this is my post on how i hibernate my adults .they are hermanni boettgeri and graeca graeca.i use plastic boxes lined with a removable 3/4 ply inner box.in this about a third the way up i put a mix of leaf litter and mosspeat.i leave it slightly moist so the peat wont get dusty.the boxes are place on a concrete area behind the wall on the west side of the house so avoiding east winds and winter sunshine.by the time the sun gets there it is late aftrenoon and in the winter doesnt really effect the box temperatures.as the winter progresses the tortoises dig right down and i add fresh oak and sycamore leaves to improve insulation.
terry
plastic storage box from b&q

add insulation material.have since replaced hay with cellotex board for better safer insulation.

then add ply wood liner and fill with leaflitter.



then add your tortoise(only joking i dont hibernate leopards lol)and place the lid on top


all done see you in the spring

Wow! thanks for sharing Terry....

Any advice on 'au natural' hibernation? I'm hoping to leave mine outdoors this year.....

i have in the past had them go au natural but since living here next to the reservoir rodents are everywhere so i am very cautious and confine them to their pens for the lasy part of wind down so they dont dig in.i must confess they always seem so quick to get going in the spring .this is one reason i have been using a humid environment for the last few years.my advice is make sure they are protected from rodents and have a very good depth of soil in case the weather turns nasty.and there must be no danger of the ground becoming waterlogged.

All my adults hibernate in the soil in my greenhouses. Even on the sunniest days they dont come up. And are better at getting going when they hibernate naturally. The smallest to hibernate in the greenhouses are five year olds. To be honest I have not thought about letting small ones go down in there. As I do like to keep an eye on small ones weights.
I dont worry about the adults if they are ok before wind down.

hi i just want to add some pic's of my larger juveniles going into hibernation,box method again.i actually moved the small boxes into an old rabbit hutch because i needed the room in the main boxes for the adults.this was the first year they had gone down at the same time as the adults.

I'm hoping to get the quote back from my builder in the next day or two so that work can start on my new supa-dooper tortie house!! This will enable me to keep the tortoises out all year round allowing them to hibernate naturally when and for how long they choose.

Under/inside the house, there will be a pit approx 1ft deep (5ft wide x 4ft depth). This will have concrete walls with a solid floor, then there will be insulation with chicken wire or board covering it to prevent the torts 'digging' it - the insulation will be round the sides and covering the floor - then the pit will be filled in with dirt/topsoil. Inside the house there will be more soil (year round a few inches but this will be topped up before hibernation gets under way). I will also have tubular heaters to ensure the temps stay between 3 - 7 degrees above ground - hoping for an average of 5 degrees! I am also hoping to get some beech leaves or simular to cover the soil!

Above ground the structure will be breeze block, 5ft wide x 4ft depth by 4ft high. Again this will be insulated on the inside covered by ply board or simular. It will have a heat lamp (with a combi bulb) plus tubular heaters to maintain temps overnight/during winter in colder months. The roof will also (apparently!) be insulated on the inside.

Do you think this will be sufficient?
Is there anything else you'd recommend?
Is there anything you would do different?

i would just be concerned about a heat build up from the combi ,with such a low roof.i dont know if it is advisable to use an on off stat to control these or with all the insulation would the lamp hardly ever stay on.my shed as you know has full height and with two lamps full on it soon reaches optimum temerature.i do use infra red so can control them with a dimmer.this aside it sounds excellent so long as there is no danger of your garden flooding as the pit may become waterlogged.sorrry if i sound negative just thinking out loud.

lol, no thats fine Terry, thats why I asked...

the combi bulb would only be on to mimic the autumn sunshine as such, the height of the roof is only going to be a foot less than what it is now - the width & depth will remain the same. The combi won't be on when they are hibernating. As for the pit it shouldn't flood as it is going to be encased in concrete, again I will check with Ian before he builds it. In fact there should be less chance of them getting wet toes than if they hibernated naturally out in the garden. The combi lamp will be timer controlled rather than thermostat controlled as they don't recommend using thermostats with these sort of bulbs (so I was told...). Although I will moniter the temps.

sounds like you have it all covered Dawn.

LOL!!! Hmmm, we'll see......watch this space (more in case I need advice then anything else!!!!)