Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I haven't seen Shell E for several days. Yesterday was sunny with mild temps, so I hunted around for girls & found Charity buried under the cut grass in the newest turtle house. She was just peaking out but she wouldn't come out so I left her alone.
The rest seem to be buried in their houses so I guess this is a good thing.
The one thing bothering me this year is that I'm not sure where Hobo went to. This is his 3rd year here, & I knew for certain where he was the last 2 years but now the cactus where he buried himself last year is so huge & has spread so much, I think that's where he is but I don't know it for a fact.
I think I can trust that he knows what he's doing & is fine though.
It's been dropping down into the 40s at night for the last week, they all vanished so I'm not as nervous as I was but still checking on them every day.
If we get through this year ok I'll be so relieved!!
blah I hate worrying!!!

LOL
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PHRatz

Don't worry, be happy, take a rest from it all just like the turtles are and in the spring everything will be warm and fuzzy again
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1.0 pastel ball python
0.1 mojave ball python
0.1 normal ball python
0.2 3-toed box turtles
2.3 eastern box turtles
0.0.5 3-striped mud turtle
1.0 northern diamondback terrapin
2.1 tiger salamander
1.1 red-sided garter
1.0 anerythristic red-sided garter
1.1 Iowa snow plains garter
1.1 Het butter stripe cornsnake
0.1 anerythristic motley cornsnake
1.1 Blue garter (Puget Sound)

Yeah I know I need to give it a rest but... well....
what can I say?
I be a worry wart.
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PHRatz

I'm sure you have provided well for their hibernation I am a worrier too, so I have to hibernate my turtles in a hibernation box kept above freezing in a workshop. I can check on them whenever I want to and can even soak them from time to time. I've been doing this for 9 years and it's worked well.

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Tess
Kingsnake.com Forum Host

>>I'm sure you have provided well for their hibernation I am a worrier too, so I have to hibernate my turtles in a hibernation box kept above freezing in a workshop. I can check on them whenever I want to and can even soak them from time to time. I've been doing this for 9 years and it's worked well.

I hope I have provided what they need.
I thought about indoor hibernation out in the storage building but I opted to allow them to do this on their own because they are native to this region. I thought they'll know better than I do how to do this the right way.
In other words if I let them do what's natural in their native land there's less chance of ME screwing this up for them.
I can only hope now...
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PHRatz

When I came up with a hibernaculum design, I tried to err on the side of 'too much', vs. 'not enough': my turtles came from a tract just a few miles from my home, so I had an idea of what temperature swings they were adapted to. The hibernaculum is probably deeper (2ft.) than necessary, but I figured I'd give them plenty of options and room to adjust for themselves. The other hibernaculum is not as deep, but is slightly more sheltered in other ways (by structures).

So far it has worked out well for all of us. The last couple of nights have seen temperatures drop into the 30's, so I've been making sure that everyone is under some cover.

I see the lights wired in the top for heat, but I can't tell from the pic are they in individual plastic bins? What do you use for substrate, and also what is the boards for that look like 1x10s laid out on the bottom? just curious,it's hard to see exactly from the photo, whats in the bottom of the box.
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1.0 pastel ball python
0.1 mojave ball python
0.1 normal ball python
0.2 3-toed box turtles
2.3 eastern box turtles
0.0.5 3-striped mud turtle
1.0 northern diamondback terrapin
2.1 tiger salamander
1.1 red-sided garter
1.0 anerythristic red-sided garter
1.1 Iowa snow plains garter
1.1 Het butter stripe cornsnake
0.1 anerythristic motley cornsnake
1.1 Blue garter (Puget Sound)