Tortoise Fears for freezing

[Angel K]

I moved up north and scared my tortoise will be too cold here. We had 18 inches of snow here this winter and it is about 55 right now and the normal for summer is a high of 85 for summer. She is 9yo What can I do or should I give her up? Not sure what kind she is but I know she just woke up last week.

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

What kind of tort ? Up north where ?

 

[Angel K]

We moved to Kirkland AZ from Phoenix AZ I was told he is a Desert Tortoise

 

[wellington]

Any tortoise can live anywhere as long as proper heating if needed is provided along with proper space.
In the summer for those cooler days I provide a black pond liner placed in the sun for my tortoises to bask on. The black attracts the sun/heat making it a great basking spot from bottom and top. They also have a shed to go into when they want too get out of rain, wind, heat, cold etc.

 

[Tom]

I moved up north and scared my tortoise will be too cold here. We had 18 inches of snow here this winter and it is about 55 right now and the normal for summer is a high of 85 for summer. She is 9yo What can I do or should I give her up? Not sure what kind she is but I know she just woke up last week.

Before we can help, we need to know what type of tortoise we are talking about. Can you post a picture or two?

 

[Angel K]

SHE IS ACTUALLY THE LITTLE TORT ON MY ACCOUNT... BUT GROWN UP SHE IS 9 YO NOW... I HAD HER OUTSIDE A FEW DAYS AGO AND A CAT WAS CHECKING HER OUT FOR FOOD... HAD TO STAY RIGHT THERE... ITS STILL COLD TODAY WAS AND IS 55 HIGH... IF WE FIX HER A LIGHTED HEAT WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF WE HAD ELECTRIC GO OUT? i AM TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT i CAN DO... AND NOT LOSE HER... OTHERWISE i WOULD GIVE HER UP TO KEEP HER SAFE....

 

[Angel K]

Any tortoise can live anywhere as long as proper heating if needed is provided along with proper space.
In the summer for those cooler days I provide a black pond liner placed in the sun for my tortoises to bask on. The black attracts the sun/heat making it a great basking spot from bottom and top. They also have a shed to go into when they want too get out of rain, wind, heat, cold etc.

i DON'T REALLY HAVE ANY PLACE MADE UP FOR HER HER ... i WOULD HAVE TO BUY A TORTOISE BOX AND USE IT TO KEEP HER FROM BECOMING A MEAL FOR OTHER ANIMALS HERE... ANY SUGGESTIONS PLEASE LET ME KNOW. THE TORT BOX IS SMALLER BUT MAYBE CAN CUT A WHOLE IN AND PUT TWO SIDE BY SIDE FOR MORE SPACE... i WOULD PROBABLY PUT HER ON OUR PORCH NOT SURE AS IT IS WINDY HERE...

 

[wellington]

Make an enclosure in your yard that has a fence bottom so grass and weeds can grow thru and put a hinged tio on it so animals cant get in but you can. Make it big enough the you can add a hide to it.

 

[Yvonne G]

I moved up north and scared my tortoise will be too cold here. We had 18 inches of snow here this winter and it is about 55 right now and the normal for summer is a high of 85 for summer. She is 9yo What can I do or should I give her up? Not sure what kind she is but I know she just woke up last week.

Are you still in Arizona? If you've taken the tortoise out of state, that's against the law. Desert tortoises belong to the state they come from and it's against the law to remove them from their home state.

If the tortoise is still in Arizona, then all you have to do is make her a safe night/hibernation box where she won't freeze. If allowed to get below 32F degrees, their eyeballs will freeze. Then when the night temperatures are consistently above 50F degrees, you can unblock her hibernating place and allow her to go out and sit in the sun. She won't eat yet because she has to be able to warm her inner core to about 80F before food will digest.

So, for this year, you'll have to have a light over her enclosure to keep her warm, but next year you can prepare for winter and hibernation accordingly.

 

[Yvonne G]

Nevermind about my out of state comment. I should have read the whole thread before I made a comment. Sorry.

 

[Angel K]

Are you still in Arizona? If you've taken the tortoise out of state, that's against the law. Desert tortoises belong to the state they come from and it's against the law to remove them from their home state.

If the tortoise is still in Arizona, then all you have to do is make her a safe night/hibernation box where she won't freeze. If allowed to get below 32F degrees, their eyeballs will freeze. Then when the night temperatures are consistently above 50F degrees, you can unblock her hibernating place and allow her to go out and sit in the sun. She won't eat yet because she has to be able to warm her inner core to about 80F before food will digest.

So, for this year, you'll have to have a light over her enclosure to keep her warm, but next year you can prepare for winter and hibernation accordingly.

Hi Yvonne, Yes in AZ today again i am freezing...the high today is 70 ... it feels like 65.. My tort already has started to eat. she ate the first day she woke up... I just held her against me for a few minutes to warm her...
I have fibromyalgia and its hard for me to build or dig or set places up for my tort. So I was looking online at different enclosures. I am terrified for her to get ate or killed by freezing. If there was a way to buy a premade enclosure that had solar heat or something I would feel better. but I havent seen anything...

 

[Angel K]

Make an enclosure in your yard that has a fence bottom so grass and weeds can grow thru and put a hinged tio on it so animals cant get in but you can. Make it big enough the you can add a hide to it.

been searching enclosures to buy.

 

[Angel K]

Wow, my friends tort was killed by something that jumped a brick 6 foot wall... so sad... this is why I am so scared to put her anywhere unsafe...

 

[wellington]

Wow, my friends tort was killed by something that jumped a brick 6 foot wall... so sad... this is why I am so scared to put her anywhere unsafe...

You shouldnt put her any place unsafe. You need to make it safe. That's what building a proper enclosure is about. Not only making it large enough and with proper lighting and heating but also predator safe. Every tortoise though should be able to spend warm days outside!

 

[Lyn W]

Have you looked at insulated dog kennels? You could add an extra layer of insulation inside using thermal wrap and set up heat in there.
Amazon UK have them so maybe the US site does too.
This thread by JoesMum may give you some ideas.
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/outdoor-accommodation-in-a-colder-uk-climate.140866/
Linda used a dog kennel and you could adapt the entrance so that you have a hinged locking door to keep him safe.

 

[Angel K]

I gotta try and find help to do it. But she needs something. With my pain levels It would take me about 3 months to even get something done... Maybe I could find away to do something like this but make it 2 story for my prorch