hibernation

I just rescued an African Spur from getting dropped off at a shelter, but apparently I'm out of my depth. This is my first tortoise. He's around 40 lbs and 5 years old. I am currently setting up additions to his habitat, as he doesn't seem to like what I created for him and he's choosing weird...

Hi, I have a two year old horsefield tortoise who is recently very lethargic and has a soft springy under shell (this may have always been soft and springy, I didn't check previously). Over lock down I moved him to my Mum's (I relocated too) to make sure that there would always be someone...

Hi all! I’m just messaging to get some general advice really: Arnie is my 6 y/o Russian Horsefield. He recently had a check-up at the vets who advised he is ‘on the skinny side’ and that I can increase his daily food intake. For reference he has a mix of lambs lettuce, kale, petunias and...

Hey this is the first year I am hibernating my tortoise and I want to make sure I do it really well as there’s conflicting knowledge online. I thought it would be a better idea to ask you guys your experience/ the best things so I can start preparations right away :) thanks

Hi everyone ? I was hoping I can receive some helpful advice. I am a newer custodian owner of two female gopherus agassizzi. I have a beautiful habitat for them outside that is large and safe. I also have two burrows the same exact size but they both go to only one of the burrows. The previous...

Good afternoon all, Earlier this year (back in March), I noticed that my sweet 22-year-old male Russian tortoise had swelled up with edema and was taken to the vet the next day. After an X-ray and fecal float, it was determined that all was well although he had two strains of parasites. I can't...

Do I have to burmate my tortoise, or can I provide it with the same conditions all year round? There seems to be a difference of opinion, some believe burmation to be essential as its natural for certain species, whereas others seem to have never bothered with their tortoises and don't seem to...

I live in the PNW, near Portland, OR. We created an outdoor enclosure for our Russian. In August he went missing and we thought he had escaped, but yesterday he emerged from a deep hole in the enclosure- evidently he was hibernating this entire time! My question is this: Is he done...

Hello everyone! I’ve posted about my tortoises before and know there are threads about hibernation but I’m posting this question because I’m dizzy from reading and my thumbs are aching. I have 2 desert tortoises, 5 years old and I must hibernate them. One is asleep in his cave for a couple days...

So my first hibernation season has been a disaster. My Russian tortoise is an adult, we’re unsure of age since she was found wondering the streets. The vet said she was probably a young adult, but she was malnourished. Anyways fast forward and she’s a happy health tort with a large 15x15 ft...

Hello everyone, I have a rescue tortoise that came to me in pretty bad shape last year. To get his health and weight up he didn't hibernate last winter and presumably never has. Sucellus has been hibernating for three weeks now and in his last two weigh ins he had poop in with him. The first...

Murphy just turned 1 and we were told not to let him brumate for the first 3 years. Is this true? And if not, how to we prepare him for brumation? We live in southern California where its in the mid-80s in the day and high-50s at night. He lives in a raised enclosure outside, but has heat and a...

General question about the Marginated tortoise and the hibernation period. Do they need to go through hibernation/brumation? Are their any benefits for and against? After looking online, most opinions are very scattered.

Hello everyone! I just need some direction in how to help my girl. I live in Arizona and we had just moved into a new house around this time last year. It's been extremely hot lately and we've been keeping her outside until it gets over 105, then we bring her inside the house where we have a...

Hello all, I could use some advice! I know it’s a long way off hibernation time but we are considering hibernating our Russian boy this coming winter and I was really hoping to get some advice from someone who has past experience of successfully hibernating Russians. The issue we have is we...

Hello, I'm very new here and do not actually have a tortoise yet, but I've been thinking about getting one for about a year and have been reading this forum for a few months now. I want to make sure I know what I'm getting into before I actually take the plunge and buy a tortoise. My first...

My 5+ year old Russian tortoise lives outside in the PNW. He has thrived and has many areas of sunlight every single day and hot spots and areas where he can always stay dry. He has gone into hibernation the past few years and has done very well coming out of it, I always bring him inside when...

In preparation of hibernation, my adult Russian male has been fasting for almost two weeks (I think this coming Tuesday is exactly two weeks). I've been giving him extra soaks to keep him hydrated. This morning I noticed he pooped just a little bit; it's shorter than an inch long. Since it has...

Hello everyone, I've had my Hermanns tortoise for roughly a year now, making her around 2 years old. Last year I was not able to hibernate her as I did not meet those requirements at the time. This year I was planning on putting her in hibernation around mid-December, but after a doctor's...

Hello All! Quick question. My almost-three-year-old western Hermann's tortoise, Herms, is started to decrease in activity and food/water consumption. I understand that there is a biological clock of hibernation probably for him, however, we are not wanting to do the process of hibernation right...