He's awake....what's up?

[crocsmom]

My big boy is awake! He woke up about an hour ago 7pm pst, 1-18-11.
He is a Mohave Desert Tort approx. 20-25 yrs old...if that matters.
It has been about 80-90 degrees for about a week here in So Cali....if that matters. He has never woke up this early! Is he OK? Are anybody elses torts awake?
Thx,
Crocs mom

 

[kimber_lee_314]

Mine are waking up too. I have been giving them a drink and encouraging them to go back to sleep. I think it's supposed to cool down soon and hopefully, they will stay asleep for a while. I don't usually get mine up until March.

 

[LRBailey]

saw another thread where someones tort is awake, and they are in So Cal too. Maybe they feel an earthquake coming.

 

[crocsmom]

Kimber, A drink? How do I do that? And why/how does that put them back to sleep?

 

[kimber_lee_314]

I just run a hose on the ground and set them in the puddle. They will drink if they want to - especially when they hear the running water. That won't put them back to sleep though. I let them walk around for the day (because it's too hot to go back in their box) and then put them back in the box at night. If they scratch again tomorrow, I will do the same thing. It should cool down here soon and they will go back down on their own. If your guy has his own burrow - just offer him water, and he will go back into it when it cools down. It's okay if they snack on the grass a little, but don't offer them any food.

 

[Candy]

I am keeping Fernando up this year and he's loving this warm weather. It's too hot for them to hibernate here in California right now. I bring him in at night and turn on his heat emitter and he sleeps in our kitchen.

 

[crocsmom]

I winter Croc in a tote in the house. His tote has about 60 holes the size of a females little finger drilled in it. And, he's in the house...how does he know what the temps are outside? I put him outside @ 7pm, I'll bring him back in the house in about an hour. If he scratches again tomorrow, I'll do the running hose, puddle thing for him. I've never seen my guy eat grass, he was wild untill about 6 yrs ago...so not sure he knows it's ok to eat grass. And, we have beautiful grass...that I will not let my husband fertilize.
Thx for your help!

 

[armandoarturo]

Mines are half asleep, half awake.
It seems that a cold wave will be hitting this weekend, hopefully they will go back to sleep for a little while more.
What Im doing right now its trying to keep the burrow and the rest boxes as cold as I can.
I placed a big table on top of the box, so the sun wont hit it and warm it up.
Same with the burrow.
And it is kind of working....

I've been very confused, just like you crocsmom.... this is my first year dealing with hibernation problems :S
My tortoises took a while to get into brumation, and they are waking up too soon as well... :S

 

[Shelly]

They will drink if they want to - especially when they hear the running water.

They cannot hear running water, if anything.

 

[Madortoise]

I have mine inside so she's still asleep....I miss her little tort butt roaming around. She would have enjoyed the past few days. It's been a topless weather...except it cooled down just a little today.

 

[armandoarturo]

yup, it seems that this weekend will be getting a litte colder....
at least that was what I was told...

 

[kimber_lee_314]

They will drink if they want to - especially when they hear the running water.

They cannot hear running water, if anything.

Really? As soon as the sprinklers come on - they all come charging out. It seems like they can hear it ...

 

[Shelly]

Although I certainly cannot prove it, I have long suspected that they can somehow "smell" water, or otherwise sense it. A lot of people have mentioned how hibernating torts will emerge from their burrows for a drink when it rains. But pretty sure their hearing is next to non-existent.

 

[Candy]

This hearing thing is very interesting to me. I have to admit that I can make all the noise that I want in the kitchen and it doesn't seem to bother or wake Fernando at all when he's sleeping (I don't mean hibernating). The thing that seems to wake him up is vibration or me moving his box. I know that we've spoken on here before about tortoises hearing and a lot of people think that they have limited (if any) hearing ability. Maybe they feel the vibrations of the sprinklers or feel the water hitting the ground or I guess Shelly could be right and they possibly can smell it. Either way I think it's funny that they come running when the know there's water available for them.

 

[armandoarturo]

interesting....
Well... I have noticed that they do get scared when I drop something and make big noise... Im not quite sure if they can hear, but I have read articles that states that they can sense vibrations, just like other reptiles do. But I havent prove it at all...

Some of my totoises are inside a burrow, and they do come out when it gets cloudy and theres thunders.
Again it could be due the thunder vibration.
The thing is that most of them are outside the burrow by the time it starts raining.... this behavior has always amazed me.
The other few ones would just come outside as soon as water starts going inside the burrow...