Hibernation

[themacfile]

Hi,

I need to know how long a tortoise needs to go through a fasting period at the different ages and also the different places it could hibernate in, the fridgeoption is not applicable

Please be very specific,

Thanks,
tobes.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Tobes:

Towards the beginning of Autumn a tortoise will stop eating on his own. He cleans out his stomach and digestive tract so it will be totally empty during hibernation (otherwise food rots in there). It varies between a couple of weeks to a month or so. The tortoises know what to do and when to do it. My hibernating desert tortoises live outside and their shelter is dry, so once they are ready to stay inside I pack dry leaves all around them and block their door. My hibernating Russian tortoises don't have a dry outdoor shelter, so I have to box them up. I put a whole Sunday newspaper on the floor of a cardboard box (the Sunday paper, folded in half, is about an inch and a half thick). I place the tortoises on the paper then fill the rest of the box with shredded newspaper. I have one or two that don't get along with the others, so they have to be boxed up separately. I place the boxes in an unplugged chest-type freezer that is in an old vacant house on the back of my property, but an unused bedroom closet would work just as well.

You can do some research on this subject by typing "hibernation" in one of the search boxes shown at the top of each page here on the Forum. Many different opinions and methods, and none right or wrong.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Some people, including me, don't hibernate their tortoises when they are young to avoid any risk.
Tidgy has lived through 4 winters with me without hibernating.
When she starts showing signs of droopiness or loss of appetite I increase the temperature's for a while and offer her tasty treats she can't resist.
After a couple of weeks, she returns to normal.
I may hibernate her this year, but I know of some owners who never hibernate their tortoises with no ill effects.
Tidgy is a Greek, I'm not sure about other species.

 

[tglazie]

Yvonne's non-fridge option is the best of the non-fridge options. However, this also depends upon where you live. Here in south Texas, the temps during winter are anything but stable. I've seen the nights freeze as early as October here, and I've seen warm spells into the lower eighties in the middle of December, with potential freezes occurring as late as April. The fact of the matter is that if you live in an area that experiences warmer temps throughout the year, non-fridge hibernation is simply not an option. If you live in a more northerly locale, then so long as you can provide temperature stability, hibernation is generally not a problem. I generally fast my largest beasts for three weeks before putting them into the fridge, with daily soaks to encourage evacuation of their bowels. For juveniles, two weeks is generally fine. I don't hibernate hatchlings, though they certainly hibernate in the wild, but I simply never felt comfortable with it.

T.G.

 

[Tom]

Hi,
I need to know how long a tortoise needs to go through a fasting period at the different ages and also the different places it could hibernate in, the fridge option is not applicable

Please be very specific,

I'm going to need you to be more specific before I can give specific advice.

Where are you?
What species and size tortoise(s) are we talking about?
Why is setting up a fridge not an option?

I fast my russians and DTs for 2-3 weeks while gradually reducing temperatures and lighting duration. I also soak them frequently to make sure they are well hydrated and empty of food before they go into their hibernation tubs and into the fridge. I use a fridge because winter temperatures here fluctuate wildly and its not uncommon to have periods of high 80s to low 90's in January here.

 

[themacfile]

Thankyou everyone for your advice, tom, i am living in England in the east and i have a hermanns tortoise, my wife doesnt want a tortoise in our fridge

 

[WithLisa]

my wife doesnt want a tortoise in our fridge

Of course you should not put it in your normal fridge...
I guess you open it a few times every day, that is too stressful, so you would have to get a small fridge that is used only for the tortoise.

 

[themacfile]

Thanks withlisa