So. Cal is sufficiently warm to brumate outdoors. Yes indeed, lot's of us have done that. However, you must give the tortoises a choice and they must get down deep enough or in an insulated situation to brumate. Probem is when it's too cool to function but too warm to truly slow the metabolism and preserve energy stores... Think cool, even temps, avoid temp spikes either way. Remember that tortoises can often endure cool, dry temps, but cool, wet temps are a killer. You must provide a hibernation/brumation situation that takes this into account. In the wild they usually make good choices and survive (although I have found dead reptiles in the wild that probably died in hibernation), so you must make the best choice for them based on what we know about appropriate conditions. Down here I use a 'frig, up in Nor-Cal I used a cool and well insultated out-building. Big ice chests in a cool building worked well. vic h.

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