Winding down for the winter.

[ohio]

Hey every one haven't been on because i'm out doors a lot. Started out with one male eastern hermann....ended up with 3 Hermanns (1.2) and 4 Russians (2.2). I've decided they must be kept outdoors so here was my attempt at some outdoor pens.

Kept the Hermanns in this 21'x9'

Does that seem large enough for three 6 inch torts?

Kept the russians in this (males separate and females together)
Guess my only question would be how do i get a good sub-strait to get the females to nest in? I've tried the sand and soil mix but it seems to dry out too fast.

 

[ohio]

Also hibernating my hermanns for the first time and wondering if 2 month/ 9 weeks give or take is a good duration for there first sleep in a few years. Been fasting them and winding down the lights. Is 4 weeks too long of a fasting period?

 

[ohio]

And heres a pic of my trio.

 

[Yvonne G]

Both those tortoise yards look great. I love the "bonsai" tree in the Hermann yard, and that's a nice use of the cinderblocks. You might have trouble keeping the males in their own yards though. they're pretty good at climbing.

I can't answer your hibernation question, as I don't know anything about the Hermann species.

 

[Tom]

I wind down all my hibernating species for about 4 weeks. Two weeks of normal temps and lighting with no food and then two more weeks of daily soaks and dropping temps with shortening light cycles.

8-9 weeks seems a little short to me, but I think it will serve its purpose well enough.

Great enclosures! I think the likelihood of escape is quite high though. I would run a cap all the way around, or at the very least cap the corners. A simple flat 2x4 screwed all around the top will give you a 3.5" lip to keep them in.

 

[ohio]

Good idea, i'll make that one of my winter projects as long as the weather keeps holding out. I want to put a shallow water feature in the larger enclosure. A little trickling brook to their water hole. Shallow enough that they still walk through it. Does anyone think that could effect them in a negative way? Or should i just stick with my water bowl?

 

[ohio]

They have been in the fridge since Christmas Eve. Temp holding between 41-43 degrees F. Going to take out and weigh them. So let me get this right, the rule is they can't lose more then 10 percent of their body weight at the beginning of hibernation, is this correct? I do open the door three times a day just to make sure enough oxygen gets in.