Winter help

[tanya]

I have a 1 yr old greek tortoise and am wondering what to do in the winter, at the moment I stay with him when he's in the garden, would a cold frame be good enough for him to be in outside During the day? I live in the uk so will bring him in early evening, or would he still need heat lamps? Any advice would be helpful

 

[tglazie]

This depends upon temperature. Always measure temperature. If the temp falls below 20 Celsius, most Greek's activity level slows and interest in grazing is curbed.

T.G.

 

[Jabuticaba]

You'll need to keep him indoors full time during winter, with a source if UVB light. As soon as the day temp drops below 20°C, it's too cold for torts. They can't thermoregulate and will slow down, until it gets colder and then they'll brumate (tort version of hibernation). I've read that you can brumate them, but in stable environmental conditions. I've never attempted it, so I can't advise you in what to do. But if you need ideas on how to keep him indoors, I can help.

Do you have an enclosure for him, indoors?


May, Aussies, & Hermannis
IG: @AUSSOMEAUSSIES

 

[tglazie]

If you just got this guy, I wouldn't brumate him. As a matter of caution, I always forego brumation during the first year an animal, any animal, is in my care. This will give you ample time to diagnose any potential illnesses and get to know your tortoise's habits. Once that first year is up, you might look to get a refrigerator for the next winter's brumation. In your case, a small drink fridge with no freezer should be suitable. Long before you put the tort into brumation, make sure the fridge works consistently. Make sure to place it in an area with stable room temperatures. Temperature fluctuations are the enemy of brumating tortoises. If the temperature fluctuates too low or too high above 5-8 C, there will be problems, fatal ones, so you must first determine that the cooler is safe and doesn't wildly fluctuate with thermostatic instability.

You can use a rubbermaid plastic container for this purpose, but I always recommend lining the container with burlap, a thin towel, or paper of some variety, to absorb condensation from the breathing tortoise. I use peat moss in my hibernacula as a base, topped with sphagnum moss to cover the tort. Make sure to get a container large enough for the tortoise to turn around in, so that he/she might situate him/herself however he/she likes. Always use a digital thermometer/hygrometer to keep an accurate measure of temperature and humidity.

There are a lot of details to cover if and when you decide to brumate your tort. Don't hesitate to post them on the forum.

T.G.

 

[tanya]

Thankyou for you advice it's really helpful, I read that I didn't need to hibernate him apart from if I wanted to breed him, ( which I won't) he is inside at the moment but it is already getting cold in the uk so worried over winter he won't get enough freedom,

 

[tglazie]

Whether an animal that naturally brumates needs to brumate is a matter of much controversy on this forum. Old timers such as myself, who spent their younger years reading Pursall and Highfield, were perpetually frightened into believing tortoises kept from brumating were doomed to eventual liver and kidney problems. This has since proven to be overblown and unproven. I breed tortoises, but my chief reason for brumating them is a selfish one. My house sits on a lot of land, but my house itself is rather small. Keeping that many tortoises indoors with space comparable to what they have outside would simply be impossible. So, brumation is a nice way of keeping a bunch of tortoises in a fridge during the less favorable months. It also gives the fields a little time to regrow under a series of cold frames. I realize this probably doesn't apply to you living in Britain, as your winters are surely longer and harsher than mine.

T.G.

 

[tanya]

Yes it does get a bit confusing :-/ I don't think I could do it, I would be so worried that id end up killing him. But I may have to think more into it next year, for now he is still small enough to keep inside,