For those of you who plan to fridge-brumate (hibernate) your tortoise, I'm going to post wind-down updates here for you to follow along.
You may have noticed that your tortoise has stopped eating, and spends a lot of time hiding or even digging down. Even our captive bred Russian tortoises seem to be pre programmed to do this. While it's safe to overwinter them (keep them awake) in a captive setting, I've decided to stop fighting their instinct a few years ago. If done properly, fridge brumation is very safe.
Before considering brumating your tortoise, you need to ensure they are healthy, you have had them for at least a year, they weigh at least 200g (in the wild, even tiny hatchlings brumate, but not all survive), and your tortoise is worm-free. Worm testing and treatment actually should happen in July - it's too late in the year to safely treat and then brumate now. Data shows that there is a higher rate of death during brumation right after a Panacur treatment. Mine testedworm-free, so I didn't have to worry about it.
The wind-down is 3-4 weeks. Fridge brumation of RTs takes place at 38-40 degrees F (3-5 Celsius) for 3-4 months, depending on size and other factors. (Note: RTs brumate slightly colder, slightly drier than Greek and Hermanni tortoises).
During week 1, I stop giving food and soak each tortoise daily for 15-20 minutes. This will help them empty their guts and make sure they are well-hydrated. Some already stopped eating a month ago, and may have lost a little weight. After soaking, I place them under the basking light. I start reducing the time the lights are on by 30 mins a day this week, so by the end of this week, instead of lights being on 7am -7pm, lights turn off at 3:30pm. Most of the tortoises are dug into the dirt by then anyway. If temps are still above 60 outside, I have them all bask in the natural sun for 30 mins in a kiddie pool. I don't place them in their outdoor habitats now, because there are still plants growing in there, and I need them not to eat.
Other things I do this week:
1) I double check that I have good plastic brumation bins with latching lids for each tortoise, I'll post pics in a few days. I melt or drill 6 air holes alog the top of the sides, and fill them with additive free topsoil. I also collect leaves from hardwood trees like oaks or maple. These will be spread over the dirt. The plastic containers need to be large enough for the tortoise to be able to surround itself with a few inches of dirt on all sides, but small enough it will fit into the fridge without touching any of the walls. Touching walls can cause contact freeze (like when your milk freezes).
2) I double check that my Inkbird hot/cold thermostat still works and is properly programmed to keep a temp range of 37-40 degrees, with alarms set on either end of that. I plug it into the wall and plug the fridge into the controller, with the thermometer piece in the part of the fridge the tortoise(s) will be. For us, that's the crisper drawer and first and second shelf of the garage fridge.
3) If you plan to use an aquarium air pump, make sure it works and the tubing is clean. You will need an analog timer that you can set to run the pump for 10-15 mins a day. This allows you not to have to worry about wafting the fridge daily. In my case, I won't need that this year (see note below).
Note: ideally, a brumation fridge doesn't have a freezer, and is used only for tortoises. We have a Vissani fridge without a freezer or icebox that works perfectly for this. However family living with us right now, so unfortunately the fridge will also hold some of their food, and will be opened a few times daily.
Stay tuned for further wind-down updates next week.
#brumation #hibernation
You may have noticed that your tortoise has stopped eating, and spends a lot of time hiding or even digging down. Even our captive bred Russian tortoises seem to be pre programmed to do this. While it's safe to overwinter them (keep them awake) in a captive setting, I've decided to stop fighting their instinct a few years ago. If done properly, fridge brumation is very safe.
Before considering brumating your tortoise, you need to ensure they are healthy, you have had them for at least a year, they weigh at least 200g (in the wild, even tiny hatchlings brumate, but not all survive), and your tortoise is worm-free. Worm testing and treatment actually should happen in July - it's too late in the year to safely treat and then brumate now. Data shows that there is a higher rate of death during brumation right after a Panacur treatment. Mine testedworm-free, so I didn't have to worry about it.
The wind-down is 3-4 weeks. Fridge brumation of RTs takes place at 38-40 degrees F (3-5 Celsius) for 3-4 months, depending on size and other factors. (Note: RTs brumate slightly colder, slightly drier than Greek and Hermanni tortoises).
During week 1, I stop giving food and soak each tortoise daily for 15-20 minutes. This will help them empty their guts and make sure they are well-hydrated. Some already stopped eating a month ago, and may have lost a little weight. After soaking, I place them under the basking light. I start reducing the time the lights are on by 30 mins a day this week, so by the end of this week, instead of lights being on 7am -7pm, lights turn off at 3:30pm. Most of the tortoises are dug into the dirt by then anyway. If temps are still above 60 outside, I have them all bask in the natural sun for 30 mins in a kiddie pool. I don't place them in their outdoor habitats now, because there are still plants growing in there, and I need them not to eat.
Other things I do this week:
1) I double check that I have good plastic brumation bins with latching lids for each tortoise, I'll post pics in a few days. I melt or drill 6 air holes alog the top of the sides, and fill them with additive free topsoil. I also collect leaves from hardwood trees like oaks or maple. These will be spread over the dirt. The plastic containers need to be large enough for the tortoise to be able to surround itself with a few inches of dirt on all sides, but small enough it will fit into the fridge without touching any of the walls. Touching walls can cause contact freeze (like when your milk freezes).
2) I double check that my Inkbird hot/cold thermostat still works and is properly programmed to keep a temp range of 37-40 degrees, with alarms set on either end of that. I plug it into the wall and plug the fridge into the controller, with the thermometer piece in the part of the fridge the tortoise(s) will be. For us, that's the crisper drawer and first and second shelf of the garage fridge.
3) If you plan to use an aquarium air pump, make sure it works and the tubing is clean. You will need an analog timer that you can set to run the pump for 10-15 mins a day. This allows you not to have to worry about wafting the fridge daily. In my case, I won't need that this year (see note below).
Note: ideally, a brumation fridge doesn't have a freezer, and is used only for tortoises. We have a Vissani fridge without a freezer or icebox that works perfectly for this. However family living with us right now, so unfortunately the fridge will also hold some of their food, and will be opened a few times daily.
Stay tuned for further wind-down updates next week.
#brumation #hibernation
You can search for my other posts about brumation for further information. 
