Hibernation or not!

[Peach]

Evening guys and ladies, there has been a huge argument on Facebook over tortoises an hibernation, I put it as I'm worried about hibernating Boycina, all of a sudden I'm being told tortoises do not need hibernating and the only reason they do is lack of food, heat and light.
I have done research and I have found hibernating them is good for them.
What are everyone opinion on this matter. I feel I'm gonna still hibernate my princess no matter how much I will worry.

 

[G-stars]

Evening guys and ladies, there has been a huge argument on Facebook over tortoises an hibernation, I put it as I'm worried about hibernating Boycina, all of a sudden I'm being told tortoises do not need hibernating and the only reason they do is lack of food, heat and light.
I have done research and I have found hibernating them is good for them.
What are everyone opinion on this matter. I feel I'm gonna still hibernate my princess no matter how much I will worry.

Those are the reasons almost all animals hibernate. However is it beneficial to the animal to hibernate? Or not? I am not an expert nor do I pretend to be, but (just using my common sense on this) I choose to hibernate if the animal is healthy enough. After all it's what they would do in the wild. Most animals that do hibernate and even those that don't slow down during winter anyhow.

Having said all that, it's your personal choice. I don't see why it should be a huge argument. Both sides have good points. But (I'm assuming here) most people don't know much about biology, especially tortoise biology to take a sound approach to this. They are reptiles not mammals.

 

[wellington]

I don't hibernate my Russian. Just not confident enough yet to do it.
If you have had your tort for at least a year, so you know he is healthy, then hibernate if you want to. Mine does slow some. It doesn't seem to effect them if you don't, at least not that I have been able to see, and he was already older when I got him and I'm quite confident they old owners did hibernate either.

 

[ascott]

Evening guys and ladies, there has been a huge argument on Facebook over tortoises an hibernation, I put it as I'm worried about hibernating Boycina, all of a sudden I'm being told tortoises do not need hibernating and the only reason they do is lack of food, heat and light.
I have done research and I have found hibernating them is good for them.
What are everyone opinion on this matter. I feel I'm gonna still hibernate my princess no matter how much I will worry.

If you have a tortoise species that would naturally brumate, in my opinion, then supporting that part of its life cycle is a good thing.

 

[WithLisa]

the only reason they do is lack of food, heat and light.

The only reason tortoises sleep at night is lack of light, but no one recommends to keep the lights on 24/7.
They have evolved to live with a circadian rhythm as well as a circannual rhythm (including brumation). Maybe they can survive without it, but in my opinion it's not a good idea to meddle with their natural biorhythms.

 

[Gillian M]

I too would not make an issue of it. Oli used to hibernate when I first bought him. At a later stage he stopped hibernating; I guess due to the fact that temperature in the flat is obviously much higher than it is outdoors. There's a central heating system, an electric heater, and of course his light in his enclosure.

 

[Tom]

If an animal hibernates in its natural habitat, I think that we should simulate that carefully and thoughtfully in captivity.

Most people that are afraid of it are afraid due to ignorance, or due to hearing horror stories of dead tortoises from people who didn't do it right. In some people's minds it is this mystical, untenable, un-understandable thing, and this just could not be farther from the truth. I've been hibernating all sorts of reptiles for decades in all manner of ways, and only had a problem one time because I deviated from my normal common sense routine on the advice of someone who is very knowledgable, but from a totally different climate and environment. I learned that what works outdoor for tegus in Alabama, does not work outdoors for tegus in SoCal. I learned from my mistake and have had many successful years of tegu hibernation since then. In all my years, I have never had one single issue with hibernating a tortoise.

I don't fault people for being afraid of what they don't know, but my concern is what is best for the animal and I think letting hibernating species hibernate is what is "best" for them.

One other note: They do NOT hibernate only as a response to the temp dropping and light cycles getting shorter. Even CB babies in their first year respond to the changing seasons outdoors and they slow way down on appetite and activity. Most temperate species will try to go into hibernation in fall regardless of indoor conditions. At least all of mine do, despite the times I turn up the heat add lights and run the lights for 13-14 hours a day. Their bodies are still telling them to hibernate. I can keep them up, but it takes great effort and it takes time to "snap them out of it". I don't see any reason to fight it. Just let them do what comes naturally, but help them to do it safely in our artificial, foreign environments.

 

[ascott]

If an animal hibernates in its natural habitat, I think that we should simulate that carefully and thoughtfully in captivity.

Most people that are afraid of it are afraid due to ignorance, or due to hearing horror stories of dead tortoises from people who didn't do it right. In some people's minds it is this mystical, untenable, un-understandable thing, and this just could not be farther from the truth. I've been hibernating all sorts of reptiles for decades in all manner of ways, and only had a problem one time because I deviated from my normal common sense routine on the advice of someone who is very knowledgable, but from a totally different climate and environment. I learned that what works outdoor for tegus in Alabama, does not work outdoors for tegus in SoCal. I learned from my mistake and have had many successful years of tegu hibernation since then. In all my years, I have never had one single issue with hibernating a tortoise.

I don't fault people for being afraid of what they don't know, but my concern is what is best for the animal and I think letting hibernating species hibernate is what is "best" for them.

One other note: They do NOT hibernate only as a response to the temp dropping and light cycles getting shorter. Even CB babies in their first year respond to the changing seasons outdoors and they slow way down on appetite and activity. Most temperate species will try to go into hibernation in fall regardless of indoor conditions. At least all of mine do, despite the times I turn up the heat add lights and run the lights for 13-14 hours a day. Their bodies are still telling them to hibernate. I can keep them up, but it takes great effort and it takes time to "snap them out of it". I don't see any reason to fight it. Just let them do what comes naturally, but help them to do it safely in our artificial, foreign environments.

Absolutely 100 % agree...