As usual, Brad it correct. I concur, wet and cold is a real problem, but warm and humid is actually what mine have within the burrows in our harsh desert climate. I oversimplified it, and stand corrected. Very general answer on my part, Russians are said to come from harsh and extremes of climate, yet they favor riparian areas, so warm humidity is OK? You will need to give them choices and be clever in enclosure design, drainage, retreats etc. vic