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  • A Tortoise Hibenation Question…
  • Coyote
    Free Member

    We have a Horsfield tortoise which has lived with us for a couple of years now. Last year we hibernated him in the garage which was a little sporadic with him waking up a couple of times. I’ve read a few articles that suggest they only need a very short hibernation, if at all.

    Any resident STW tortoise experts care to offer advice?

    busydog
    Free Member

    I had a desert tortoise for several years that I “inherited” with a house I bought. Don’t know how he might compare with your Horsfield tortoise, but he would disappear into a hole he dug in the garden every year about the first of November and reappeared again after the last freeze and the ground warmed, usually in April. Of course there are the climate differences between the UK and here in the desert Southwest USA, but we do get pretty cold winters. One spring he just never appeared, but he was an old dude (Wildlife Ranger guessed his age at 75+)

    bwfc4eva868
    Free Member

    They don’t have to be hibernated. But I would get a ceramic heat bulb or a heatmat to keep the temperature s above 15-20 Celcius at night. That’s what we do with our current Horsefields. Same for Bosc Monitor, bearded Dragon and Green Iguana.

    jonm81
    Full Member

    We have 2 marginated tortoises which are 7 years old now. they are hibernated for around 5-6 weeks a year at the moment. In the wild european tortoises will only hibernate for around a maximum of 8 weeks a year as their natural climate is much milder than in the uk. Any longer than this and the toxins build up in their systems which can kill them. You will also need to starve them for around 2-3 weeks before hibernation to ensure there is no food in their guts which will rot during hibernation and again can kill them.

    Ours are put in soil in a large tupperware box (without lid) which we put in a shoe box stuffed with news paper. These then go in a fridge for the duration of the hibernation. This keeps them at exactly 5 degC which is perfect for them. Just remember and open the door once a day to refresh the oxygen. We have a separate fridge for them as they carry salmonella so we dont want them in with the food! I have always found the fridge method to be the easiest and safest and it was recommended by our vet who specialises in tortoises.

    If your tortoise wakes during hibernation it uses a huge amount of their stored energy so if they wake at all you should then keep them up and provide heat and UV light throughout the rest of the winter. Also if the tortoise urinates or poos during hibernation wake them up and provide heat and UV.

    RaveyDavey
    Free Member

    We never hibernate ours and he’s happy enough. Growing steadily and very active all year round. Just built a huge table for him with a built in vivarium. He climbs for hours and then retires to the heat room for a rest 😀

    bigblackheinoustoe
    Free Member

    We’ve had our Greek Spur Thighed tortoise for over 30 years. She’s likely much older than this. During the height of summer she roams free around the (very well secured) garden.
    She would normally begin hibernating now but it’s pretty mild so she’s wondering around the greenhouse currently.
    We have an out house and she goes in a wooden box, which has breathing holes in it, lined with newspaper (to prevent frost bite in particular) and three quarters filled with hay. She naturally will stop eating around a month prior to hibernating so we monitor her and ensure she’s emptying her bowels. She’ll wake up from hibernation around April. We just listen for the movement from the box and put her in the greenhouse.
    The outhouse gets pretty cold, almost freezing, during winter. If it gets very cold then she can be heard scratching around trying to get deeper but will soon go to sleep again. The outhouse is secure from rats too. We had a tortoise many years ago that had, sadly, been eaten during hibernation.
    Five and a half months is a pretty long hibernation period by some accounts but she’s a hardy creature and been OK for 30 years so we’re doing something right. Perhaps not all tortoises will survive this method.
    In spring she’ll always get off to a very slow start but after a bit of warmth, a couple of runny poos and a walk around the garden she’ll start eating again.
    The refrigerator method is well known and the advice above is good. However, I would be pretty sure to get as much advice regarding hibernation as possible specific to your breed just simply because of the climate they’re used to. I would imagine a shorter hibernation period would suit yours.

    neil1973
    Full Member

    How are you keeping him for the rest of the year at the moment, indoors or out?

    Coyote
    Free Member

    A mixture. Inside most of the time but if the weather is nice he loves nothing more than charging round the garden. Always bring him in at night though.

    neil1973
    Full Member

    As he’s inside most of the time i’m assuming you have some sort of setup with a basking lamp where he can get warm. In that case there will be no problem with keeping him there and not hibernating him – just carry on as normal. If you do want to hibernate him then a fridge really will be the best way to go, the reason being is that it is very stable temperature (about 4-5C). The problem with garages, sheds etc. Is that while there is a potential danger of them getting too cold and freezing the tortoise, a much more likely problem is that they will get too warm and the temperature will fluctuate. At a constant 4-5C (fridge temp) a tortoise should lose very little weight even during a long hibernation. If it keeps getting exposed to warmer temps then it’s metabolism will be speeding up a lot and it will drop weight much more quickly.

    As someone else mentioned if you are going to hibernate then a period without food beforehand is a good idea. If you are putting him in a fridge that is only used for the tortoise remember to open it every so often for air. Periodic weighing during hibernation is a good idea as well to make sure he is not losing too much weight.

    http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/newhibernation.html

    http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/Refrigerator.htm

    http://www.shelledwarriors.co.uk/forum/

    Thrustyjust
    Free Member

    Charlie, our spur thighed tortoise is now 10 years old. We have had him since he was 3. We didn’t hibernate him for the first 3 years, as we considered him too small to support himself , but in the natural world, he would have done. I suppose survival of the fittest is the name of the game. When he was in his 7th year, He had just finished his first full year in the garden, rather than indoors in the vivarium and we bought a specific hibernation box. They are on ebay from a chap in Norwich. Nicely made with insulation in it. Solid wood and perfect for him. We had lost him before the hibernation, where he had buried himself, so from now to sleep time, he stays in his run in the garden, not roaming free. We have a tortoise vet about 30 miles away, who we see for his wake up party and go to sleep party, in Andover. He gets weighed and keeps his records, checks him over and also injects him into his stomach a potion, which kills any parasites or bugs he may have in his guts. We have to keep him up for 2 more weeks ( one to go now) before he is ready and needs to flush himself out, so we bath him in warm water to allow him to absorb water to help keep hydration before sleep time. We keep him in the garage, where its quiet and the box seems to keep a reasonable constant temp. If it gets too cold ( I have a thermometer in the garage) we move his box to the conservatory. He sleeps pretty well. I check him twice weekly. We have been told to use stripped newspaper, as its easy if he soils to swop it and also hay gives fine dust, which can cause respiratory issues. Sleep time seems to go with the clock changes for Charlie, so he misses 5 months of winter darkness.

    moonwrasse
    Free Member

    My med spur thigh is 20 years old now and find she does better if she hibernates in the fridge. Perfect stable 5c . We stave her for 5 weeks before her and use the jackson ratio to check her weight to see if she is healthy enough to be hibernated. Only one year she was too light and we kept her awake, That was a poor wet summer. She lives outside as much as she can, but comes indoors at night time when the temp goes to 10c. She hates it when she has to come indoors into her indoor pen. So tend to leave her outdoors as much as possible if its warm enough.

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