is it a absolute need for a hermanns tortoise to hibernate? ive always been interested in this breed, but have stayed away since ive heard they hibernate. is it required to make them hibernate or do they know when to hibernate??
do hermanns need to hibernate?
- Thread starter jobeanator
- Start date
- Status
Hibernation (or brumation) is the method Nature uses to keep cold blooded animals alive during long spells of cold weather. If you are willing and can afford to provide the heat and lights and inside space for wintering a tortoise, it is not necessary for them to hibernate. Some people think that they need the hibernation period in order to be stimulated into breeding season. This is usually not the case.
Yvonne
Yvonne
yeah, ive always heard so much about how its nessacary and such, and i had a feeling it wasnt something that had to be done for the tortoise. so no tortoise you keep in captivity needs to hibernate then?
Not as long as you can provide the warmth and long days they need to stay awake.
Yvonne
Yvonne
Well I am not sure if the story about stimulating reproduction is wrong cause my experience with zoo veterinarian told me it is necessary for healthy youngsters at least. So probably reproduction will be possible without hibernation but at what cost.
Also I have been told (by the same vet) that if I don't plan to let my pets make babies
and I keep them indoors I should "keep" them awake cause it is although necessary in nature really stressful for them and a lot of youngsters don't make it. So basically they don't need to hibernate.
Edita
Also I have been told (by the same vet) that if I don't plan to let my pets make babies
and I keep them indoors I should "keep" them awake cause it is although necessary in nature really stressful for them and a lot of youngsters don't make it. So basically they don't need to hibernate.Edita
Edita said:Also I have been told (by the same vet) that if I don't plan to let my pets make babies
Edita
This is so very true. Most people can't just "look" at a tortoise and really, really tell if the animal is healthy or hiding an illness. If you allow a sick tortoise to hibernate, chances are very good it will die during hibernation. In fact some healthy animals die during hibernation. Hibernation is, indeed, a very stressful thing to happen to them.
My sister keeps box turtles and a Russian tortoise. She has never allowed any of them to hibernate, as she's afraid of bad consequences. Her animals don't seem to know that they are awake and it is winter time. They are active, healthy and seemingly happy.
Yvonne
- Joined
- Dec 22, 2007
- Messages
- 206
Here in the UK there is much debate about hibernation. Some keepers do hibernate their Hermanns and claim it is beneficial, reducing the tendency to grow too fast and also that the tortoise is more active after hibernation. Many keepers here try to make things as natural as possible and prefer to feed plants and weeds we grow in our garden, and hibernation is part of this too.
In my case, I do hibernate some of them, and one reason is that I find it difficult to provide a really interesting environment for them indoors. By hibernating for 8 to 12 weeks I greatly reduce the amount of time they spend indoors, and in my experience these tortoises love being outside. Each year when I start to put them outside when the temperature rises, I am amazed at how much more active they are after being inside. So although I do my best for them indoors, its not very stimulating.
There is a lot we don't know, such as the rate of tortoise death that might happen during hibernation in the wild. Some of the animals that die in hibernation may not be in a good enough state of health to do well, but it may be the hibernation that ends their lives. Its generally agreed that the younger ones are more likely to die in hibernation.
I have some little Hermanns that were hatched in France and lived a very natural existence there, in captivity, with access to a greenhouse. In France these tortoises hibernated themselves when they decided the time was right, and alhtough they were only months old they all survived. And they hibernated for 4 months which is very much longer than anyone suggests a hatchling Hermann should hibernate for. They got up when they decided it was right. I'm just not able to provide that kind of optimum environment, partly because the climate here is not the same. So I haven't hibernated the little ones and I'm providing heat and light for them inside so it seems like summer for them.
When the tortoise gets larger it needs more space and this can prove a challenge indoors.
In my case, I do hibernate some of them, and one reason is that I find it difficult to provide a really interesting environment for them indoors. By hibernating for 8 to 12 weeks I greatly reduce the amount of time they spend indoors, and in my experience these tortoises love being outside. Each year when I start to put them outside when the temperature rises, I am amazed at how much more active they are after being inside. So although I do my best for them indoors, its not very stimulating.
There is a lot we don't know, such as the rate of tortoise death that might happen during hibernation in the wild. Some of the animals that die in hibernation may not be in a good enough state of health to do well, but it may be the hibernation that ends their lives. Its generally agreed that the younger ones are more likely to die in hibernation.
I have some little Hermanns that were hatched in France and lived a very natural existence there, in captivity, with access to a greenhouse. In France these tortoises hibernated themselves when they decided the time was right, and alhtough they were only months old they all survived. And they hibernated for 4 months which is very much longer than anyone suggests a hatchling Hermann should hibernate for. They got up when they decided it was right. I'm just not able to provide that kind of optimum environment, partly because the climate here is not the same. So I haven't hibernated the little ones and I'm providing heat and light for them inside so it seems like summer for them.
When the tortoise gets larger it needs more space and this can prove a challenge indoors.
In my case I live in a flat and I have to keep them indoors. I have to admit they have a quite large place 1x1m and since they are small they like it. I say they like it cause they don't act like it is too little space (when you put them in something small they try to get out). They are quite active and I also can't put them to hibernate.
Sure, I plan to keep them outdoors once I move but I think I will not let them hibernate then also.
Sure, I plan to keep them outdoors once I move but I think I will not let them hibernate then also.
- Status
