Hibernation problems? Help please!!!

[Rocky-the-tort]

Hi there
This year, due to my exams being so stressful and myself being in bad health, I entrusted the responsibility of winding down my tortoise to my parents.
They put her in late, around December, and weighed her at this time (they didn't weigh her before they wound her down which I wasn't aware of and expected them to do) and she weighed around 599 grams.
She weighed 597 grams in January and they then (trust me I wish I knew this) missed the weigh in for the start of Febrary and only weighed her this week to which she showed 582 grams.

I'm very concerned at her sudden loss of weight and I would love anyone else's opinion. She is my baby and I only want to do the best for her. If anyone could reply with more experience I would be very appreciative.

 

[mark1]

if your doubtful of her health you could always wake her up

 

[Yvonne G]

I"ve never messed with mine once they're in their brumation place, so I have no experience with weight loss during brumation. But, like Mark, I would wake her up and set her up indoors if you're worried about her.

This means a large enclosure with heat and lights, a regular indoor enclosure, until the weather is warm enough for her to go back outside.

 

[KarenSoCal]

Hi there
This year, due to my exams being so stressful and myself being in bad health, I entrusted the responsibility of winding down my tortoise to my parents.
They put her in late, around December, and weighed her at this time (they didn't weigh her before they wound her down which I wasn't aware of and expected them to do) and she weighed around 599 grams.
She weighed 597 grams in January and they then (trust me I wish I knew this) missed the weigh in for the start of Febrary and only weighed her this week to which she showed 582 grams.

I'm very concerned at her sudden loss of weight and I would love anyone else's opinion. She is my baby and I only want to do the best for her. If anyone could reply with more experience I would be very appreciative.

These are my thoughts on this. I have no science to back it up, but here goes.

She's been in brumation for more than 2 months, so loss of water is starting to cut down her weight.

I remember reading somewhere that a tortoise should lose no more than 10% of it's weight during brumation. So if yours was 600 gms, she could lose 60 gms before she wakes. She has only lost 18 gms, so she is well within those parameters.

What I would do is get her out of her sleeping spot, and just let her lay on your chest for a few minutes. She should wake enough to partially stick her head out of her shell. Take a good look...are both eyes open? Do her eyes appear sunken in? Although very slow, does she seem to be moving normally? Does it look like she pooped or peed in her container? Peeing is more serious than pooping.

I can get mine out, weigh, and do a visual inspection in 5 minutes. I put him back in his pan, and back into his fridge. I don't think he even knows it happened.

If she has not peed, if her eyes look good and she is responding slowly but surely, she should be fine. Put her back to bed.