Looking for an RT Hibernation "Mentor"

[ohio]

Don't use coil bulbs, seems like she just has really dry skin. Her eyes them self look fine more like her eyelids seem really dry. She is already back up to pre-hibernation weight. It was as if she had been crying and the salt of her tears dried around her eyes. Shes very alert and active, drinking and eating regularly.

 

[Jodie]

Don't use coil bulbs, seems like she just has really dry skin. Her eyes them self look fine more like her eyelids seem really dry. She is already back up to pre-hibernation weight. It was as if she had been crying and the salt of her tears dried around her eyes. Shes very alert and active, drinking and eating regularly.

Hmmm. I really have no ideas. You might start another thread, and see what other might know.

 

[ohio]

Turned out to just rub off in her last soak, she lets me rub her face, and it came right off. Must of been dry skin? Had her outside in natural sunlight today, freak warm up and 91 degrees in my little green house. It should to get to 60 tomorrow, if there wasn't snow on the ground i'd let her walk in the yard.

 

[ohio]

Another week! March 5th cant come soon enough........everyone's weights are still looking good. Although my sleeping beauties are much larger then my winter rescues.

 

[Oxalis]

Another week! March 5th cant come soon enough........everyone's weights are still looking good. Although my sleeping beauties are much larger then my winter rescues.

So exciting! Great work monitoring the little ones!

 

[ohio]

Good weights again, Was wondering if i should leave them in one more week, it would only be 11 weeks. My wife says i should go 12 weeks. Guess I'll just keep an eye on the forecast.

 

[Tom]

I brought all my guys out today. This is their first post-hibernation soak.


About 12 days ago I started slowly raising the fridge temp from 39-40 up to 49ish. Just a little warmer each day. After a couple of days at 49, I brought them out of the fridge and put them all in their large transport container, but still in their individual tubs. Temp on my garage floor is about 55-60. Left them there for a couple of days and this afternoon I pulled them out of their individual tubs and gave them a couple hours to wake up and warm up to room temp. All were immediately active. Then I soaked them for about 45 minutes and put them in their temporary indoor enclosures. They will stay inside, get fed and soaked daily until this coming rainstorm passes, then they will go back outside for the rest of the year until next winter. Everybody made it through with no problems again.

Oh. And they are for sale if anyone wants one.

 

[Tom]

Hey @dannylozano10

Check out the above.

 

[dannylozano10]

I brought all my guys out today. This is their first post-hibernation soak.
View attachment 166723

About 12 days ago I started slowly raising the fridge temp from 39-40 up to 49ish. Just a little warmer each day. After a couple of days at 49, I brought them out of the fridge and put them all in their large transport container, but still in their individual tubs. Temp on my garage floor is about 55-60. Left them there for a couple of days and this afternoon I pulled them out of their individual tubs and gave them a couple hours to wake up and warm up to room temp. All were immediately active. Then I soaked them for about 45 minutes and put them in their temporary indoor enclosures. They will stay inside, get fed and soaked daily until this coming rainstorm passes, then they will go back outside for the rest of the year until next winter. Everybody made it through with no problems again.

Oh. And they are for sale if anyone wants one.

Hey @dannylozano10

Check out the above.

WOW SOOO MANY BEAUTIFUL RUSSIANS!!! Which one of those is mine ? Lol

 

[Oxalis]

I brought all my guys out today. This is their first post-hibernation soak.
View attachment 166723

About 12 days ago I started slowly raising the fridge temp from 39-40 up to 49ish. Just a little warmer each day. After a couple of days at 49, I brought them out of the fridge and put them all in their large transport container, but still in their individual tubs. Temp on my garage floor is about 55-60. Left them there for a couple of days and this afternoon I pulled them out of their individual tubs and gave them a couple hours to wake up and warm up to room temp. All were immediately active. Then I soaked them for about 45 minutes and put them in their temporary indoor enclosures. They will stay inside, get fed and soaked daily until this coming rainstorm passes, then they will go back outside for the rest of the year until next winter. Everybody made it through with no problems again.

Oh. And they are for sale if anyone wants one.

Awesome!! Very cute little dudes -- and they look amazing! Another home run for Tom!

 

[ohio]

Looking outside as the snow flakes are still falling from the sky...... Decided to leave them in at least one more week because the extended forecast shows the weather starting to turn for the better, but you never know here in NE Ohio. Check weights again and everyone's looking good in their golden slumber.

 

[ohio]

Alright I've been raising the temps for the last week, going to wake them up tomorrow. Yeah it feels like forever. 11 weeks in their golden slumber. Should i take them out tonight and when the lights kick on in the morning let them warm up a bit before their soak? Or just take them out in the morning and when they start moving around give them their soak? Just wondering, leaning on taking them out tonight.

 

[Oxalis]

Alright I've been raising the temps for the last week, going to wake them up tomorrow. Yeah it feels like forever. 11 weeks in their golden slumber. Should i take them out tonight and when the lights kick on in the morning let them warm up a bit before their soak? Or just take them out in the morning and when they start moving around give them their soak? Just wondering, leaning on taking them out tonight.

I'm not sure which time would be best, but then again it probably doesn't matter too much? I'm sure the morning would be great since they can just warm up with the light all day and get back on a more "regular" schedule? I know the light is a big factor in waking them back up too.

 

[ohio]

Everyone's up, awake and moving around. Ended up taking them out before bed that way when the lights kicked on in the morning i heard them moving around. Got up and gave them a nice 30 min soak, then some fresh greens for breakfast. Wow are my male more horny then i have ever seen them. Seems like all they want is the females, and not the food. So i took the males out to let my girls eat before being courted. (if that is what you want to call it, lol) After that gave them a weigh in and everyone's gaining weight. Hooray! Can't wait to get them outside, been working on the outdoor enclosure every chance i get. Thank you everyone for giving me input and help during my first hibernation, next year should be as nerve racking. Until next fall....

