Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi there. I'm in Orange County, in Southern California, about 7 miles from the ocean. I have two small tortoises, a Greek and Russian, that I've had since last spring. I house them in a 6'x4' outdoor enclosure with plenty of substrate (sand, soil, bark, moss) and hiding places. They seem to be doing fine and eat like pigs.

Now, the weather here is getting quite cold (50s) at night and up in the 70s during the day. What sort of preparation should I make for their winter quarters? A friend of mine puts her Desert Tortoises in a small tub in the garage for several weeks during the winter. I hesitate to do that with mine because the weather doesn't get cold enough for proper hibernation.

Most of the hibernation literature seems to discuss hibernating tortoises in very cold climates.

You live near a very successful breeder, and he hibernates his in a refrigerator. I do the same as I live in the ridiculously warm low desert to the South of you. You need to find an even temp, a wine cellar/chiller type environment, neither too warm or too cold, steady temp if you can , around high 40's to low 50's. Read Andy Highlfield and others, CTTC and SD Turtle & tortoise club aricles on hibernation. It is easy, but you must think it out and provide the right conditions or they won't survive. I have lost a couple neonate snakes, but otherwise no losses of tortoises to hibernation. Make sure it is well insulated, and beware of "false Spring" in February, you want to keep them asleep and not using energy reserves by warming up. You can do this, but you need to read up on it. Must have an empty gut but well hydrated prior to hibernation. Ask us for specifics after you have done some research. Good luck, Vic

Thanks Vic, that's really helpful.

I thought SoCal was sufficiently warm for these animals to brumate outdoors, as I've come across numerous people here who keep Russian, Hermann's, and Desert Tortoises outdoors all year long.

However, when I talked to the lady I mentioned in the original post, the one who successfully puts her Desert Tortoises in the garage for the winter months, it got me thinking that maybe I should provide another place for these guys.

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.

I thought SoCal was sufficiently warm for these animals to brumate outdoors, as I've come across numerous people here who keep Russian, Hermann's, and Desert Tortoises outdoors all year long.

In your area the question isn't "is it sufficiently warm" but instead "is it sufficiently cold" enough to allow them to brumate without burning up bodyfat at an alarming rate?

You state you are seven miles from a HUGE heat sink most people call the Pacific Ocean. That ocean keeps you 10-15F degrees warmer than me just 30-40 miles away in Montclair. That is why you can keep tropical plants and they get freeze killed in my area.

The refrigerator idea works, but you should weight your animals bi-weekly to make sure the cooling element isn't dehydrating your torts.

All the best.
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