tortoise's

[lil75]

I am thinking about getting a toroise, but am a litlle confused on where to keep them at this time of year and when it gets colder? I have googled it and nothing is really giving me a clear answer. I realise that they need a vivarium, in the colder months but it doesnt say from when you should start keeping them in it etc....I would be very grateful if someone could give me a clear answer...many thanks

[dustypuss]

you dont need a vivarium. in the colder months
just a box full of torn up paper

keep the box in a cold but frost free place
the tortoise will hibernate from October to April

if you dont want to let your tort hibernate then you must use the vivarium when the temperature starts to drop Autumn to late spring
I just boxed my tort to day :-(
I love him to bits

[lil75]

ahh bless ya! Thanks very much for your advice, what im worried about, is if I get one in a month or so, its at the time it should be hibernating...so what do I do about that? I just want to get all the facts and make sure its looked after properly, thanks for your answer

[jules77]

Try this web site, should give you all the information you need, they were very helpful when my tortoise was poorly some years ago.

http://www.tortoisetrust.org/

[jules77]

and this one,

http://www.britishcheloniagroup.org.uk/

[Cugetit]

We have had ours for 30 years or so and as already mentioned, it goes into hibernation from about Oct to Apr. Ours actually was placed into a cardbox box, packed out with shredded newspaper. That box was then placed into a larger one and the whole stays in the garage. One of the main things is to make sure the tortoise is well fed leading up to his/her long sleep. Ours stopped eating a couple of weeks ago and was placed in its box last week. I personally would plump for the shredded paper as opposed to hay or straw as there is less likelihood of mites or ticks being present. hth

[burnhal]

my sister has a pair of tortoises that lay viable eggs each year. Most times they get two or three babies a year. They do not hibernate them until they are a two or three o years old as they havent enough body mass to survive. These are kept in a viviparium overwinter. The adults go in their usual box in the shed overwinter

[doglady]

We keep ours in a vivarium all year round and don't hibernate him. He's fine with that.