Hibernation or lazy?

[towelie200]

Okay so it's hibernation season, Sheldon burrows down, doesn't come out, so I give him a bath he's wide awake and he eats all of his food then back in his hide. any ideas If heis trying to hibernate or not? all the lightening and temps are the same.

 

[ascott]

Not unusual for the burrowers to begin to slow some round this time...even if they are indoors. Just make way sure that your temps are good, your uv ray bulb/source is active and that every other "norm" is good...then it may just be that internal slow down...

 

[kanalomele]

Sounds pretty normal to me. After so many years i can say that some Russians insist on a slower lifestyle for awhile. I have also had ones that insist on a full brumation cycle. One of my girls loooves her brumation. Every year she is the first to go down and the last to come up.

 

[GBtortoises]

It's only "hibernation season" to a tortoise if the temperatures and light duration and intensity within it's known environment tell it so. Tortoises do not brumate (hibernate) if the temperatures and light that they're exposed to are at normal activity levels. Very briefly put, temperatures must be much lower, light duration much shorter and light intensity much less than most people would keep a tortoise at indoors. Some species, Russians being a prime example, also burrow to escape hot temperature extremes, dryness, lack of water, food and purely for self security. This happens in captivity quite often when there are changes in their environment such as recently being brought indoors, or to a new home, or added to a group of tortoises, etc...
Russians are a burrowin species and reportedly spend most of their life underground in their natural habitat. We "force" them to be top dwellers in captivity, especially indoors, with abundant heat, light, food and quite often less than suitable soil and other environmental conditions.