Hybernating Too Soon

[Kamakazie]

Hi,

We've had a Russian Tortoise for about 3 months now. He is happily outside in a large enclosure. It's been warm here in Texas, so we were feeding as normal, but then then the weather changed suddenly. Our tortoise went into hybernation yesterday (asleep in a hide, and wouldn't wake up). I've read that they should not eat for 2 weeks before hybernating, but I know he all last week. What should we do?
1) Wake him from hybernation, by bringing him inside to warm him up. Then he'll be inside for 2 weeks, not eating, but awake so we know his stomach is empty. BUT, by the time that happens, it will be cold outside, and won't have time to gradually adjust and re-hybernate.
2) Go with the flow, and hope for the best? Soak him really good, then set him up in a hibernating box. And just watch him carefully?
3) Something else, I haven't thought of?

thanks!

 

[RosemaryDW]

Welcome! We’re glad you’re here!

I see from your other post that you’ve done your homework here, preparing your enclosure. But we haven’t seen it yet. Can you provide some pictures? Either here or in your welcome post/thread.

How long since the weather changed? If your tortoise was active and eating all last week it’s unlikely he suddenly decided to hibernate. He may be slowing down and coming up and down occasionally. He’ll move less often and eat less for some time, including not getting up the occasional day.

Last year our weather changed and became consistently cloudy a month earlier than usual. Our tortoise also hibernated a month earlier than usual but not without winding (no evidence of food going in or out) for her normal two to three weeks. This year we are having very warm weather and she’s staying up much longer than usual (which is making me as nuts as when she went down early last year, just so you know).

I’ve got an outdoor tortoise and feel strongly she needs to be hibernated (safely, in a fridge). But I had a year to get ready for it the first time. I don’t normally suggest this for outdoor tortoises but you are a new enough owner that you should consider setting him up an adequate enclosure and keeping him up over the winter. Most members here are going to tell you the same thing; a new tortoise should not be hibernated their first year.

I know this will probably be a bummer; you’ve done so much planning.

 

[Kamakazie]

 

[Kamakazie]

Welcome! We’re glad you’re here!

I see from your other post that you’ve done your homework here, preparing your enclosure. But we haven’t seen it yet. Can you provide some pictures? Either here or in your welcome post/thread.

How long since the weather changed? If your tortoise was active and eating all last week it’s unlikely he suddenly decided to hibernate. He may be slowing down and coming up and down occasionally. He’ll move less often and eat less for some time, including not getting up the occasional day.

Last year our weather changed and became consistently cloudy a month earlier than usual. Our tortoise also hibernated a month earlier than usual but not without winding (no evidence of food going in or out) for her normal two to three weeks. This year we are having very warm weather and she’s staying up much longer than usual (which is making me as nuts as when she went down early last year, just so you know).

I’ve got an outdoor tortoise and feel strongly she needs to be hibernated (safely, in a fridge). But I had a year to get ready for it the first time. I don’t normally suggest this for outdoor tortoises but you are a new enough owner that you should consider setting him up an adequate enclosure and keeping him up over the winter. Most members here are going to tell you the same thing; a new tortoise should not be hibernated their first year.

I know this will probably be a bummer; you’ve done so much planning.

Hi Rosemary,
I posted pictures of our enclosure below. We have a sunny side and a shady side. We checked Kamakazie today, and he is alive, but totally out of it, as in won't wake up. His head is in his shell, but his four legs are sticking out and he feels cool to the touch. He chose to hibernate in the sunny side of the enclosure, inside the stone house that we had built. But I took him out of there because it has a draft, and put him in an upsidedown styrofoam cooler , with a small door cut in and put him in there so he'll be warmer and no drafts. It'll be down to 35 tonight. So now what do you think ... my son wants to bring him in tonight and warm him up / wake him up ... will that even work?

 

[RosemaryDW]

Beautiful enclosure.

I would not leave my Russian out at 35 degrees. That said, since he’s cold blooded, the styrofoam isn’t going to keep him warm; he needs external heat.

I do not want you to freak out; tortoises do all kinds of nutty things, but I have never seen my Russian hibernating with her head in and legs out. In hibernation she’s basically a rock, everything in.

I would bring him in and keep him somewhere about fifty degrees tonight if you can. I hope we hear from more experienced owners soon, but in my opinion you need to make a decision to let him be outside as is or bring him in and overwinter inside. You can’t bring him up and down for the next two weeks while the weather changes and/or he empties his gut.

Where Is he supposed to hibernate when it gets colder than 35 degrees? Russians can take the cold but I’d want my Russian buried far down in that kind of weather, not a foot or two deep in an enclosure. We try to keep ours between 38 and 42.

Again, not trying to freak you out; I remember very well what it felt like to wonder what was the best thing to do with a tortoise we’d just found on the street, in rainy weather.

 

[Kamakazie]

Thanks for your reply ... I'm not a freak out sort of person, so no need to worry.

We brought him in last night ... he was indeed hibernating, with his head in, and four feet out. We put him inside in a room temperature bath in front of the fire. He woke up, after about an hour. And defecated in the water ... goody! Then we put him in a temperary enclosure.... An aquarium, with the sides blacked out, and pine shavings for bedding, and a small hide... not the best, but good enough for him to spend the night comfortably.

I think we fast for two weeks, then set him up to hibernate in the garage fridge ... we really don't have a set up for him to spend the winter indoors.

 

[Clementine's Keeper]

Hi Kamakazie, I am also in Texas and trying to figure out what's best for little Clementine. She loved being outside all summer. I started bringing her inside at night at the start of November, and 2 weeks ago had to bring her inside permentaly. Too cold. Having said that, yesterday I put her outside for a few hours. Right now, she has days where she barely eats or moves and then a day when she'll come out and charge around. I don't want to take the risk of hibernation as shes quite small and will keep her awake, but I do feel like I am fighting nature. I'm trying not to panic that she's hardly eating and plan on putting her outside whenever we get a hot day. Do let me know how you get on and what you decide to do!