Hibernation?

[Meg Gailey]

Lennie is a 10 month old Russian horse field and has lived with me since march. We've never had an serious problems with him, an upset stomach a few times (put that down to the tomato he gets fed on occasions). He's very active and loves to be handled and have his feet and chin tickled. However, I've been reason posts on hibernation and I'm not to sure what to do. Many say leave it for his 1st year, the man we brought him from said only hibernate him if you want him to breed. Will it do him any harm not hibernating him? Help pleaseeee

 

[Abdulla6169]

Lennie is a 10 month old Russian horse field and has lived with me since march. We've never had an serious problems with him, an upset stomach a few times (put that down to the tomato he gets fed on occasions). He's very active and loves to be handled and have his feet and chin tickled. However, I've been reason posts on hibernation and I'm not to sure what to do. Many say leave it for his 1st year, the man we brought him from said only hibernate him if you want him to breed. Will it do him any harm not hibernating him? Help pleaseeee

Welcome to TFO!
No, I wouldn't hibernate. He may be suffering from problems for the last owner. I suggest you show us enclosure pics & describe your general care. Also another no, the man is wrong. Hibernating can be done to a tortoise, it doesn't need to breed after that

 

[Tom]

Opinions will vary on this. I think species that are "programmed" to hibernate in their wild state should be hibernated in captivity too, but it needs to be done correctly and safely.

On the other hand it has been sufficiently demonstrated to me that no harm will come to them if you don't hibernate.

I will be hibernating all of my young russians this winter.

 

[Meg Gailey]

Something else you could help with. Is my lennie a lynette?

 

[Yellow Turtle01]

10 months is very young. I would wait at least couple more years, and she must have a checkup before she goes 'under'
I wouldn't hibernate, period... Just me, I know a lot of people like doing so and have a lot of sucess dong so, but I think it is very risky (I mean, health risks... like dying ) and I know hibernation is a must for breeding, but I don't so, I'm sure that there are any benefits of it... I would also miss my russian too much

 

[Yellow Turtle01]

Sorry, saw the there one. 10 months is also a little to young for gender calling! They all look like girls then

 

[144 Grandpa Turtle]

From what I've Hurd is don't do it for the first year . The first year is from birth , the first year of having the tort . And I do mine but we do not have to . Keep the tort awake if you want . and you see 4 in this pict but I have 9 RTs


Sent from my iPhone using TortForum

 

[ascott]

Waiting for a full year until you get to know the torts "normals" is a good suggestion....also, you will want to research the actual process--preparing tort all season, pre brumation, brumation and post brumation steps....some will quickly say that there is no harm in keeping a tortoise awake...however, "to me" there just is no way a simple human can say that ....there is no way to know all that happens in the entire process within the tortoise...we humans only claim to know what we know because we have a habit of labeling things by what we think we know....anyways, there are alot of opinion on this subject;

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

 

[johnsonnboswell]

In the meantime, no more tomato for him. This isn't a fruit eating species, their gut flora doesn't handle it well.

 

[puffy137]

My mother used to keep Jack the tortoise in a box of straw in the greenhouse, if it got too warm in there he would start to get restless . so she kept the heat low. That was in UK, now here in the hot desert, my adult tortoises all sleep when the cold weather eventually arrives , around December. The babies don't join their elders in the houses I have stuffed with dried grass cuttings, they wander about during the day & just go inside at night.