quickcluck Posted October 23, 2016 Share Posted October 23, 2016 ...... how are you doing it? I am do it for the first time this year, and thinking of using a fridge. Starting the wind down month this week. feeling nervous Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted October 23, 2016 Share Posted October 23, 2016 My Mum's tortoise has gone to sleep already. He sleeps in a cat box in their hall which is unheated and pretty chilly over winter. He has always gone to sleep himself and never needed to be put in a fridge. He always stays indoors as we lost one once keeping it in a cold greenhouse one bad winter, and sadly the poor thing was frozen solid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quickcluck Posted October 23, 2016 Author Share Posted October 23, 2016 Oh no! How tragic...... We don't have any brick outbuilding, as as you have said shed/greenhouse is no good. There is nowhere in the house and we are about to put the boiler in the loft so that would help! So the fridge is our only option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky Mama Posted October 23, 2016 Share Posted October 23, 2016 We bought Kevin in last week and he has pooed and parked himself in his favourite hibernation place under the radiator in the dining room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bramble Posted October 24, 2016 Share Posted October 24, 2016 This is the part of tortoise keeping that puts me off taking the plunge!! I'd love to have a tortoise (or two ... ) but I hear horror stories of hibernation and it has so far put me off. I hang on the words of the Omlet Tortoise experts though! What type of tortoise/s do you all have - any recommendations on which is most suitable for a total beginner (not now, obviously, next Summer at the earliest and even then, I may stick to my "never again" policy on pets!!!) I would normally go for a "rescue" tortoise (all the pets I've ever had have been rescued in one way or another) but I have found the Tortoise rescue bods to be totally terrifying and incredibly intimidating, so this is one occasion when I think rescue will not be an option - very odd ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quickcluck Posted October 24, 2016 Author Share Posted October 24, 2016 bramble i am a beginner also. Ive had my 2 spur thighs 2 yrs which is why its my first time hibernating. Extremely stressful! However if all goes well i have a tortoise table here looking for a new home Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Princess Leia Posted October 24, 2016 Share Posted October 24, 2016 Our Enzo is still out in the garden at the moment, but will start bringing him in at night now. He has an insulated/ventilated box which we keep in the (unheated) garage, packed with straw. We use an inside/outside vivarium thermometer to keep an eye on temperature. In warmer weather the box sits on the floor, when its colder it's lifted up off the floor and has a lamp alongside to provide some heat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UKMARCH Posted October 24, 2016 Share Posted October 24, 2016 Ours has been out in the day and in at night depending on the temperature but has been in for the last two days as the temperature has stayed low enough, she has a double box with shredded paper for bedding in the inner box and polystyrene pieces around the inner box in the garage which is unheated but we do have a greenhouse heater which will kick in when the temperature drops too low. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky Mama Posted October 28, 2016 Share Posted October 28, 2016 Kevin is a large 40+ spur thighed tortoise so he is quite robust. He needs to hibernate and he pretty much knows what he is doing! We used to pack him in a box in the garage but he now comes in when it gets cold outdoors, parks himself in the same place in the house and goes to sleep. He wakes up occasionally if the house is very hot or overly noisy but will move a little and then go back to sleep. He wakes up properly around Easter. We like hibernating him this way as he can decide what he wants to do rather than him sitting in a cold dark box in the garage. It works well for us. I put him behind our heavy living room curtains if the house is busy to make sure no one accidentally hits him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
