Advice on NOT hibernating

[EJ]

I'm assuming you're talking about the tortoises I mentioned...

Where I lived in California and where I now live in Georgia... January and February are the coldest months. Some of the tortoises would slow down and burry down into the corners of their enclosure. When that happened I would place them in a container with wood shavings and close it up. This I place in a cool area (50 to 60 F) in order to prevent freezing. If it got warm enough that they became active... they went back out.

I would never suggest that someone else try this although many people do this with the species mentioned.

It's a feeling kind of thing. It's knowing your animal and how it works.

This particular note is an observation and nothing more.

Originally Posted by caledonia

do you just leave them to it Ed or to you prepare them in any way?

[Alan1]

Originally Posted by EJ

I'm assuming you're talking about the tortoises I mentioned...

Where I lived in California and where I now live in Georgia... January and February are the coldest months. Some of the tortoises would slow down and burry down into the corners of their enclosure. When that happened I would place them in a container with wood shavings and close it up. This I place in a cool area (50 to 60 F) in order to prevent freezing. If it got warm enough that they became active... they went back out.

I would never suggest that someone else try this although many people do this with the species mentioned.

It's a feeling kind of thing. It's knowing your animal and how it works.

This particular note is an observation and nothing more.

very interesting though

[EJ]

It's not my own... After years of corresponding with keepers of mainly leopards and sulcatas I saw a pattern with those keeping these animals in northern lattitudes. Then I got a group of Cherryhead Redfoots that were unbelievably cold tolerant... Colombian RFs are not. They are the one tortoise that cannot tolerate any temperature drop... in my experience.

Originally Posted by caledonia

very interesting though