanted to this year but I was scared lol.
I do have someone interested in her though. So there is a small possibility that I let them have her and they will be the ones who handle her brumation next year.

 

[Saleama]

Veeeeerrrrry interesting. Well maybe next year I will let him/her decide and let her do her thing. She really wanted to this year but I was scared lol.
I do have someone interested in her though. So there is a small possibility that I let them have her and they will be the ones who handle her brumation next year.

You would let a beauty like that go!?! Mine will all hopefully be garden ready by the time that decision needs to be made next year. I have their outdoor "pen" ready but I was using it as a tortoise play pen this year and got caught out in the cold by the unusual winter we are having here in Dallas. All of them will go into it as soon as we know there will not be another cold snap. There is no substitute for natural outdoor living. I can't wait to plant the crate and get them out there.

 

[TortsNTurtles]

Your box turtle is beautiful.

 

[lynnedit]

Elohi, she is beautiful. Reminds me of my female Ornate.

I put the lights on a 12 hour timer with a warm air driven heater blowing across the dark, cool end (sounds confusing but it works,lol). They were eating fine through November then one day one of them wouldn't open his eyes. Over the following few weeks the other two followed suit, but they only dig down every now and then and then I will find them out under the lights. Everyone I have talked to said they are brumating so I can only hope that is the case. their eyes seem a little puffy.

Stephen, did you decide to keep temps and light duration the same when you noticed they were burrowing a lot this winter?