Reptile & Amphibian Forums

24F in St.Aug. Fl. Coldest temp on this day sence 1924. Its never been this cold in Dec.in my life.BUT all is well! I covered the outside tortoise huts with R30 insulation and covered it with three laiers of 6 mil. plastic. They never got below 60F inside. Were not as ready as you Northerners are but even after last Winter (Jan.,Feb 2010).I was again supprised at the Dec temps.and had to get the Led out and prepair. I had them all inside my house in cattle tanks last week just to take them back out a few day's later. I never trusted the heated huts in the 20F's before but they past the test. 19 full blown adult (many over 75 lbs one pushing 90 lbs) and 45 juvies Mt.Tortoises are just to much to hussell in and out. The males are kept one per tank inside and are very resless. How the rest of you folks do? Any power failures? Two more months left for me! Lets hope all is well, have a great New Year! Vic Morgan down here with ice in the palm trees.

Damn Vic!..Hopefully you and the torts all make it thru.It's warmer up here in Boston..50F's the next few days.Must be brutal on the Iguana down there...At least ya don't have to treck out in 18" of snow...Hang in there.

Mt.Tortoises in the snow!I think they would like it until they "froze up"! But no thanks on the snow! Everyone (torts & me)are fine. They love their warm hut so much they didnt even come out after I opened them up. Its going to be 70F today and they will all get put in some water weather they want to or not. Have a great New Year. Vic.....pic warmer times

How are they hanging in there?
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Cindy Steinle
PHFaust
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Cindy, All the tortoises are fine. I was the only one out in the 24F checking on their inside hut temps and making sure power was on. I had a genarator on standby. But I must say I was quite nervice about a power failure at that temp finding out the next day could be to late so no sleep for me. Mt.Tortoises do rather well being moved or kept pinned up a few days (except males)they go back to their normal resting places as soon as I put them back or open the cave door. That is except two old females who liked it in the heated hut so much they stayed a few days. My biggest hassell is my enclosures are so big its quite hard to move them through the palmetto/tangles trees and toe-stumping cypress stumps to the huts. Its made me think about getting a wench on the hut connected to a sled.(I already drag them in a slick bottom plastic tub! Works great by the way. Of cource not having soooo many is OUT OF THE QUESTION! You know what I mean. Vic

Hey Vic, I could always send ya down a heavy duty snow sled to pull them on if your interested.

THANKS!Does it come with Huskeys?!VM

No Huskies, can't help ya there, but a sled wouldn't be a problem...You'ld be the only guy in Fl. with a snow sled.

Way too cold in Florida, PITA to herd all of our up for heat!

24F is not bad compared to the 1F we got here in South Eastern Arizona last week. Coldest we have seen in 100 years of record keeping. Not sure how the tortoises, which are hibernating outside in the ground, made out. I hope they come up this spring. I had 3-inch thick ice on the turtle ponds.