Posted: Sat Aug 07, 2010 6:36 am Re: old boat transformed into turtle summer pond
Marisa, they have a smaller pond in an unheated sunny veranda for a few weeks when the weather starts getting colder. They used to overwinter in an unheated veranda where the temperature was ok for brumation but here it gets far too cold. Last winter I decided to overwinter them in a fridge and it went very well. I bought a larder fridge (no freezer part) and checked the temperature over several weeks until I had the temperature pretty stable between 2 and 7 ° C. Then I dipped each, by then, sleepy turtle in a dilute isobetadine (iodine based) solution (protection against any fungal or yeast organisms), weighed each one and put it in a box of earth and dead leaves. Throughout the winter, I took them out each week and put them a few minutes each in a bucket of cold water, weighed them again, then put them back. I checked that the earth and leaves remained damp but not wet (fridges dry things). I also checked the thermometer reading every day. The thermometer wire left a small airgap in the seal of the fridge, but I also opened the door regularly but briefly to change the air. The fridge was in a heated room, of course, because the temperature can go down to -35°C here in the winter, but it is not overheated, and not too much activity there.
When the snow began to thaw and temperatures slipped into positive, I moved them back to their cold but sunny veranda. They were all in good condition and woke up quickly, and I gave only plant food for the first week. They were back to normal very quickly. I shall use the same system this year because I now have wooden floors everywhere and I get water everywhere keeping the indoor pond clean.