Quote:
Originally Posted by Pussygalore
I think our main prob with using the gh was that it wasn't shaded and got the full sun I also think that it just didn't get cold enough when they were ready to hibernate. My adults would be looking to go around october and that year when we did try the gh it was still far to warm. We dug the gh base which was soil and sand down to a couple of feet in one corner then literally buried the sleepy torts after dark, we then piled the soil up followed by cardboard on the top, the thermometers showed the soil down where they were was around 6c but the following morning they were sitting on the top. We tried this several times and sometimes it would go a few days but as soon as the sun came out up they'd come. I worried as they weren't eating drinking etc that they would become dehydrated etc so we gave up and boxed them, I don't know what else we could have done. Once the sun went in the torts became to cold to actively dig down and would just sleep on the top they were never really active during this time and would just sit on the top of the soil. As soon as we boxed them and put them in the brick shed they were fine and never moved, the shed was always cold even in the summer and had a low watt heater on a thermostat it was easy to keep it the right temp.
|
My greenhouses are both in full sun. Once the tortoises are down they don't come back up until the soil warms up.
As I have said they go down when they are ready, once the days are short.
I won't feed mine once we get to mid October (depending on the temps outside),
They can graze if they choose. But at the end of October, they are not let out, and dig down once they are ready.
Some can go down two weeks before the others. I have one male who hangs on and on, so I block out all light to him, and he goes down.
This year for the first time my three and four year olds will do the same:0)