 

[Jodie]

Good deal. All 3 of us first timers were successful. Happy healthy tortoises ready for summer.

 

[Oxalis]

Everyone's up, awake and moving around. Ended up taking them out before bed that way when the lights kicked on in the morning i heard them moving around. Got up and gave them a nice 30 min soak, then some fresh greens for breakfast. Wow are my male more horny then i have ever seen them. Seems like all they want is the females, and not the food. So i took the males out to let my girls eat before being courted. (if that is what you want to call it, lol) After that gave them a weigh in and everyone's gaining weight. Hooray! Can't wait to get them outside, been working on the outdoor enclosure every chance i get. Thank you everyone for giving me input and help during my first hibernation, next year should be as nerve racking. Until next fall....

Sounds great!! Good to hear that everyone had such a lovely sleep and is feeling refreshed! You're pretty amazing to have that kind of patience for your torties while they're napping through the winter. It can be quite the stressful time for the humans involved! I'd love to see the outdoor enclosure you're working on too. Post some photos when you get a chance! Here is mine: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread...-russian-tortoise-enclosure-and-garden.92343/

 

[AZGirl]

Tomorrow is 4 weeks of hibernation for Stevie, and I'm super happy to be waking his lazy butt up! ;D Just kidding -- he loves his sleep and he's been doing very well all this time. I've been a very nervous tort mommy, but I know he's a tough kid. At 46°F, my fiancé and I didn't think he should be out for too much longer, which stinks here in Michigan as the majority of our winter snow and cold is just about to hit at this time of year. But that's just how it worked out this year. His mommy misses him too much though! I can't wait to see him again!!

Do you wake him during brumate on to give water?
I’m a little concerned. We, here in AZ, had a week of frigid temps. Parker quit earring and went to sleep. Now we have temps of lo/hi 40/68. Not sure what I should do. Hers in a cool part of house. Our lows were freezing and went down to 19/45.

 

[Oxalis]

Do you wake him during brumate on to give water?
I’m a little concerned. We, here in AZ, had a week of frigid temps. Parker quit earring and went to sleep. Now we have temps of lo/hi 40/68. Not sure what I should do. Hers in a cool part of house. Our lows were freezing and went down to 19/45.

This depends on a few factors. First, I am assuming your tortoise species is Russian/Central Asian. Second, are you wanting your tort to stay awake for the winter? If so, I would try to increase the temperature in his/her enclosure to promote more activity. As for the temperatures in your tortoise enclosure, you'll either want to start regularly monitoring those daily or post those numbers here so we can get an idea of what your tortoise is experiencing. Captive tortoises are still very aware of the changes in the seasons and the amount of light in the sky each day, especially if their enclosure is near a window or if they get regular outdoor time. So it is natural for them to slow down a bit this time of year. I would definitely provide a warm soak daily to help wake your tort up and "stimulate" his/her system. It's not a bad thing for Russians to get a daily warm soak; this at the very least keeps them hydrated. If s/he poops, maybe s/he'll be more likely to eat after a soak instead of immediately going back to sleep. And of course, make sure to provide varied food and plenty of light. ? If you need an additional heat source (that doesn't also provide light), I would suggest a CHE (ceramic heat emitter). I haven't tried one of these yet myself so I have no feedback on that to provide you with.

 

[RosemaryDW]

If your tortoise is going to brumate safely he needs to be at a consistent temperature between 37-45 degrees. If he’s consistently cold he doesn’t need to be woken up to drink; it’s extremely dry where he’s from, basically a high desert. If he isn’t cold he is going to burn off some calories and weight, which you don’t want. Do you have a place in your house where the temps will stay like that for a few months?

You can weigh him now and again if you brumate him; weight loss of ten percent or more is concerning, some people consider it to be five or more percent. That would be a time to bring him out and get him in an indoor habitat with lights and heat. I’ve had a year where my tortoise lost one percent, another (stressful) where she lost eight. Usually the most weight is lost when she is going down but still moving around. I make sure she has an opportunity to drink before brumation and these days we put her in a very dark box so she goes straight to sleep.

Russians are hardy and can do okay with a year or two of suboptimal conditions but you still have time to wake him up or brumate him safely. Both take effort; both are pretty scary when you are a new owner.

 

[AZGirl]

This depends on a few factors. First, I am assuming your tortoise species is Russian/Central Asian. Second, are you wanting your tort to stay awake for the winter? If so, I would try to increase the temperature in his/her enclosure to promote more activity. As for the temperatures in your tortoise enclosure, you'll either want to start regularly monitoring those daily or post those numbers here so we can get an idea of what your tortoise is experiencing. Captive tortoises are still very aware of the changes in the seasons and the amount of light in the sky each day, especially if their enclosure is near a window or if they get regular outdoor time. So it is natural for them to slow down a bit this time of year. I would definitely provide a warm soak daily to help wake your tort up and "stimulate" his/her system. It's not a bad thing for Russians to get a daily warm soak; this at the very least keeps them hydrated. If s/he poops, maybe s/he'll be more likely to eat after a soak instead of immediately going back to sleep. And of course, make sure to provide varied food and plenty of light. ? If you need an additional heat source (that doesn't also provide light), I would suggest a CHE (ceramic heat emitter). I haven't tried one of these yet myself so I have no feedback on that to provide you with.

he is a Sonoran Desert Tortoise. It is cold again now, 25/48. He is in cardboard box in an unheated part of house. I need to get a thermometer to keep track of tempsIn room. Damn cold is not going to cut it. Thank you for your reply. I was soaking him daily before he started slowing and stopped eating.