Hibernating my Tortoise? Help!

[Roberta1997]

Hi guys!
My Tortoise is 9 years old and is a Hermann tortoise, we got him last year and tried to hibernate him by starving him of food and keeping him hydrated, me and my mum at the time were wondering why he was looking at us like what the f**k! And then contacted his previous owner to find out that he had never been hibernated before.
After this we kept him awake all of last winter which was a real struggle in finding him fresh plants as they were all dead obviously in winter!
To top it off he absolutely hated it and all he wanted to do was be outside!
This year we are going to try and hibernate him and I was just looking for any advice on how I go about getting him to do this? I'm aware it might be difficult as he was never hibernated beforehand, but any advice would be appreciated!
i.e where to keep him, how to get him into hibernation mode, etc!
Many thanks!!!!

 

[jjgregory]

I have no idea why you were thinking he should be hibernated? You can look around here in find a lot of people that can help you with the proper husbandry and habitat to keep this tortoise happy. Personally I feel they can be very dangerous to force a desert animal into hibernation, as well as "force" it to stay up all Winter! Hopefully other folks can offer a starting place for you. Tortoise is very big personality animals and they really do need and deserve to be happy. They will definitely let you know if not happy. They are very instinctual and like their routine and the freedom to seek out what they want -- warmer darker hiding walking around. Its best to create an environmrnt that includes all those things then let them do their own thing within that safe enviroment. No force required or needed.

 

[Roberta1997]

Yes I completely get that I want him to be free to choose whether he wants to hibernate or not but the problem is that he is in our garden at the moment and as soon as I bring him in the warmth he will wake up and want to go outside again! He has a tortoise table in our house but I know if he comes into that and we put his light on he will want to be outside and it is just too cold for him, so in my mind the best thing for him to do would be to hibernate. I don't want to keep him awake all winter in his table and him to be miserable.

 

[Maro2Bear]

Greetings...

Have you read this great info from Chris? https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/sticky-hermanns-tortoise-care-sheet-updated.101410/

And the entire Hermann’s info threads: https://tortoiseforum.org/forums/hermanns-tortoises.80/

Good luck....

 

[Yvonne G]

Is your tortoise an indoor tortoise? If so, he's probably not aware of the season and doesn't realize he's supposed to hibernate. Quite a lot goes in to prepare a tortoise for hibernation. He senses the shorter days. The night time temperatures drop. Food is scarce. When he senses all of this he automatically stops eating all on his own.

It is my opinion that unless you want to put your tortoise outside for the summer and fall next year so he can learn and sense the temperatures, etc. you shouldn't hibernate him.

 

[Yvonne G]

Yes I completely get that I want him to be free to choose whether he wants to hibernate or not but the problem is that he is in our garden at the moment and as soon as I bring him in the warmth he will wake up and want to go outside again! He has a tortoise table in our house but I know if he comes into that and we put his light on he will want to be outside and it is just too cold for him, so in my mind the best thing for him to do would be to hibernate. I don't want to keep him awake all winter in his table and him to be miserable.

You have to leave him outside. When he stops eating and only comes out of his shelter to sun but goes back in without eating, you wait a week or two, then box him up and place him in a cool area. You can't be bringing him back into the warm house.

 

[Roberta1997]

That's great advice thankyou, he is an indoor tortoise but this year we moved and he has been enjoying the outdoors, its just too cold for him now so I think I will bring him indoors and try and keep him happy for the winter.

 

[jjgregory]

Yes I completely get that I want him to be free to choose whether he wants to hibernate or not but the problem is that he is in our garden at the moment and as soon as I bring him in the warmth he will wake up and want to go outside again! He has a tortoise table in our house but I know if he comes into that and we put his light on he will want to be outside and it is just too cold for him, so in my mind the best thing for him to do would be to hibernate. I don't want to keep him awake all winter in his table and him to be miserable.

Whats your climate? If possible you could build him a outdoor enclosure with safe guard heat and uv allowing greenhouse ceiling panels and allow him to slow down in the cold. The ojai sulcatta project website has extensive info on creating a outdoor habitat and what temps fall to. My sulcatta winters indoors from about mid nov to mid march or april. I dont force him to hibrrnate and staying inside is fine for him. Tortoises in general hate being confined so perhsps what your seeing is that rather than his unhappiness at being awake in winter. If hes been outside in a more natural envirn hes nturally going to be pissed to be confined. How big is he?

 

[Yvonne G]

Whats your climate? If possible you could build him a outdoor enclosure with safe guard heat and uv allowing greenhouse ceiling panels and allow him to slow down in the cold. The ojai sulcatta project website has extensive info on creating a outdoor habitat and what temps fall to. My sulcatta winters indoors from about mid nov to mid march or april. I dont force him to hibrrnate and staying inside is fine for him. Tortoises in general hate being confined so perhsps what your seeing is that rather than his unhappiness at being awake in winter. If hes been outside in a more natural envirn hes nturally going to be pissed to be confined. How big is he?

Your sulcata SHOULD winter indoors. They are NOT a hibernating species. The OP here is talking about a species that DOES hibernate, a Testudo hermanni. Rather than refer them to a sulcata web site our OP would be better served being referred to a Testudo hermanni care sheet, of which we have a great one right here on our own tortoise forum, and linked for our OP in post #4.