Hibernation

[tsemiller]

Anyone with horsefields who does not hibernate? Trying to weigh up the pros and cons before deciding whether our wee one hibernates or stays awake for winter. To be honest, terrified I get it wrong and kill the wee guy!! Is it worth taking the risk??

 

[144 Grandpa Turtle]

You don't need to hibernate your Russians or any tort unless your going to breed them . And if the tort was sick or less then 1 yr old DONT hibernate any tort .


Sent from my iPhone using TortForum

 

[leigti]

I personally do not think that it is worth it.

 

[144 Grandpa Turtle]

I didn't say it was but if your not breeding them don't hibernate the torts !


Sent from my iPhone using TortForum

 

[leigti]

I'm sorry for the miss understanding grandpa turtle, I meant that I do not think it is worth the risk to hibernate your pet Russian tortoise. I don't know anything about breeding tortoises.

 

[johnsonnboswell]

Some people are able to breed them even without hibernation.

 

[tsemiller]

Our tortoise is about 18 months old. Been reading up on hibernation but still not convinced either way!! Some people feel very strongly that they should hibernate as they would in the wild, others say it doesn't matter if you don't. SeSeems like a very complicated process and not sure I'm willing to take the chance - my kids would be devastated if he died! Might see what the vets opinion is - he specialises in reptiles and really knows his stuff.

 

[WillTort2]

I have not hibernated my 4 Russians and they seem to do just fine. I do keep my timers set for 14 hour days all year round.

Good luck.

 

[ascott]

The process of supporting brumation is not complicated...it is rather regimented (this is of course once you have had the tortoise for a while and are certain of their personality and such--this way you can help to assure the soundness of the tortoise before that time of year).

Problem that I see is that when folks do not study the before/during/after steps of the entire process ....in my opinion, they are a little freaked out about the whole thought....(heck, I have done it a time or two and still will always say a kind word and a quiet prayer for their safe rest). In my opinion, it is essential to allow a species that is designed to brumate, to do just that. I mean, if you do not want to encounter the issue of brumation, there are a ton of species of tortoise that do not brumate...you know what I mean?

Just for a broader sense of opinions;

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/is-hibernation-absolutely-required.38255/

In my opinion, to not allow an animal to live out its life full circle is just odd to me....now, there will be folks who are worried the tort will die as a result of brumation or during brumation---well, we all eventually die as a result of life----I would imagine living as close to the way we were designed would be the best....again, that is simply my view.

Also, please know that whenever you mention this type of topic---you will get a bunch of opinions as well as some sarcastic comments...so please do try to weed through those and gather all of the information you can that will allow you to then make a more educated/practical choice...

 

[tsemiller]

Think I'll carry on doing as much research as I can and will then see if I notice any changes in his eating and behaviour as winter approaches. Will make sure I learn as much as possible in case he shows any signs of wanting/needing to sleep through winter. Good to hear everyone's opinions.

 

[akbecker]

Hey there - I just wanted to give you some encouragement to hibernate. I've only been at this for a little over a year, and when I adopted from my humane society, they highly encouraged hibernation, so I did it. It was a little nerve racking at first. But I got a small soda fridge I dedicated to them, I have three - two Russians and a Greek. I did a lot of research, got the temps set, their boxes ready and they did great! I left them outside until the beginning of October, so they naturally were getting ready to hibernate. One was already buried 10 inches down and ready for it. I used the refrigerator, because as you will find with research, its nice to know exactly where they are, be able to check the temps, and to be able to weigh them.

Of the three, one only hibernated for maybe 2 months. Since I did weekly weigh ins I noticed he seemed to be losing too much weight. I took him out, soaked him, got him into his stable indoor enclosure, and he's done great. The other two hibernated from mid-October through the very beginning of February! [although I'll tell you now, there is A LOT of debate as to how long to hibernate, you will have to determine that for yourself. I aimed for about 4 months, and I like I said, two of them did just that.] I don't plan on breeding, I hibernate because its a part of their natural life cycle.

My favorite part about hibernation - I don't have to buy food! I buy organic spring mix and greens during the winter (for my leopard and then from February-May until the Russians can go back outside) and grow the grazing mix, but its still a pain and costly. Hibernation is a lot easier than it appears. If your guy is not a yearling, and healthy, and you do weekly weigh ins and have steady temps - you are not going to kill your Russian.

This site has a lot of good info, and then I really liked the step-by-step at http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/Refrigerator.htm He tells you how to take them out of hibernation, which I felt some of the other websites with "how-to-hibernate" kind of were lacking. He talks about things to look for after hibernation and the importance of sunshine/light, heat, and soakings to get them "back up and running properly," if you will. He's got great pics and talks about different substrates for different species depending on humidity requirements.

 

[Teacup]

I don't have a strong opinion either way. My plan is to see what my tortoise wants to do when winter starts rolling around. I had a bearded dragon for 10 years and that is a species that also brumates (though their temps can't go as low as a tortoise). She brumated most years but occasionally she would skip a winter, or just slow down and sleep more without going down hard.

Higgins is my first tortoise so I plan to wait and see how he behaves. If he seems to be preparing to go down, I'll make sure I have a plan for him to brumate. IME, once an animal starts the process, it's difficult to get them to change their mind, so to speak.

 

[lynnedit]

Anyone with horsefields who does not hibernate? Trying to weigh up the pros and cons before deciding whether our wee one hibernates or stays awake for winter. To be honest, terrified I get it wrong and kill the wee guy!! Is it worth taking the risk??

Ascott's (Angela's) advice is very good, especially the part about opinions. Everyone has a strong opinion about hibernation/brumation. Sort through it and decide what works for you. There is not a right or wrong way to overwinter a tortoise.

Teacup also makes a good point. Watch and learn about your tortoise. You don't have to hibernate the tortoise, but if they seem to want to, you can, if you research it like akbecker did.

FYI, mine are outside 24/7/365 with the help of a cold frame and greenhouse. So they wind down. Since they were all healthy and at excellent weights, mine all hibernated last winter. I do think some tortoises have a stronger urge to hibernate than others.

 

[tsemiller]

Thanks for the advice. I live in Scotland so not possible to keep him outside all the time. - far too cold lol. During the summer he is outside as much as possible but winter is just too cold and wet. Will just keep an eye on him for any signs of slowing down nearer winter - appreciate everyone's advice xxx