texastort17
New Member
Hi, all!
I know it’s a little early to be worrying about winter time, but I like to be prepared.
I’ve posted here once before, but basically I inherited the family russian tortoise from my dad this past spring. She’s about 15 years old (probably older, but that’s how long he’s had her) and she’s lived outside for the majority of time we’ve had her. He came over to my house and built a 8x4 enclosure outdoors for her to stay in. She’s stayed outdoors through winter for many years now, always burrowing deep into the enclosure and coming back up around March. We live in Texas, specifically by Fort Worth, and my only worry is the rain we can sometimes get during winter.
Now, my question is should I continue to go with the cycle my dad has because it’s clearly worked for her, and I’ve seen many on here that let them do their thing outdoors. I don’t want to disrupt this cycle if it’s something in her nature and could be harmful to stop. Im someone who worries a lot about this kind of thing, so the idea, even though I’ve seen her come back from brumation just fine multiple times, does freak me out just because I can’t have eyes on her at all times. I think I might just be a hover tortoise parent though..
My other option is I did buy an indoor enclosure for her when it rains a lot, just so she can come inside because I know wet + cold is bad for her. I’ve attached what I have indoors to this post too. Should I add lamps to this and just have her stay in it for the winter months? I can’t get anything much bigger at the moment, but Im afraid she’ll hate it compared to the giant outdoor enclosure.
Thank you so much to any advice and replies!!
Indoor enclosure: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D61CWQK/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20
I know it’s a little early to be worrying about winter time, but I like to be prepared.
I’ve posted here once before, but basically I inherited the family russian tortoise from my dad this past spring. She’s about 15 years old (probably older, but that’s how long he’s had her) and she’s lived outside for the majority of time we’ve had her. He came over to my house and built a 8x4 enclosure outdoors for her to stay in. She’s stayed outdoors through winter for many years now, always burrowing deep into the enclosure and coming back up around March. We live in Texas, specifically by Fort Worth, and my only worry is the rain we can sometimes get during winter.
Now, my question is should I continue to go with the cycle my dad has because it’s clearly worked for her, and I’ve seen many on here that let them do their thing outdoors. I don’t want to disrupt this cycle if it’s something in her nature and could be harmful to stop. Im someone who worries a lot about this kind of thing, so the idea, even though I’ve seen her come back from brumation just fine multiple times, does freak me out just because I can’t have eyes on her at all times. I think I might just be a hover tortoise parent though..
My other option is I did buy an indoor enclosure for her when it rains a lot, just so she can come inside because I know wet + cold is bad for her. I’ve attached what I have indoors to this post too. Should I add lamps to this and just have her stay in it for the winter months? I can’t get anything much bigger at the moment, but Im afraid she’ll hate it compared to the giant outdoor enclosure.
Thank you so much to any advice and replies!!
Indoor enclosure: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D61CWQK/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20
