Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi All,

I've adopted an old Russian who is doing good outdoors in Livermore CA. Wondering if I should keep him indoors or outdoors over the winter. I'd prefer to do it outdoors if it's safe for him. I think the ground is too hard for him to dig his own burrow though, and I can build a box of some type if that works. December and January are the coldest and average 37 F as nightime lows and about 2 inches of rain. Any advice would be appreciated. Curt

You need to bring them in, they can handle cold, but where they get sick and stuff, is when its wet and cold. You should just set up a indoor enclosure, till the temps. get back up.

Thanks for the info. When you say bring him into an indoor setup, does that mean fully heated and keeping him fed all year, or does that mean bringing him in letting him hide in a hidebox in a cage with water in the house and/or garage? Thanks- Curt

You need to decide if you're going to hibernate him or not. If you don't, then he'll need a proper enclosure inside with heat/light and a good UVB source. If you hibernate him, you might want to consider the fridge method (don't know how warm it gets in California in the winter, but it might be too warm). Here's a link to a good guide to hibernation:
http://www.thetortoisehouse.com/
(just click on the hibernation section)
And here's another link re the pros and cons of hibernation and more:
http://www.turtlestuff.com/hibernation.html

Nina

She sai 37 in winters, not sure how long it stays that low, but i would be more scared of the wet and cold. If you bring him in, it would be on cold days, and until spring comes around again, yess you will need UVB lights, and heat light, water, everything to keep him alive.