Hibernation? Need advice

Farcryjj

Active Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Dec 28, 2016
Messages
164
Clyde has been doing great this year. He is 14 month old now, and as a fast grower, he is at 173 grams.
He has been living in his glass terrarium with a MVB light, CHE, a LED white light for plants. Humidity is ranging at 60 to 75. He was active the whole year (I got him in January at 3 month old). He got to walk around in the living room during summer quite often under our watching eyes…
However, since the mid November, he started burrying himself a lot, then just don't want to wakeup anymore. I tried to raise the night temperature a little, leave the lights on longer during the day, but it doesn't help. So far I've been waking him up with warm soak every two days, he would eat very little and go back to sleep right away….

Is he trying to hibernate? We live in Canada, and the rooms are constantly at about 22 C. I read some posts and maybe one theory could make sense, that maybe it's the shortening of the daylight that triggered the hibernation. Clyde's terrarium lights have been staying the same, but he can see daylight through glass though…

If it is hibernation, should I allow it and put him in the fridge? Is it too young to be safe to hibernate? He didn't hibernate at all last winter when he was 3 month old…

Thanks for any help you can give in advance!
 

Bambam1989

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 15, 2017
Messages
3,112
Location (City and/or State)
East Texas
I can't give any advice on hibernating. I just wanted to say that your little mushroom ornament is awesome!
 

Jodie

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 11, 2014
Messages
4,359
Location (City and/or State)
Spokane Valley WA
I would keep him up. Hibernating them is a process to ensure safety. I would bump all the temps up by about 5 degrees, and leave the lights on 14 hours a day. Keep waking him up to soak and feed. He will snap out of it in a week or 2.
 

Farcryjj

Active Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Dec 28, 2016
Messages
164
I would keep him up. Hibernating them is a process to ensure safety. I would bump all the temps up by about 5 degrees, and leave the lights on 14 hours a day. Keep waking him up to soak and feed. He will snap out of it in a week or 2.
Thanks Jodie for your advice. I tried bumping the temperature for a few days. He probably felt too hot, so he buried himself 10 inches down at a far corner that he never went before and slept on… I can keep all the lights on the whole day and it wouldn't bother him…[emoji30]
 

Bee62

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2016
Messages
11,981
Location (City and/or State)
Germany
Thanks Jodie for your advice. I tried bumping the temperature for a few days. He probably felt too hot, so he buried himself 10 inches down at a far corner that he never went before and slept on… I can keep all the lights on the whole day and it wouldn't bother him…[emoji30]
How are the temps in the enclosure of your tortoise ? Warm side, cold side and basking spot ?
What lights do you use ? Hibernation is not only depending on warmth. The light intense is a mainly fact too.
So what bulbs do you use ?
 

Farcryjj

Active Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Dec 28, 2016
Messages
164
How are the temps in the enclosure of your tortoise ? Warm side, cold side and basking spot ?
What lights do you use ? Hibernation is not only depending on warmth. The light intense is a mainly fact too.
So what bulbs do you use ?
Warm side is 27, cold side 22, basking spot 32. I'm using mega-ray UVB light, LED tube light for plants. It's been staying the same always. He was very active before November, and just gradually got really sleepy.
 

Bee62

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2016
Messages
11,981
Location (City and/or State)
Germany
Warm side is 27, cold side 22, basking spot 32. I'm using mega-ray UVB light, LED tube light for plants. It's been staying the same always. He was very active before November, and just gradually got really sleepy.
You can push the temps a little bit higher without hurting him. Warm side 30 C, cold side 25 C and basking spot 38 C.
Your lights seem to be okay. I have two young Hermann tortoises too. They don`t hibernate, never slow down and are very active every day. I see no change in their behavior.
I forgot to ask your night temps. When night temps are too low these torts want to hibernate. How are your night temps ?
 

Farcryjj

Active Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Dec 28, 2016
Messages
164
You can push the temps a little bit higher without hurting him. Warm side 30 C, cold side 25 C and basking spot 38 C.
Your lights seem to be okay. I have two young Hermann tortoises too. They don`t hibernate, never slow down and are very active every day. I see no change in their behavior.
I forgot to ask your night temps. When night temps are too low these torts want to hibernate. How are your night temps ?
Hi Bee, his night temperature is at 20. I thought it might be too low, so I raised up the CHE and gave him 25 at night, 32 in the daytime, and he just buried himself at the cold side. I couldn't find him that day and we had to dig over the whole tank's substrate to find him…[emoji23]

May I ask where you are and if your Hermann can see outside in their enclosure?
 

Bee62

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2016
Messages
11,981
Location (City and/or State)
Germany
Hi Bee, his night temperature is at 20. I thought it might be too low, so I raised up the CHE and gave him 25 at night, 32 in the daytime, and he just buried himself at the cold side. I couldn't find him that day and we had to dig over the whole tank's substrate to find him…[emoji23]

May I ask where you are and if your Hermann can see outside in their enclosure?
Hi. they love it to digg themself so deep in the soil that you could not find them. I know that from my little ones too. At summer when they had been outside they digged themself in every evening. Since they are indoors the dig a little bit less. It is their nature to do that.
I live in Germany and it is very cold outside: 3 C. My little torts ( 2 years old ) have natural sunlight too but the window is 2 meter from their enclosure away. It is their second winter without hibernation. Their night temps are 24 C .
Give your little tort some days to realize the higher temps. Torts are slow in getting into new things.
 
Last edited:

Farcryjj

Active Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Dec 28, 2016
Messages
164
Clydie came out of hibernation exactly one week ago. He is eating like a pig and gained 8grams so far. :)
 

New Posts

Top