mezzymeddles
New Member
Hello everyone, my name is Karen and I live in England, UK. I am still trying to navigate the website and forum, finding it a bit confusing but I am sure I will understand it better soon. I have two tortoises, Ronnie and Damon who are brothers and 13 years old. They are Mediterranean Spur Thighed. I have had them since they were hatchlings.
I was hoping that someone here would be able to advise me on something. I would be so grateful. I am a bit concerned about my boys at the moment. Up until this year Ronnie and Damon lived on a tortoise table in my conservatory and went outside in the garden in the nice weather. I also hibernated them in my conservatory over winter because it got very cold in there. They were put in a hibernating box that I had made for them by a specialist and they stayed in my conservatory in said box all winter without any problems for all these years and always hibernated successfully.
This year I haven’t been able to do that as due to subsidence I no longer have a conservatory. This year I am using the fridge method to hibernate them. I took them to my exotic vet for a check up a couple of weeks ago and they were perfectly fine and healthy. I put them into hibernation last Sunday and have an app on my phone so I know that the temperature in the fridge is pretty much consistent and as it should be. I have checked them this week, pretty much daily, and at certain points they have both had their eyes open, although mainly closed when I had a quick peek at them. I have never experienced this before, when I hibernate them in the conservatory they have always been snoozing happily when I check them and have never stirred when I weighed them either. Should I be concerned about this or is this normal? Because I have never hibernated them this way before I am so nervous and worried, it is all new to me and to them. Any advice would be so gratefully appreciated. Thank you so much in advance. Best wishes to all X
I was hoping that someone here would be able to advise me on something. I would be so grateful. I am a bit concerned about my boys at the moment. Up until this year Ronnie and Damon lived on a tortoise table in my conservatory and went outside in the garden in the nice weather. I also hibernated them in my conservatory over winter because it got very cold in there. They were put in a hibernating box that I had made for them by a specialist and they stayed in my conservatory in said box all winter without any problems for all these years and always hibernated successfully.
This year I haven’t been able to do that as due to subsidence I no longer have a conservatory. This year I am using the fridge method to hibernate them. I took them to my exotic vet for a check up a couple of weeks ago and they were perfectly fine and healthy. I put them into hibernation last Sunday and have an app on my phone so I know that the temperature in the fridge is pretty much consistent and as it should be. I have checked them this week, pretty much daily, and at certain points they have both had their eyes open, although mainly closed when I had a quick peek at them. I have never experienced this before, when I hibernate them in the conservatory they have always been snoozing happily when I check them and have never stirred when I weighed them either. Should I be concerned about this or is this normal? Because I have never hibernated them this way before I am so nervous and worried, it is all new to me and to them. Any advice would be so gratefully appreciated. Thank you so much in advance. Best wishes to all X
