Advice on hibernating a tortoise

[millstortoise]

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

 

[KarenSoCal]

Let's start by you telling us about your tortoise.

What species?
Approximate age/how long have you had him?
There are a lot of Portsmouth's...which one are you in?
How have you been housing him? Enclosure, lights, etc.
Does he have an outdoor enclosure?

I know, lots of questions! But the answers will help us help you.

 

[millstortoise]

Let's start by you telling us about your tortoise.

What species?
Approximate age/how long have you had him?
There are a lot of Portsmouth's...which one are you in?
How have you been housing him? Enclosure, lights, etc.
Does he have an outdoor enclosure?

I know, lots of questions! But the answers will help us help you.

Firstly thank u for helping me I really appreciate it! My tortoise is 8, coming up to 9 in December ( although her previous owners never hibernated her which is where I am a bit worries). She is a Herman tortoise. She lives in a tortoise table but when we were in the peak of summer I let her walk around outside on the grass and she also has an outdoor run she goes in unaccompanied. She does have a light which she basks under throughout the day in her tortoise table.I am in between Portsmouth and Southampton area in the Meon Valley ( idk if that’s what you were referring to lol). Thank you so much

 

[KarenSoCal]

How long have you had her?
Why do you want to brumate her? Brumation is like hibernation, with a big difference.

Animals that hibernate, like bears, go to sleep in their caves and stay asleep all winter. They don't wake up to go outside at all...they stay in the cave.

Brumation is similar, but the tortoise is aware of what's going on around him. On a warm winter day, they might wake up and drink water before going back in. Their respirations and heart rate drop really low to conserve his body's resources, but he can hear and see, and is responsive to being touched.

So just because a tortoise is able to brumate, doesn't mean he has to.

There are 8 Portsmouth's in the USA, and now I know that you are in the one in England. Advice differs from one locale to the next, one climate to the next.

Here's a link to a thread about brumating you may find helpful. The second link is our care sheet for Hermann's torts.

Looking for an RT Hibernation "Mentor"

In this thread, @Tom mentioned seeking out a "mentor" who has experience in successfully hibernating Russian tortoises. So I am looking for you! Or any ideas of potential helpful peeps... Thanks! :) A little background: My boyfriend and I are interested in hibernating Steve, our male Russian...

tortoiseforum.org

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

www.tortoiseforum.org

 

[millstortoise]

How long have you had her?
Why do you want to brumate her? Brumation is like hibernation, with a big difference.

Animals that hibernate, like bears, go to sleep in their caves and stay asleep all winter. They don't wake up to go outside at all...they stay in the cave.

Brumation is similar, but the tortoise is aware of what's going on around him. On a warm winter day, they might wake up and drink water before going back in. Their respirations and heart rate drop really low to conserve his body's resources, but he can hear and see, and is responsive to being touched.

So just because a tortoise is able to brumate, doesn't mean he has to.

There are 8 Portsmouth's in the USA, and now I know that you are in the one in England. Advice differs from one locale to the next, one climate to the next.

Here's a link to a thread about brumating you may find helpful. The second link is our care sheet for Hermann's torts.

Looking for an RT Hibernation "Mentor"

In this thread, @Tom mentioned seeking out a "mentor" who has experience in successfully hibernating Russian tortoises. So I am looking for you! Or any ideas of potential helpful peeps... Thanks! :) A little background: My boyfriend and I are interested in hibernating Steve, our male Russian...

tortoiseforum.org

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

www.tortoiseforum.org

thank you , I have had her for about 3 years but was wary to brumate (thank you for introducing me to this terminology) her as she had never done it before. But I heard that they need to be brumated for growth although she still grows a lot but I want her to have the best quality of life if this helps. Thanks for the link! Will look at the stuff and haha didn’t realise there were so many Portsmouths in the world lol