Hibernation Question

AraBlu

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Aug 21, 2014
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Mesa, AZ
Okay, I took advice from this forum and I made my two yearlings hide areas deeper, now I need some help with hibernation... Do they need a tight area to hibernate in? Do they burrow and if so, how far? I have noticed that they are not eating as much and they are slowing down, from what I have read here, that seems to be the normal pattern. The substrate we have gets fairly solid, should I loosen it up?

Again, I appreciate all assistance. Thanks!
 

TigsMom

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It is not recommended to hibernate/brumate newly acquired tortoises and also not recommended to allow them to hibernate at young ages. They need to have their health and weight built up and be able to withstand the 4 or 5 months of brumation here in Arizona. Most keepers don't begin to allow hibernation or brumation until the desert tortoises are at the very least 2 or 3 years of age.

In order to not allow them to hibernate you'll need to set up an indoor tortoise table or enclosure with proper lighting and heat. You'd better get their indoor habitat set up fairly quickly as our temperatures outside are dropping and already sending our tortoises into the stages of preparation for brumation. My adult DT's are eating less, drinking more water and spending less time outside their burrows as the evening and morning temps are cooling down. Seeing more posts now of the high desert areas already having their tortoises begin brumation.

This care sheet will hopefully give you more information on the care of desert tortoises: http://www.tortoise.org/general/descare.html

Best wishes for great success with your new yearlings.
 

AraBlu

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Aug 21, 2014
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Location (City and/or State)
Mesa, AZ
It is not recommended to hibernate/brumate newly acquired tortoises and also not recommended to allow them to hibernate at young ages. They need to have their health and weight built up and be able to withstand the 4 or 5 months of brumation here in Arizona. Most keepers don't begin to allow hibernation or brumation until the desert tortoises are at the very least 2 or 3 years of age.

In order to not allow them to hibernate you'll need to set up an indoor tortoise table or enclosure with proper lighting and heat. You'd better get their indoor habitat set up fairly quickly as our temperatures outside are dropping and already sending our tortoises into the stages of preparation for brumation. My adult DT's are eating less, drinking more water and spending less time outside their burrows as the evening and morning temps are cooling down. Seeing more posts now of the high desert areas already having their tortoises begin brumation.

This care sheet will hopefully give you more information on the care of desert tortoises: http://www.tortoise.org/general/descare.html

Best wishes for great success with your new yearlings.

Thank you!! Thank you! Thank you! I really appreciate your help! Since these are about two, I may try to hibernate them, I assume they would be doing so in the wild. One of them is already burrowing in the evening, I just need to find an appropriate space to allow them to do so, I am thinking I may put them in a shed but I am afraid of temps in it so another option needs to be found, our garage tends to run warm and we use fans to keep it cool.

They have cut down on their food intake and I have been soaking them every other day. I am wondering if I can use a styrofoam cooler as the out shell of the box in a box method. Opinion? When temps drop in the 60s at night what is the allowable day time temp? We're still seeing 80s.

Again, thank you!!!!
 

ascott

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Thank you!! Thank you! Thank you! I really appreciate your help! Since these are about two, I may try to hibernate them, I assume they would be doing so in the wild. One of them is already burrowing in the evening, I just need to find an appropriate space to allow them to do so, I am thinking I may put them in a shed but I am afraid of temps in it so another option needs to be found, our garage tends to run warm and we use fans to keep it cool.

They have cut down on their food intake and I have been soaking them every other day. I am wondering if I can use a styrofoam cooler as the out shell of the box in a box method. Opinion? When temps drop in the 60s at night what is the allowable day time temp? We're still seeing 80s.

Again, thank you!!!!

How long have you had the torts? Also, if they are young you can do a shorter brumation for them as an option...
 

