# Crazy hibernation method



## oliviaTORTOISE (Dec 15, 2013)

I found this on YouTube.... Is this really what you do?!?? I would be way to scared to let my little guy go in the fridge! Wow
http://youtu.be/WdEvzWiOt90


http://youtu.be/WdEvzWiOt90


----------



## bouaboua (Dec 15, 2013)

I know lots people do.......


----------



## Yvonne G (Dec 15, 2013)

It's a popular method in the UK. The only thing I disagree with in the video is using a plastic bin. The plastic will sweat with respiration. Its better to use cardboard.


----------



## lynnedit (Dec 15, 2013)

It does work well in areas that are very wet in the winter, or where temps won't stay consistently low enough to maintain brumation.
(IF you choose to brumate your tortoises).


----------



## alan88k (Dec 15, 2013)

Will it not die in the fridge in such a low temp? plus how to ensure the tortoise is still alive in the box after inserted into fridge? what if the tortoise doesn't hibernate in the fridge? lack of oxygen can be fatal.


Out of curiousity..is that every type of tortoises has the hibernation ability?


----------



## Yvonne G (Dec 15, 2013)

You want your tortoise to hibernate in temperatures from about 40F to maybe 45F. A refrigerator is right around that temp. Any colder and your food would freeze. Most fridges are opened several times during the day, so oxygen exchange isn't a problem. Tortoises respirations are much slower during hibernation, and they don't take in too much oxygen.


----------



## ascott (Dec 15, 2013)

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


----------



## thatrebecca (Dec 15, 2013)

It does seem crazy, doesn't it? My torts are in cardboard boxes in a non-working chest freezer cracked open with a screwdriver. I like it cause temps stay in the 40s, where my DTs need them to brumate, even on the warm, sunny days which are common where I live in LA. 

Here's a pic of my setup:


----------



## Testudoresearch (Dec 15, 2013)

I used that method with 100% success for over 10 years and hibernated several hundred animals in that way with zero loss. UK winters are very different from the consistently cold winters you get in parts of the US. They can be very wet, damp, and mild. Temperatures all over the place. Keeping temperatures _down _to safe levels is a huge problem. This method is also used widely in Scandinavia - where your choice may be between a centrally heated warm house, or -32C outside (-26F) with nothing in between. There is nothing crazy about it. It is based on sound principles and in many cases, is by far the safest option. It might sound odd... but it really is a safe and effective option in some localities.


----------



## BeeBee*BeeLeaves (Dec 16, 2013)

Exactly. Thank you Testudoresearch. The temperature stays stable oliviaTORTOISE. But I understand your "gasp" at first, it seems cray-cray odd because we associate the fridge as food, and snacks, not tortoise nighty-night. For instance, with desert tortoises out here in California, our weather was 83F today. And last week it dipped to 36F. What? Teeter-totter. The tortoises need to stay between 40-50, ideally. If a tortoise is in brumation with an inexperienced new owner that just adopted it and does not know, that tortoise was colder than it should be last week, and is now warmer than it should be, brumating, but using its reserves because the warmer temps have kicked it in to gear. As Testudoresearch pointed out, it could go the other way in Scandinavia, and your tortoise could freeze. So stability in temps during brumation is key, as already noted, and the fridge can help do that. Who knew, right? : )


----------



## Cowboy_Ken (Dec 16, 2013)

Testudoresearch said:


> I used that method with 100% success for over 10 years and hibernated several hundred animals in that way with zero loss.



Andy, did you experience the drying effects of the refrigerator being a negative, or did you do something to offset that?


----------



## Testudoresearch (Dec 16, 2013)

Cowboy_Ken said:


> Andy, did you experience the drying effects of the refrigerator being a negative, or did you do something to offset that?



It was not an issue in the particular locality where I was at the time as the ambient air humidity in the room was around 50% (and the refrigerators used have no freezer section or 'ice box' so do not remove moisture that way). We always had an electronic RH meter in there to check on things (plus two remote probe thermometers for security with low temp audible alarms), so in fact it was really quite stable.

In a very low ambient humidity room, it could be an issue, but I never experienced that myself. I do know some people in drier rooms add in a sponge in a tray of water within the unit and use other methods to maintain RH at suitable levels. 

No method is 100% foolproof, and things can go wrong (power outages, for example), but personally - never had any kind of problem at all.


----------



## Cowboy_Ken (Dec 16, 2013)

My guess would be the newer, â€œfrost-free" units would be the ones that have the dehydrating effects. With the big push for â€œgreen footprint", those older units are harder and harder to find here in the States.


----------



## Testudoresearch (Dec 16, 2013)

Cowboy_Ken said:


> My guess would be the newer, â€œfrost-free" units would be the ones that have the dehydrating effects. With the big push for â€œgreen footprint", those older units are harder and harder to find here in the States.



We would always use (and recommend) a 'drinks chiller' type refrigerator rather than anything with any kind of freeze capability. In the latter case, if there is ever a thermostat failure, fatal freezing could occur. Hence - we never employed that kind.


