The the change in season and low temps are begining to make my boys want to go to sleep. 

This is the first year that im attempting to hibernate them in the greenhouse; other years we have used the fridge but last year it got switched off and they were awake from Janurary! My question is about the back ground heating etc and my my set up is as below.

Large sleeping box with a long tube heater that comes on should the night temps
fall below 10c

Backgound light in the box that comes on around 07.30am to 'wake them up'or they wont come out the box at all! this goes off at 09am they are usually in the main greenhouse by that time

Once they come down out of the sleeping box they have basking lights to get
warmed up under

A Backgound oil heater to keep temps up when cold.

my problem is this: the back ground temps in the green house on a cold day are around 17c? not enough for them to want to feed. They are under their lights but the backgound heat isnt very high?

can you tell me what background temps i should aim for please
And what month I should be aiming to wind them down? I was thinking stop offering weeds from end of October?

they are 11yr and 22yrs old spur thighs

many thanks for your help

Your post implies that you are going to hibernate them in the greenhouse but the text talks about wind down period. Can you clarify which it is please. Maybe it is just me ;)  I don't worry too much about ambient temps as this is natural in their native habitats too. If the temps remained high then they would not wind down.

I wind mine down in October and put them in the big hibernaculum in November.

Hope this helps

Sue

www.tortsmad.com

Hi; yes sorry; i think i'm talking about winding down and hibernating; i thought the temps had to be high enough for them to empty down and get ready to hibernate.

They are not eating and raising later each day, i have had to drag them out and place them under their heat lamps. Today i went out to check them and one had gone walk about in the garden but had dug down on the border so i'm going have to be careful if they roam outside the greenhouse!