Hibernating in Summer!? Advice needed.

[MathildeClaire]

Hello. I'm looking for some advice as I am worried about my two greek tortoise.
Since one week they seem to be hibernating! They have dug a hole in the ground i side their wooden house and are remaining there. It is 32 degrees Celsius here. They have plenty of sunlight, vegetation, roaming space and shaded areas. I feed them well, but now I'm worried perhaps not enough. Why are they resting now during summer? I'm worried, any advice is appreciated.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Hello! If 32C is unusually high temperature they can be escaping the heat (however, it doesn't seem to be extreme to me). @HermanniChris may be you have some clues (yes, this time not a species ID)?

 

[MathildeClaire]

Hello! If 32C is unusually high temperature they can be escaping the heat (however, it doesn't seem to be extreme to me). @HermanniChris may be you have some clues (yes, this time not a species ID)?

Hi, thanks for your reply. It is true that this week is peak temperature and the hottest they have experienced this year. Although the temperature has been leading up to 32 degrees. I don't feel as though it has been a sudden shock. They have two very shallow water trays, but they are never interested, I wonder if they have enough water from their food. They usually eat a lot of endives, which have high water content. Is it possible that they be resting for a short period?

 

[wellington]

Also, they should not be housed in pairs. One may be trying to get away from the other, but the other followed along. Both heat and bullying need to be addressed.
Misters or sprinklers can help lower temps. Misters better.
Also deep shade is needed from low bushes.
They need separate enclosures.

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

This could be aestivation, caused by excessively high temperatures, warm rain-free summers or lack of food and water. The tortoises are seeking hydration and lower temperatures underground.

Whats the weather been like? Any rain? Highs and lows?Have you been soaking your tortoises? Do they have a waterdish?

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Hopefully the other responses answer your questions

Going off what wellington said,
tortoise of any species should NEVER be housed in pairs under any circumstances, they’re incredibly territorial, behaviours that look cute to us really aren’t, following one another and sleeping huddled up is all bullying the the tortoise world, you’ll eventually see more extreme signs of aggression. Anyone who tells you pairs are fine, have no idea what they’re talking about.

Small groups are ok when there’s lots of land and the correct male to female ratio.

If you only have two, they’ll need separating asap👍

Are they housed outdoors year round?🙂

 

[MathildeClaire]

This could be aestivation, caused by excessively high temperatures, warm rain-free summers or lack of food and water. The tortoises are seeking hydration and lower temperatures underground.

Whats the weather been like? Any rain? Highs and lows?Have you been soaking your tortoises? Do they have a waterdish?

Hi thanks for your message. We had some rain but it is very hot now. They do have two water dishes, but never go in. Sometimes I rinse them, but I think not enough. I'll definitely soak them as soon as they are awake and exploring again. Also, I plannom separating them. They tend to stay apart from each other, but I'll separate the enclosure into two.

 

[TammyJ]

Hi and welcome to the forum! Pictures would be good.

 

[MathildeClaire]

Hopefully the other responses answer your questions

Going off what wellington said,
tortoise of any species should NEVER be housed in pairs under any circumstances, they’re incredibly territorial, behaviours that look cute to us really aren’t, following one another and sleeping huddled up is all bullying the the tortoise world, you’ll eventually see more extreme signs of aggression. Anyone who tells you pairs are fine, have no idea what they’re talking about.

Small groups are ok when there’s lots of land and the correct male to female ratio.

If you only have two, they’ll need separating asap👍

Are they housed outdoors year round?🙂

Thank you for your reply, they tend to stay away from each other, they have two separate houses, but I have noticed some aggresive behaviour. As soon as they are awake and exploring again, I will seperate the enclosure in two.
The tortoise were left by previous home owners, I am now trying to learn and give them a good life, so your advice helps.

 

[MathildeClaire]

Also, they should not be housed in pairs. One may be trying to get away from the other, but the other followed along. Both heat and bullying need to be addressed.
Misters or sprinklers can help lower temps. Misters better.
Also deep shade is needed from low bushes.
They need separate enclosures.

They are hibernating separately just now, as soon as they are awake and exploring, I will separate them and split the enclosure in two. They have deep shade area in the emclosure. Thanks for your advice.

 

[MathildeClaire]

Hi and welcome to the forum! Pictures would be good.

As soon as they are awake and exploring ill take some photos.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Thank you for your reply, they tend to stay away from each other, they have two separate houses, but I have noticed some aggresive behaviour. As soon as they are awake and exploring again, I will seperate the enclosure in two.
The tortoise were left by previous home owners, I am now trying to learn and give them a good life, so your advice helps.

No problem at all, you’re so sweet for taking them on! I’m sure they’ll be much less stressed once separated🙂

Any further questions ask away! We can advise on the correct kind of equipment to use if you have indoor set ups also😊

Oh and you might find this site super useful diet wise if you’re interested! Perhaps you can get some seeds offline and plant in organic soil that the tortoises don’t have access to, you can forage them as the grow😁

The Tortoise Table - Home

The Tortoise Table plant database and resource site for Tortoise owners

www.thetortoisetable.org.uk

 

[Tom]

Hello. I'm looking for some advice as I am worried about my two greek tortoise.
Since one week they seem to be hibernating! They have dug a hole in the ground i side their wooden house and are remaining there. It is 32 degrees Celsius here. They have plenty of sunlight, vegetation, roaming space and shaded areas. I feed them well, but now I'm worried perhaps not enough. Why are they resting now during summer? I'm worried, any advice is appreciated.

In summer, many tortoises avoid the mid day sun, both because of the temperature, and also because of very high UV levels.

Are they more active in the morning and evening? Are they coming out to eat?

When is it 32C? Is that the day time high? What is the overnight low temperature? Do they live outside full time all year?

 

[MathildeClaire]

Hello, for the past 5 days they aren't coming out at all to eat. 32°C is the high daytime heat, tonight the lowest temperature is 20°C.
Yes they live outside full time all year.

 

[MathildeClaire]

No problem at all, you’re so sweet for taking them on! I’m sure they’ll be much less stressed once separated🙂

Any further questions ask away! We can advise on the correct kind of equipment to use if you have indoor set ups also😊

Oh and you might find this site super useful diet wise if you’re interested! Perhaps you can get some seeds offline and plant in organic soil that the tortoises don’t have access to, you can forage them as the grow😁

The Tortoise Table - Home

The Tortoise Table plant database and resource site for Tortoise owners

www.thetortoisetable.org.uk

Thank you for the link! I have read through every section and I've discovered that I have ten plants on the list in my garden, organic, no pesticide used. I'm very happy about this. So as soon as they wake up, they will be seperated and have a huge feast. Now, I'm just worried about how long they will remain resting.