"Hibernating" tortoises that don't hibernate

Status
Not open for further replies.

DeanS

SULCATA OASIS
10 Year Member!
Joined
May 6, 2010
Messages
4,407
Location (City and/or State)
SoCal
kyryah said:
I think an issue here is terminology. "Hibernation" is very different than "aestivation."

Tortoises that come from climates with a cold season "hibernate." I would guess that almost all tortoises that come from hot climates "aestivate." So while a Sulcata might not have the instinct to hibernate, he is probably hard wired enough to know that when conditions aren't ideal, it is time to go underground and aestivate. That is why these tortoises can survive under ground in the winter.

You also have to think of geothermal heating. Once you get down so far, (and Sully burrows are deep! Ask Tom :p ) the ground maintains a constant temperature of about 55*F. Not warm enough to thrive indefinitely - but warm enough to SURVIVE for a short period.

Some, like the Russian tortoise, do BOTH. In the winter they hibernate, in the hot dry summer, they aestivate. In some areas Russians are above ground for only 3 months out of the year. How much eating and growing do you think they do in that time?

That is one reason that I think that the way we "power feed" our tortoises for fast growth is a bad idea. They are built to grow slow and have very, VERY long lives. So by speeding up the growth by feeding highly nutritious, large amounts of foods all year long, how much damage are we doing? How much are we shortening their life spans?

I fast my tortoises for short periods from time to time, and I also have "rainy days" where I leave the lights off and the enclosures on the cool side. And I have some pretty healthy tortoises if I do say so myself! ;)

One thing I have pointed out as well - tortoises from arid areas, like Russians, Sulcatas, Leopards, etc. don't have access to a lot of nutritious food. A lot of the stuff they eat is as dead and dry as hay. All these wonderful nutritious greens and fruits and veggies are like eating a paczki everyday. I think this is why there are bone density issues. (And yes, I know tortoises aren't mammals, but...) Look at what happens to dogs that grow to fast, like Danes and Shepherds. Bad hips. Horses that grow too fast have leg, joint and bone problems too.

So, it would be a fair assumption that CDTs that are CBB aestivate as well...yes? A lot of CBB species that should hibernate don't go through the ritualistic behaviors. So that has me thinking they aestivate...thanks for bringing it up Kristina!:cool:
 

Kristina

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Dec 18, 2008
Messages
5,383
Location (City and/or State)
Cadillac, Michigan
chairman said:
I was referring to Ed's post, but I was hoping to keep his name out of the debate so as not to derail the thread...

So, Kristina, would you think that a decent way to slow down our non-hibernating tortoises might be to place them in small enclosure with an artificial burrow with about 6-8" of clay above them, and heat the entire surface area to about 130*? Monitoring the burrow temp to make sure it stays within a safe range, of course.

Actually, no, that sounds like a terrible idea, lol, for multiple reasons.

First, 6-8" is no where NEAR the depth of a tortoise burrow. Keeping the burrow in a "safe" range wouldn't do it - they still need to have a gradient. In a natural burrow, they move up for more warmth, and down to cool off.

Second, what are all the triggers for aestivation? Is heat the only trigger? Does lack of humidty, the length of daylight hours, or other factors come into play? I don't know either. For a tortoise to properly aestivate, they have to slow down, too, not just "be" underground. So, if their body isn't telling them to aestivate, and they are kept at 80's (or so) with no option to cool down further, it sounds like to me, they would just be in a hole, starving to death.

Also, what species are we talking about? Sulcatas dig burrows, so do Russians, and DT's... But, Hingebacks, Redfoots, etc. don't.
 

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
93,405
Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA
Estivation (aestivation) is what happens during the summer's too hot weather. Brumation is what happens during the winter's cold months.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top