Hey, Shelled Warriors:
 

Alright all you brumating shelled warriors! Time to wake up. It's been four days with no new posts.

The weather in my little speck of earth has been pretty darned nice. Warm, sunny days, cooler nights. So far my desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii and Gopherus berlandieri) are still brumating, but their hibernaculuums are pretty well insulated and don't usually warm up inside until late March.

The mulberry trees are starting to show leaf buds. The non-brumating tortoises will be glad for that. There's not much natural food for them this time of year.

I have a couple flowering pear trees and they're blooming like crazy. The almond orchard across the street from me is in bloom. The bee keeper placed his hives all around the orchard a couple weeks ago.

So, with all this spring time activity going on why are all you Shelled Warriors still brumating? Come on, guys. What's going on in your neck of the woods?

Lol well its darn cold here in Kent, the sun is shining and I have two tortoises up, and the others breaking ground. A few daffs out and a few primroses. Still in lockdown so rather depressing at times. Fine when you can get out in the garden:0)

My torts have woken in three lots. Some of the last just this Sunday. Nearly all bathed now. I finished drying & putting away all their hibernation covers today! I added thick polycarbonate & some thermawrap to two sides of the smaller Hermanns greenhouse & sun was actually shining on the others, so it warmed up nicely.

Coldframes are on the raised food beds & greenery is poking through.

Roll on warmer nights & sunny days (pretty please!)

Monsters are awake!

https://imgur.com/a/NjbRGLO

Well as I suspected the sun comes out and my lot wake up then it goes cold again.

So my Herman's woke up last week I soaked them and put them out in their newly revamped greenhouse and all was good they all ate but now the temps have dropped dramatically they have all dug down and disappeared. I'm assuming this is OK and they know what they are doing as they hibernate in the garage.

I think this is how they would act in the wild Gordon, so just natural:0)

Thanks sandy.
Just amazing how they know what to do as some of them as far as I know have never hibernated in soil before.

Temps below ground are more stable early spring they naturally dig down at night to avoid sharp drops in temperatures.

All mine awake now it's turned colder again but this is what usually happens. When the sun shone a few days ago two of my Burmese ventured out but are now back indoors under their light. I was brave today and sat outside talking to Gordon for half an hour on the phone until I could no longer feel my feet so back in with the heating on. Roll on Spring!!

I still have three down, but the soil is breaking up around them. They must know its still going to be cold:0)
Did Gordon get into hospital this time?