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Last fall I couldn't locate my favorite male eastern when I pulled all the boxies out of the outdoor pen to put them in the garage for brumation, so I spread out a couple bails of straw in the pen and hoped for the best. This spring I have looked many times and didn't find him so I was beginning to think that he didn't make it since we had a nasty cold winter, but we have had a very cool spring. I raked up the hay over a month ago when night temps were above freeding, but finally yesterday I saw him, I had to do a double take and was extremely happy to see him alive and looking great. I have raised up since he was a hatching 6 year ago. I'm contemplating trying to brumate all me turtles outside next year by covering the pen with 6 inchs of straw, I guess I will re-evaluate this fall, would be happy to hear other peoples oppinions. I live in Iowa.

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Jeff Benfer
gartersnakemorph.com

Glad to see he came through alright Jeff. Are box turtles native to Iowa? We also had a brutally cold winter this year. It wasn't a sustained cold but we set all kinds of records twice this past winter. Also I know for a fact that several of my turtles come from the eastern plains of NM (around Clovis) where they typically have very cold sustained winters.

I have always left my box turtles to brumate on their own and have not lost one yet. I would encourage you to try it this next winter. I fill their pen with leaves wet it down, mat it down, and call it good. I just leave all of that in their pen and it turns to compost which in turn makes for lots of worms and bugs that they regularly forage upon. BTW I'm at an elevation of right at a mile (5281). Our night time lows during winter probably average 22 degrees with lots of teens and some single digits lows thrown in. We rarely get below zero, although.....this past winter we did on several occasions. We don't get near the snow though that you probably do.

Just my 2 cents.
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Vichris
"The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane"- Marcus Aurelius

Did you ever lost any by hibernating them outside? I've never tried out side before...but probably could. The whether here are not as severe as where you live. Do you think younger turtles (juveniles) face more risk than older ones?

We can have weeks at a time in winter at -10 to -20, with windchills -40 not uncommon, and yes that is a minus as in 20 degrees below ZERO aka 52 degrees below freezing, so our ground is frozen hard as a rock quite a ways down for awhile. The straw or leaves can and do offer some protection, but it's still brutal. Ornate box turtles are native in the southern part of the state but there numbers have never been strong, so it's borderline here. None the less I still think I might try them, or at least half of them, outdoors all winter but cover them with about 12 inches of leaves and straw in the pen.
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Jeff Benfer
gartersnakemorph.com

My Easterns hibernate with what starts out as about 36" of cover that gradually compacts over the winter. The hibernacula are 18" and 24" deep (in to the ground) and they are filled with a leaf/loose soil mixture and then covered with added leaves. This is my set-up for Central Virginia, which has milder winters than where you are.

More than enough, to be sure, but my philosophy is "Better too much cover than too little." In the spring, I have found evidence (tunnels) that they have utilized the full depth, so I feel vindicated in taking this approach.

>>We can have weeks at a time in winter at -10 to -20, with windchills -40 not uncommon, and yes that is a minus as in 20 degrees below ZERO aka 52 degrees below freezing, so our ground is frozen hard as a rock quite a ways down for awhile. The straw or leaves can and do offer some protection, but it's still brutal. Ornate box turtles are native in the southern part of the state but there numbers have never been strong, so it's borderline here. None the less I still think I might try them, or at least half of them, outdoors all winter but cover them with about 12 inches of leaves and straw in the pen.
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>>Jeff Benfer
>>gartersnakemorph.com

Wow didn't know that it got that brutal there Jeff. We had 2 episodes this past winter where it got 30 below 0. Thats pretty much unheard of here. They only lasted for a few days each but it was enough to kill alot of trees and other vegetation around here.

I think your turtles will make it ok......But ya I would definately cover them with with a good layer of mulch.
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Vichris
"The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane"- Marcus Aurelius