No winding down in this heat wave

[thatrebecca]

Long time no see, everybody! I hope everybody's torts are well. It's hot hot hot here in LA and my CDTs are showing no signs of winding down for brumation season in this heat wave. Here's Gomez out hunting for weeds after his soak. Hope we get a cool-down soon!

 

[ascott]

View attachment 151863

Long time no see, everybody! I hope everybody's torts are well. It's hot hot hot here in LA and my CDTs are showing no signs of winding down for brumation season in this heat wave. Here's Gomez out hunting for weeds after his soak. Hope we get a cool-down soon!

Good to see you..I have one of the guys here that turned in 6 days ago just as the cool weather rolled in for two days..he is going to be the end of me..I had plans to close off burrows tomorrow...I now believe he is listening to my conversations through the window and high tailed it into his burrow..a week earlier this year than last...ugghhh...I am going to try to radiate some sunlight and heat into his burrow tomorrow to see if he will come out...his burrow has now stopped getting any direct sunlight at the entrance..wish me luck..lol..and Gomez looks handsome by the way..

 

[wellington]

Great pic, he looks very determined to get something. Maybe the person holding the camera Send me some heat, and I will send you some cooler temps

 

[dmmj]

the tortoises are probably thinking shortest brumination ever.

 

[thatrebecca]

Good to see you..I have one of the guys here that turned in 6 days ago just as the cool weather rolled in for two days..he is going to be the end of me..I had plans to close off burrows tomorrow...I now believe he is listening to my conversations through the window and high tailed it into his burrow..a week earlier this year than last...ugghhh...I am going to try to radiate some sunlight and heat into his burrow tomorrow to see if he will come out...his burrow has now stopped getting any direct sunlight at the entrance..wish me luck..lol..and Gomez looks handsome by the way..

Your guys are always a few weeks ahead of mine. Amazing what a difference being 70 miles further inland makes! Last year mine didn't stop coming out to sun and nibble till around Halloween, and I boxed them the second week of November.

Good luck with your early bird! Does knocking on his burrow help? That ticks my guys enough to come out and give me the 'What gives?' look.

 

[thatrebecca]

Great pic, he looks very determined to get something. Maybe the person holding the camera Send me some heat, and I will send you some cooler temps

LOL! My cell phone case is bright pink, so I think he thinks he's charging a giant, delicious hibiscus flower.

Wish I could mail you some California sunshine and you could mail me some Midwestern autumn!

 

[BeeBee*BeeLeaves]

Gomez looks great. Love that picture.
The weather is so, so weird. The rain we got in So Cal last week is doing a full circle and the same storm system is due to hit us again.
They say Thursday and Friday after spinning over to Nevada and Arizona. Spins into So Cal , again.
Our torties are in between a rock and hard place about what to do with it. Stay up? Go to bed?
Glad to here from you again on the forum. Sometimes, we too hibernate from TFO. Life, gets in the way. LOL.

 

[Kenno]

I'm also on the southwest coast of the USA, and my three desert torts are certainly confused. They find a nice sleeping corner and stay down for a day or two, then the triple digit temps bring them out again looking for food.
It will all get sorted out when my champion digger digs out his usual burrow, and the others will crowd in with him. One is a light sleeper/brumater and so he'll stay at the shallow end and he'll pop in and out all winter.

 

[BeeBee*BeeLeaves]

One is a light sleeper/brumater and so he'll stay at the shallow end and he'll pop in and out all winter.

Is that one also the funny vertical sleeper, Alex?

 

[Kenno]

Is that one also the funny vertical sleeper, Alex?

Bee Bee, my light sleeper is Hercules, the smallest of the three. Old Duncan is now sleeping for a few days at a time under shelves in my greenhouse. I'm hoping Alex will re- dig the same garden burrow as last year, and then I can cover and waterproof again. Alex and Duncan brumated in that burrow for four months last year. There are other options if crazy Alex doesn't dig.

 

[thatrebecca]

I'm also on the southwest coast of the USA, and my three desert torts are certainly confused. They find a nice sleeping corner and stay down for a day or two, then the triple digit temps bring them out again looking for food.
It will all get sorted out when my champion digger digs out his usual burrow, and the others will crowd in with him. One is a light sleeper/brumater and so he'll stay at the shallow end and he'll pop in and out all winter.

So funny! I don't think of them as having individual brumating styles but they do, don't they? My littlest always goes to bed first and wakes up last. Still no sign of that, though. They're out roaming for food every morning still.

 

[thatrebecca]

I stopped offering Gomez and Morticia supplemental food today, with an eye toward boxing them for brumation in 2-3 weeks.

After weeks of daytime highs above 85 degrees, we're looking at a cool-down this coming week, which should nudge them along. I hope it's not too abrupt, as they've been doing beautifully outside and I hate to bring them indoors for the last few weeks. But I will if it gets too cool and damp. The last thing I want is somebody getting sick before brumation time.

 

[thatrebecca]

Still up!