I spoke to a breeder of russians, and he stated that they need to be kept consistently cooled to the temp ranges you posted, maybe a bit higher like around 45, if you want to get them to breed and produce fertile eggs. If you live in a warm climate with mild winters like I do here in southern Louisiana, he stated that only way to do that is to put them in a cooler of sorts. If you live up north where you can achieve these temps in a basement, that probably would be great. I plan to keep mine outside, but under a protected area so they dont get wet AT ALL. However, they will be warmed by temps they can get into the 70s and 80s at times. I do plan to eventually get a wine cooler or small dorm fridge to hibernate them.