Brumate??

Rocky219

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I have a Hermann Tortoise who is 3-4 years old and I read that he is probably too young too put in a fridge for brumation. Should I A let him brumate in his environment? Or B not let him brumate at all? I read that they have preparation and that you have to weigh them or something like that and that if they are not prepared they can die. For the past week I have probably made 2 posts a day on reddit. Everyone has a different opinion. This all seems so confusing. If they wake up and urinate during brumation I heard that they can die. Can I just brumate him on in the terrarium? People say my temperatures are good 90-95 basking spot 40-60% humidity and 12 hours of light and dark. I have a picture of his enclosure. All the guides online say different things. I just want to know should I kind of just wing it and let him brumate in the terrarium? Or should I not let him brumate at all because brumating seems risky? Please help me because I do not have much time before he starts brumating and I need to decide on my plan.

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Yvonne G

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As long as you keep the days long and warm, there's no need for him to brumate.
 

KarenSoCal

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If you're going to keep him awake, it doesn't matter what the outdoor temps are. You control his temps in his enclosure.

For your tort to brumate, he would need to be in a cool place that stays about 40°F all the time, day and night, for several months. However, he cannot be allowed to freeze, so the temp must be carefully monitored. If you have a location that stays 40°, that's safe from predators, etc, there is some preparation for you to get him ready to brumate. He's old enough to brumate, so that's no problem.

If you prefer, Russians do not have to brumate at all. They will slow down, sleep more than usual, and may eat less for a while, but not actually brumate.

To keep him awake, make sure of your temps in his tank. Check each corner to be sure the minimum at night is 80 or a couple degrees higher. Also, increase the time his lights are on to 14 hours instead of 12.

Remember, he will sleep more than usual, but should come out each day for a smaller than usual meal.
 

Rocky219

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If you're going to keep him awake, it doesn't matter what the outdoor temps are. You control his temps in his enclosure.

For your tort to brumate, he would need to be in a cool place that stays about 40°F all the time, day and night, for several months. However, he cannot be allowed to freeze, so the temp must be carefully monitored. If you have a location that stays 40°, that's safe from predators, etc, there is some preparation for you to get him ready to brumate. He's old enough to brumate, so that's no problem.

If you prefer, Russians do not have to brumate at all. They will slow down, sleep more than usual, and may eat less for a while, but not actually brumate.

To keep him awake, make sure of your temps in his tank. Check each corner to be sure the minimum at night is 80 or a couple degrees higher. Also, increase the time his lights are on to 14 hours instead of 12.

Remember, he will sleep more than usual, but should come out each day for a smaller than usual meal.
Ok thank you!
 
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