----------



## oliviaTORTOISE (Dec 16, 2013)

Thanks so much!!! Is it okay not to hibernate a tortoise? Because this is my first year with her and I'm just keeping her awake? Thanks again!


----------



## Cowboy_Ken (Dec 16, 2013)

It's fine to not hibernate,(brumation) your tortoise. Just maintain normal temps and lighting times, (12/12-11/13). This will help to discourage your tortoise from doing so on his own.


----------



## BeeBee*BeeLeaves (Dec 16, 2013)

oliviaTORTOISE said:


> Thanks so much!!! Is it okay not to hibernate a tortoise? Because this is my first year with her and I'm just keeping her awake? Thanks again!



Oh yeah, fugetaboutit. I have read quite a few experts say that until you KNOW your tortoise, to be sure, best to keep the lights on and the temps going and try to do pretend spring-summer through the winter. Since you just got her and do not really know her, her quirks, her possible ills, hopefully there are none, best to be safe than very sad. : )


----------



## oliviaTORTOISE (Dec 16, 2013)

Ok thanks guys!!


----------



## Testudoresearch (Dec 22, 2013)

Just to agree on this. If you are not sure, and it is a new animal, it is safer not to.

Long term... well... there can be negative consequences. Hormone cycles.... continued feeding/growth related.... however, short term it is probably best to "play safe" and get her well established first.


----------



## Ashley_Sheldon (Jan 16, 2014)

I saw this video too .. very confusing on if its good or not


----------



## lynnedit (Jan 16, 2014)

I think some tortoises are especially sensitive to day length, and can detect it even if they are inside.

For those tortoises, even a 6 week brumation can really help jump start their appetite in Spring. If you live in an area that is too unstable outside (warm/cold/wet) to do this, then a fridge works well. I have used a small wine cooler (built in digital thermostat), which I love, because you can wind them down gradually by adjusting the temp down.

Just my experience, and it has worked very well for me.


----------



## TortsNTurtles (Jan 16, 2014)

lynnedit said:


> I think some tortoises are especially sensitive to day length, and can detect it even if they are inside.
> 
> For those tortoises, even a 6 week brumation can really help jump start their appetite in Spring. If you live in an area that is too unstable outside (warm/cold/wet) to do this, then a fridge works well. I have used a small wine cooler (built in digital thermostat), which I love, because you can wind them down gradually by adjusting the temp down.
> 
> Just my experience, and it has worked very well for me.



Would you recommend 6 weeks in the fall or right before spring? I am guessing the spring. I like the wine cooler idea. I have never done a brumation. Maybe next winter a 6 week for a first time sounds less stressful for tortoise mom. 

ps. I love the the big smile by the new addition


----------



## pandio (Apr 27, 2014)

I saw this one that explained it a little better.


----------



## lynnedit (Apr 28, 2014)

'Russian Tortoises in Captivity' by Jerry Fife has a good description. He also mentions a wine cooler; no freezer.
If I did it for 6 weeks, I would wait until January if possible, so when they wake up, you start getting some fresh weeds to feed them.

And I tend to brumate tortoises that wind themselves down.
Not everyone has to, if your tortoise happily over winters.
If you choose not to, get your new UV bulb in the Fall so it is fresh for the winter.


----------



## enchilada (Aug 11, 2014)

dont put tropical tortoise in fridge.


----------



## phebe121 (Sep 8, 2014)

I dont think i could ever do that to my torts seams so wrong it may not be but to me it is this is my first year with mine and im keeping them up no way would i do this iv only had them about 40 ish days


----------



## johnsonnboswell (Sep 8, 2014)

I'll admit I didn't watch it do I don't know if this was mentioned: some people recommend taping a pencil to the refrigerator gasket to get a little air exchange. 

My crew takes a rest during the darkest part of the year, sleeping a lot and eating less. That's also the time I withhold water from plants. Everything perks up as the light returns.


----------



## THBfriend (Sep 9, 2014)

johnsonnboswell said:


> some people recommend taping a pencil to the refrigerator gasket to get a little air exchange.


I wouldn't recommend that. You don't need to compromise the insulation of your fridge, you're supposed to open the fridge door for a minute or so, every couple of days.

My young Hermann's tortoises hibernate in a fridge, too. For the same duration they use in their natural habitat, about 21 weeks. Even hatchlings. That might seem like a long time, but it's absolutely no problem when done properly. Novices should start with a shorter period like 6-8 weeks until they've gathered enough experience.


----------



## johnsonnboswell (Sep 10, 2014)

THBfriend said:


> I wouldn't recommend that. You don't need to compromise the insulation of your fridge, you're supposed to open the fridge door for a minute or so, every couple of days.
> 
> Breaking the seal with a pencil accomplished the same thing as opening the door. It doesn't permanently damage the gasket, I think. For anyone who might be inclined to forget to open the door regularly, it might be an option.
> 
> .


----------



## Tom (Sep 10, 2014)

I use the hollow body of an emptied out pen for this. I like the rigidity of the tube and that small amount of airflow has worked well for me. I don't typically open the door for weeks at a time in the middle of hibernation. I just watch the inside temps from the outside on my remote probed thermometers.


----------

