they need a good cooling,mine brumate outdoors for up to 5 months in melb,they are bloody cold hardy,alot of mine dont even use cover to brumate,just curl up in dirt or grass exposed to the elements,yet thrive and breed every spring,they are a cold adapted animal,so cooling them over winter is what you need to do,if indoors maybe just shut all heat off for 4 to 6 weeks,ive bred them that way to