Help- is my Russian trying to hibernate?

[dimitri]

My Russian tortoise is about 2.5- 3 years old, and this is the second winter I've had her. Last winter, she remained fairly active, and didn't burrow all that much. She started turning down food in October, though I tried giving all sorts of different greens. Then she started burrowing, which she often does at night, but didn't often come up during the day. I left her lights on (during the day), but have brought her back up twice now because it freaked me out not to know where she was or see her moving around, but it seems like she hasn't been moving in days and refused to eat the two times I woke her up. What should I do? Is she trying to hibernate, or is it something else? One of my friends has a Russian who she said did this last winter and they just "went with it", but everything I've read talks about doing big preparations for hibernation, getting a hibernation box, etc.

 

[ascott]

My Russian tortoise is about 2.5- 3 years old, and this is the second winter I've had her. Last winter, she remained fairly active, and didn't burrow all that much. She started turning down food in October, though I tried giving all sorts of different greens. Then she started burrowing, which she often does at night, but didn't often come up during the day. I left her lights on (during the day), but have brought her back up twice now because it freaked me out not to know where she was or see her moving around, but it seems like she hasn't been moving in days and refused to eat the two times I woke her up. What should I do? Is she trying to hibernate, or is it something else? One of my friends has a Russian who she said did this last winter and they just "went with it", but everything I've read talks about doing big preparations for hibernation, getting a hibernation box, etc.

Have you run down your checklist? Have you checked and made sure temps are all good, sometimes indoor temps are affected by the cooler season?

 

[Jodie]

Make sure your temps are warm enough. Dig her up every day and soak her. Then feed her. Keeping them up takes a bit of work sometimes, but you are right, going with it, is not good for them. If you want to hibernate do some research, and do it right.

 

[dimitri]

Okay, thank you! I was worried that digging her up and bathing her might not be the best way to wake her up, but I definitely want to keep her awake this winter, so now that I know that's what I should do, I'll do it immediately!

 

[Ldionese]

Make sure your temps are warm enough. Dig her up every day and soak her. Then feed her. Keeping them up takes a bit of work sometimes, but you are right, going with it, is not good for them. If you want to hibernate do some research, and do it right.

Hi Jodie, I have a Russian tortoise also and she has started to do what yours was doing!!!! How did it work out bathing her everyday? I bath Trulia every other day ? Thank You!!!! Louie