AraBlu

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Mesa, AZ
I have had them for roughly 6 months, they have been doing very well. They have been eating greens but have been hesitant to try pumpkin, squash, zucchini, etc. The greens I have been giving them are Chard, Kale, Green lettuce, red lettuce, cilantro, romaine. I have tried sweet potato but have had no luck with it. I know the consensus seems to be stay away from fruits so I have been trying to offer vegetable matter instead. They have kept outdoors since they were hatched and as I mentioned previously, they are hybrids between Sonoran and Texas.

How long would you recommend if I went with a shorter hibernation?

Again, thanks!

Bob
 

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ascott

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10 Year Member!
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Apple Valley, California
I have had them for roughly 6 months, they have been doing very well. They have been eating greens but have been hesitant to try pumpkin, squash, zucchini, etc. The greens I have been giving them are Chard, Kale, Green lettuce, red lettuce, cilantro, romaine. I have tried sweet potato but have had no luck with it. I know the consensus seems to be stay away from fruits so I have been trying to offer vegetable matter instead. They have kept outdoors since they were hatched and as I mentioned previously, they are hybrids between Sonoran and Texas.

How long would you recommend if I went with a shorter hibernation?

Again, thanks!

Bob

The greens you are feeding are good....pumpkin sometimes is not taken to so don't worry about that..you can try to cook it a little so it softens up some and try again..same with the sweet potato ...but not alot of that too often...since you have had them for less than a year..I would try to overwinter them and continue to try to keep them up and eating and drinking and get them strong for next winter...if they should disagree with that and they begin to brumate anyway..then you can do a wind down for a couple of weeks..and them set them up for about a four to six week rest...but I would really try avoiding that way if at all possible...it is very important to get to know them during the first year...this way you are able to quickly spot any changes in them later to assure they are well...
 

AraBlu

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Mesa, AZ
The greens you are feeding are good....pumpkin sometimes is not taken to so don't worry about that..you can try to cook it a little so it softens up some and try again..same with the sweet potato ...but not alot of that too often...since you have had them for less than a year..I would try to overwinter them and continue to try to keep them up and eating and drinking and get them strong for next winter...if they should disagree with that and they begin to brumate anyway..then you can do a wind down for a couple of weeks..and them set them up for about a four to six week rest...but I would really try avoiding that way if at all possible...it is very important to get to know them during the first year...this way you are able to quickly spot any changes in them later to assure they are well...

I have been steaming the pumpkin and baking the sweet potato, I have avian diet experience so I have been adapting that to meet their needs. I have also been wanting to add papaya to their diet; opinion? Given their size, approximately 5-6 inches what size box would you recommend? I have limited space in my home. Again, thank you, I appreciate your input a great deal!
 

Tom

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Grocery store stuff is really not the best. You should be growing or finding weeds, leaves, grasses and succulents. I wrote this for sulcatas, but the same foods are good for DTs too, just less emphasis on grass. I would not offer any fruit. They don't need it and its not good for them.
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/

The problem with hibernating them in our type of climate is that the winter cold spells are too cold, and the winter hot spells are too hot. In the wild they would be deep underground and would not feel these variations. In our sheds and garages, the seasonal variation is too much. I have used old refrigerators or chest freezers that are unplugged and not operation to give insulation against these temperature extremes and that has worked. I think a better option is to use an operating fridge and set the temperature to about 45-50 F.

I like to stop feeding them for about two weeks prior to hibernation, and soak them daily. This is to empty them out. You don't want them hibernating with any food in their gut. Then I wake them up gradually after hibernation and soak them daily again for a couple of weeks to hydrate them and help clear out their systems. 6 weeks is good for young first time hibernators. 12 weeks wouldn't hurt them though if done correctly.
 

AraBlu

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Mesa, AZ
Okay, another question. Our daytime highs are still in the 80s and 90s, our nightime lows are getting in the 60s and 70s, they have been cutting back on their food intake and have been burrowing in the substrate in their hide box. When will I know to start the hibernation process? We have no areas around our home that stay at 50° or below. Do I start inducing the process by cutting back food and soaking more frequently? Again, thank you for all your input, I have had Redfoots in the past but this is a whole different process.

Bob

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