overwintering hermanns outdoors in the SE

[N2tropicAL]

i have raised asian box turtles outdoors in central alabama for 20 years and they have hibernated and reproduced successfully. i have recently thought about trying a pair of tortoises. a friend has suggested hermanns or greeks. has anyone had experience allowing tortoises to hibernate on their own in an large outdoor habitat in the SE? (climate zone 8)

any experiences or information would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi N2tropical:

Welcome to the forum!!

May we know your name?

Quite a few of us keep exotic tortoises that hibernate outside. I don't know why you would have a problem with it. In my opinion, you just need to be sure they are kept dry. I think that if they get too wet it might be harmful.

 

[N2tropicAL]

thanks for the welcome! my name is hayes.

the future habitat site is on a slope and would be well drained. i plan to amend with some sand and provide raised mounds and varying terrain. i really like the hermanns, but i dont want to to put any tortoises in a situation that is stressful. central alabama is very hot and humid in the summers and can get quite cold in the winter (altho it doesnt last).

if the hermanns would not be suitable in my climate, i would like to try ornate box turtles.

 

[Terry Allan Hall]

thanks for the welcome! my name is hayes.

the future habitat site is on a slope and would be well drained. i plan to amend with some sand and provide raised mounds and varying terrain. i really like the hermanns, but i dont want to to put any tortoises in a situation that is stressful. central alabama is very hot and humid in the summers and can get quite cold in the winter (altho it doesnt last).

if the hermanns would not be suitable in my climate, i would like to try ornate box turtles.

Ornates really like humidity...Hermann's just a bit less, so either would work, as long as they have a suitable place to hibernate (or you bring them in when it's cold).

 

[GBtortoises]

There are very, very few climates in the U.S. that Hermann's tortoises don't do well in. They have done very well for me here in the Catskills Mountains of New York State for over 25 years. I live at about 2,800 feet above sea level. Our average summer temperatures are in the mid 70's to low 80's, nights often in the low to mid 50's during the summer and the humidity varies greatly depending upon how long we go without rain. Winters are very long with temperatures below 45 from about November into March. Nights in the winter are often below20 degrees or colder. The majority of my Easterns are brought indoors for the winter and either hibernated artificially or overwintered. But several hibernate on their own outdoors and have for many years. If they can thrive as they do here in my climate I think they would do extremely well in your climate!

 

[N2tropicAL]

thanks for the replies!

thats exciting to hear that hermanns are such hardy creatures. my main concern was the extended summer heat and high humidity. i can expect extended summer lows in the low 70s and highs in the 90s. our winter temps may drop to 20F or lower a few nights every year, but the ground doesnt really freeze at all. even in dec-feb, we can get periods of warm weather in the 70s.

GB, may i ask how yours hibernate outdoors? i was planning on building an underground space with slabs of recycled concrete. im open to any ideas....

 

[GBtortoises]

They tolerate extended periods of heat well as long as they are given adequate shelter from it. Basically the same type of shelter arrangement that you would have for a tortoise to escape cool temperatures. I'm referring to cool spring and fall temperatures, not long, cold winter temperatures where they would normally be hibernating.

My tortoises essentially hibernate on their own outdoors. My only involvement is to ensure that none of them are buried too close to the edge of their shelter and to add more insulation material on top of them. All of my Eastern Hermann's that hibernate outdoors have always done so under their shelter. The shelter consists of nothing more than a 3' x 3' fiberglass roof panel about 12" off the ground located in the northwest corner of each enclosure. The north and west corner of their enclosure (pressure treated plywood) forms two solid walls. The east and south sides are open. From many years of digging the ground under the shelter is very loose which makes it easy for them to bury themselves. The shelter is packed full of straw year round. This keeps the ground temperature beneath it fairly stable. Good for them to escape the heat in the summer the very few times we have extreme heat here! My tortoises don't actually dig very deep at all. They bury themselves just far enough so that the soil is about 1.5-2" above their carapace with the straw being on top of that. Once I know they're all buried and near the center I add more straw around and on top of the shelter to create a mound approximately 6' in diameter and 3' high. I then cover the entire mound with clear plastic. This helps to keep out any rain and melting snow throughout the winter. It also acts as a mini greenhouse when not covered in snow. Basically, after doing all this I pray for snow, at least a foot of it! It's actually better to have the mounds covered with snow than to have the plastic exposed. The snow acts as insulation and keeps the temperatures below it more stable. With the plastic and the straw mounds exposed the temperature within fluctuates more based on ambient air temperatures and exposure to sun, or lack of. That's it, they spend the winter under there, asleep until the first week of sunny days and temperatures in the low 60's. Around here that might be anywhere from early April to late May. They go into hiberation here anywhere from mid October to mid November. Usually close to the latter.