Horsfeld tortoise help required. Hello everyone I’m new to this site.

[Kimbo13]

Hi everyone, I am hoping someone can help me with my horsefeld tortoise.
He is a indoor tortoise and I have had him for around 5 years. This year he seems to want to hibernate and I’m really not sure what I should be doing.
Kim

 

[zolasmum]

Hi everyone, I am hoping someone can help me with my horsefeld tortoise.
He is a indoor tortoise and I have had him for around 5 years. This year he seems to want to hibernate and I’m really not sure what I should be doing.
Kim

Hello and welcome from Devon.Has your tortoise shown any signs of wanting to hibernate in previous years? Have things changed in some way in his environment?
I'm just wondering if there is any reason for him wanting to change his routine - is it possible that he is not entirely well - if that were the case, it would be a big mistake to hibernate him.
Can you describe what he is doing differently this year ?
Angie

 

[Kimbo13]

Hello and welcome from Devon.Has your tortoise shown any signs of wanting to hibernate in previous years? Have things changed in some way in his environment?
I'm just wondering if there is any reason for him wanting to change his routine - is it possible that he is not entirely well - if that were the case, it would be a big mistake to hibernate him.
Can you describe what he is doing differently this year ?
Angie

Hello and welcome from Devon.Has your tortoise shown any signs of wanting to hibernate in previous years? Have things changed in some way in his environment?
I'm just wondering if there is any reason for him wanting to change his routine - is it possible that he is not entirely well - if that were the case, it would be a big mistake to hibernate him.
Can you describe what he is doing differently this year ?
Angie

Hello and welcome from Devon.Has your tortoise shown any signs of wanting to hibernate in previous years? Have things changed in some way in his environment?
I'm just wondering if there is any reason for him wanting to change his routine - is it possible that he is not entirely well - if that were the case, it would be a big mistake to hibernate him.
Can you describe what he is doing differently this year ?
Angie

 

[Kimbo13]

Hi everyone, I am hoping someone can help me with my horsefeld tortoise.
He is a indoor tortoise and I have had him for around 5 years. This year he seems to want to hibernate and I’m really not sure what I should be doing.
Kim

Hi Angie, he has tried before but as he’s heat lamp is always on he usually comes out after a couple of days and starts eating & continues for a few days before he disappears again. The only thing I can say he has been different in, is I have a fake lifelike tortoise that he has started trying to mate.
Kim

 

[zolasmum]

Hi Angie, he has tried before but as he’s heat lamp is always on he usually comes out after a couple of days and starts eating & continues for a few days before he disappears again. The only thing I can say he has been different in, is I have a fake lifelike tortoise that he has started trying to mate.
Kim

You would think a new "girlfriend" would make him want to stay awake, wouldn't you ! I would leave him a bit longer, but maybe take the fake away, and see how he goes. But someone with more knowledge than me might have a better suggestion. I would just say that we have a Hermann's tortoise, who is 22 now,since he was a baby and he has never hibernated - he is also more or less an indoor tortoise - he is well and happy. Hibernation is not essential.
Angie

 

[SinLA]

Fake tortoise may be stressing him out and/or depressing him. I would try removing it and see if he changes...

 

[wellington]

I agree to take the fake tortoise out.
However, there are a lot of members saying the same thing right now. Russians and Hermanns, more Russians it seems want to hibernate or are slowing down right now, mine included.
Make enclosure brightly lit, temps daily 75-80 with basking 95-100 and keep night temps at 70 or a little above, warmer night temps then normal. This should help him stay up. If he still hides away, after a day or two, dig him out, give a warm soak and place in front of food.

 

[Kimbo13]

But

You would think a new "girlfriend" would make him want to stay awake, wouldn't you ! I would leave him a bit longer, but maybe take the fake away, and see how he goes. But someone with more knowledge than me might have a better suggestion. I would just say that we have a Hermann's tortoise, who is 22 now,since he was a baby and he has never hibernated - he is also more or less an indoor tortoise - he is well and happy. Hibernation is not essential.
Angie

Thank you, do you have heat lamps and basking lamps indoors? My tortoise has not ate in over a week now & is constantly in dark corners. I have since moved his home to the conservatory where it is colder as I know if hibernating thats what they need, although it should be dark, but as I had not covered it over he was shifting around, but he has today bought himself indoors & I found him under the dog bed. In a dark spot. I have now covered his home over I guess I will have to see how he goes with that.
Kim

 

[Kimbo13]

I also had noticed the change in him since the weather first started changing, it’s like he knew it was getting colder, which is when he had started to reduce his food intake, as they empty out the gut before sleeping, ( well at least I think they do ) which is what my other tortoise did, but she was a outside tortoise, and she did hibernate, sadly she got stolen.
Is there anyone else that is having the same happen with their tortoises, only I really do not know what to do other than leave him to sleep.
Kim

 

[zolasmum]

But

Thank you, do you have heat lamps and basking lamps indoors? My tortoise has not ate in over a week now & is constantly in dark corners. I have since moved his home to the conservatory where it is colder as I know if hibernating thats what they need, although it should be dark, but as I had not covered it over he was shifting around, but he has today bought himself indoors & I found him under the dog bed. In a dark spot. I have now covered his home over I guess I will have to see how he goes with that.
Kim

Zola has a conservatory (double glazed and heated,)basking lamp etc, and with an area where he has his food, and also a heated hide - and a lot of company from me and/or his dad - he does slow down a bit in the winter, but very alert mostly.
One problem about hibernating is that you want to be certain he has no undigested food in his gut - if he did go into proper hibernation, then that could obviously go bad inside him.
If you feel you ought to let him hibernate, you would have to have an insulated box, etc and somewhere to keep him at a constant temperature - there is lots of information elsewhere on this forum, I 'm sure.
But I would be inclined to just take the fake tortoise out first, and see if he is more settled.
It's difficult, isn't it.
Angie

 

[Cathie G]

I also had noticed the change in him since the weather first started changing, it’s like he knew it was getting colder, which is when he had started to reduce his food intake, as they empty out the gut before sleeping, ( well at least I think they do ) which is what my other tortoise did, but she was a outside tortoise, and she did hibernate, sadly she got stolen.
Is there anyone else that is having the same happen with their tortoises, only I really do not know what to do other than leave him to sleep.
Kim

Hello and welcome 🤗. The first thing is do you know exactly how to hibernate a Russian? If you don't then wait until you do. I've never done it. But my tortoise had shell problems when I got him 15 years ago. So I don't. I just keep doing regular care everyday. Food etc. Temps everything I don't let my little guy sleep for more than a day. But I don't keep bugging him all day either. This time of year he does this. He starts moving more around mid December. He will eat a little bit now and then until he wakes up in December.