Re: Mom nature, outside of their NORMAL range, just may kill them....

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Posted by Zab on October 20, 2001 at 01:26:03:

In Reply to: Mom nature, outside of their NORMAL range, just may kill them.... posted by Sharon E. Chancellor on October 19, 2001 at 21:17:13:

I agree that it is damp in SF and dampness is their enemy. Maybe the reason mine do well within 2 miles of the coast is because the our dirt is really mostly sand. Dirty sand. It doesn't hold moisture very well. Water just drains away. Just look at my water bill in the summer when I try to grow a garden. So maybe if SF soil is adobe or clay I would not hibernate outside.

: SF bay area is alot warmer during the winter than inland(I'm in Vacaville)and significantly more humid(damp? Foggy?) than the natural habitat of horsfieldi. I don't know if the temps would stay low enough to keep the tortoise from getting into a deep enough sleep. Letting the tortoise just do it's own thing for hibernation outside in SF may not be a good idea unless you plan to dig him/her up and hibernate indoors in a cool place where the temps remain stable and the humidity will not be to high while it is snoozing. Damp just isn't good for horsfieldi. Someone I know that lives in Vallejo lost a russian to pnuemonia during "accidental" outdoor hibernation. The tortoise got out and couldn't be found until it emerged in the spring and promptly died.

: --Sharon

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A lot of SF/SJ area soil is caliche (clay) and stays WET for MONTHS! N/P Annie Lancaster 10/20/01 (0)

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: I agree that it is damp in SF and dampness is their enemy. Maybe the reason mine do well within 2 miles of the coast is because the our dirt is really mostly sand. Dirty sand. It doesn't hold moisture very well. Water just drains away. Just look at my water bill in the summer when I try to grow a garden. So maybe if SF soil is adobe or clay I would not hibernate outside. : : SF bay area is alot warmer during the winter than inland(I'm in Vacaville)and significantly more humid(damp? Foggy?) than the natural habitat of horsfieldi. I don't know if the temps would stay low enough to keep the tortoise from getting into a deep enough sleep. Letting the tortoise just do it's own thing for hibernation outside in SF may not be a good idea unless you plan to dig him/her up and hibernate indoors in a cool place where the temps remain stable and the humidity will not be to high while it is snoozing. Damp just isn't good for horsfieldi. Someone I know that lives in Vallejo lost a russian to pnuemonia during "accidental" outdoor hibernation. The tortoise got out and couldn't be found until it emerged in the spring and promptly died. : : --Sharon

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