Hibernation???!

Pushkin's mom

New Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2022
Messages
13
Location (City and/or State)
Woodinville/WA/USA
Hi all,
Pushkin is not doing well. I’m not sure what’s going on. Perhaps hibernating??
He stopped eating as normal for 2-3 weeks and sleeping most of the time under his log in the dark side of his enclosure.
He is not going out to eat anymore (last time I saw him eating was 5 days ago.
I’m picking on him every morning and he is picking back at me (see picture below).
I don’t know if I should bath him, bother him, take him out to eat… let him be and do his tortoise things and hope for the best???
Last time I saw him poop was 7 days ago (very little poop) while he was soaking. since then I’m not bothering him much. I’m just picking up his log and look under. I have no idea if he did anything under there.
I also have a ring camera on him so there is close to zero chance that he is leaving his dark log area and I don’t know about it.

Smart people, what is going on? Do you have any idea? If Pushkin is going to hibernation what should I do?!? (Yes, I’m freaking out here).

Here is my intro message with all the enclosure and background info: https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/updates-and-little-support-needed.197105/
61102679-6D7E-460A-97A3-64141D961354.jpeg9BF35C75-40D2-45EA-81AE-408A7A70D66D.jpeg
 

mark1

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Dec 31, 2015
Messages
1,932
Location (City and/or State)
ohio
nothing should be trying to hibernate at this time of year ..... or estivate at this time of year ...... springtime should be rain (water humidity) sun and green (weeds,flowers) ....... i would get that enclosure wet , humid , bright , and green ...... outside would be the best ........... tortoises estivate when it's hot , dry and brown .......... jmo
 

Pushkin's mom

New Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2022
Messages
13
Location (City and/or State)
Woodinville/WA/USA
So, should I pick him up to have daily baths as usual? And by the way… although spring is on the calendar- in Seattle area, it was raining and gray close to 2 weeks now… it still feels like winter for some😃
 
Last edited:

mark1

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Dec 31, 2015
Messages
1,932
Location (City and/or State)
ohio
we get november weather in may regularly , they still somehow know it's may not november ......... his substrate looks pretty dry ? yes i would take him out and soak him everyday and offer him food , i'd imagine you got lots of fresh weeds growing in your area you could offer ........ substrate looks like cypress mulch ? cypress mulch doesn't reall absorb and hold moisture that good ...... closest thing i keep to a russian tortoise are eastern box turtles .... i use sphagnum moss mixed with cypress mulch to hold moisture better ...... i've seen folks against using sphagnum moss with their tortoises .......

my box turtles live pretty much wild ,they are all pretty timid .... if i have to bring one in for the winter ,they are pretty freaked out and just hide ...... i take them out every day and put them in their water , with cover (leaves, fake plants, anything ) so they feel hidden in the water , i put food on their path back to where they hide and leave them alone ..... eventually they start eating on their way back to hide .....
 

Pushkin's mom

New Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2022
Messages
13
Location (City and/or State)
Woodinville/WA/USA
Thank you SO MUCH!!!!
I soaked him earlier today. He did his business in the water as well, white pee looked good but poop was small and dry…
After that I sprayed water in his enclosure and will make sure to keep it moist at all time.
When I got him back he did roam around but didn’t touch his food. He went back to his hiding spot right after.
He looked pretty good while I soaked him. And he drank a lot of water while being there.
Will keep doing it every day now till he gets his routine back to normal…
I really appreciate your response. I was really worried.
 

BorisBertheas

New Member
Joined
Mar 17, 2022
Messages
27
Location (City and/or State)
Vancouver
Thank you SO MUCH!!!!
I soaked him earlier today. He did his business in the water as well, white pee looked good but poop was small and dry…
After that I sprayed water in his enclosure and will make sure to keep it moist at all time.
When I got him back he did roam around but didn’t touch his food. He went back to his hiding spot right after.
He looked pretty good while I soaked him. And he drank a lot of water while being there.
Will keep doing it every day now till he gets his routine back to normal…
I really appreciate your response. I was really worried.
I'm having same problem and I live in Vancouver Washington... I don't know what to do? So he's NOT supposed to hibernate? Please help I'm loosing my mind
 

Pushkin's mom

New Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2022
Messages
13
Location (City and/or State)
Woodinville/WA/USA
I’m just following the advice I got earlier. Making him awake every way possible…
Today the sun was out so I took him to the garden. He was roaming around for an hour. When he started to borrow I took him back home and he immediately went to his hiding cave. I let him relax for couple of hours (had to finish my gardening stuff first) and took him again out of his shelter and made him eat… I hope I will be breaking the cycle soon… 50382CFC-6D11-424D-890F-2785EEF2683B.jpeg1CB0AB8D-B9BD-41F2-AFB4-48627FE47893.jpeg7BEDCEE5-394C-45A1-847D-49AE9EDBA5AD.jpeg90FEDC9F-4C15-4DEF-ADA3-50F5F871654E.jpeg
 
Top