Churchy, Poko and Lucky stay in the garage after one of them dug a hole under the lower deck and nearly drowned one year, and Lucky dug himself so far under the lime tree that it was a real engineering project to extract him! Churchy gets his name from the Pogo comic strip character of the same name. Of course! Where else? hehe
This is the temperature thinga above the boxes to measure how warm it is staying for them. Almost tropical! No.. but
not below 50ºF or above 65, if you please. They don't like it too hot or too cold when they are trying to sleep. They share this desire with human beings.
This is the "complicated and expensive" device that turns the ceramic fixture above the boxes on at night and off again at daybreak.
There are times that I envy tortoises. They never have to read a newspaper even if wrapped up in one, and they get to sleep half of the year. It's very appealing.
Actually, the ideal temperature range is 55-60 degrees. It is not practical to attempt to achieve those conditions but it's a lot better than sleeping in a mud hole that's for sure.
ReplyDeleteAha! I recognize that temperature, now that you mention it.
ReplyDeleteI do know that if you dig a big tunnel into the earth for maybe 7 feet, it will be an even 55ºF. I think that's what Lucky, our teenage tort has been trying to do, anyway.
Around here, on the La Mesan Agglomerate layer, you are a lucky tortoise if you can dig two feet, let along the 5 to 7. Poor things.