Is it time noe to stop feeding

[LadyV]

She isn't eating much lately and our temps here in Northern AZ are beginning to drop, even during the day 64/37 tomorrow and Friday 51/21...I think it's time to put her in her hibernation box yes? She has a really good bowel movement yesterday in her soak.......

 

[Irwin4530]

i dont know the answer to this because I dont hibernate my Russians....but I am very interested to see what others say!
Have you hibernated her before?

 

[kanalomele]

Yes she could tolerate those temps. I would bring her in and soak her for a few days. You would be amazed at howm how much poop they can continue to pass even if they are not eating. An empty bowel and a full bladder is my brumating rule.

 

[kathyth]

I am in Los Angeles and just tucked mine away yesterday.
She had not come out for three days.
Good luck!

 

[Irwin4530]

Yes she could tolerate those temps. I would bring her in and soak her for a few days. You would be amazed at howm how much poop they can continue to pass even if they are not eating. An empty bowel and a full bladder is my brumating rule.

What temps are appropriate and what sort of "set up" do you use? I have heard of refrigerators being used (to maintain constAnt temps) but have no experience with outdoors or otherwise with Russians.

Before I had proper outdoor enclosures I put my boxers in earth/leaf filled tubs in the basement.....would that work?
I am asking for next year of course ....I am not knowledgable enough or prepared enough for this year !!

 

[icenine]

hey gang, related question, how long is too long to withhold food? Don't flame either because I'm following care sheets for hibernation, he's being kept indoor for the first time since I've had him in 12 years with no option for outdoor.
I probably haven't fed in a few weeks now. He's been doing the sluggish slow-down thing for like 2 months now and I've been soaking and he STILL had a bowel movement yesterday (despite no food for a pretty long time). I'm worried I'm just starving him and I even had him in a hibernation box for a bit and he'd move some nights so I put him back in the enclosure for the time being. How long is too long? He still drinks, pees and poops but I don't wanna kill him just because he isn't hibernating yet (weather here will get cold for a few days then back to 78 and sunny ... it's freakin' November! >_<)

For the record he overall LOOKS pretty much normal and his behavior is as it was when I was feeding him before, too. I'll probably get food tomorrow or Saturday and feed him for a week or two again, small amounts but enough to keep me from feeling awful. Then do soaks every other day as the temperature SHOULD presumably wind down. I need him to hibernate before I go home for a month because I can't take him with me ._.

 

[CactusVinnie]

Not necessarily now- but even if not right now, it is a matter of only a week or two, no more! You are still feeding her, or she just eats weeds from her enclosure? How consistent were the urates- fluid or gritty?
Is she still basking, despite the cold? If so, let her enter hibernation by herself, you just digg her up when she will not emerge anymore
If not eating for at least 2-3 weeks, she should be ok. Just a bite once every few days is not dangerous, I saw that in my Iberas only 2 days before final burrowing.
An important meal that remains undigested, that's a problem and it needs 2-4 weeks to be fully digested and leaving the stomach empty. In the gut, part of that last meal, mainly just a bunch of fibers, will be not even harmless, but maybe useful.

---

Icenine,

Sorry to be abrupt, but when you say "haven't fed in a few weeks" (how many, specifically??), and no weighings, no information about enclosure, temperature and light decreasing schedule, where will be hibernated etc., it seems to me that you just wait for things to happen for you, and not very mathematical when approaching such an important thing as hibernation... and waiting in that way, I'm affraid they will not be good things for your tortoise.

Why on earth didn't you open a topic and ask, instead of reading God knows what kind of "care shits"? Or if those caresheets were correct, then... sorry, but you can be blamed for lacking serious interest in finding what's about... waiting "a few weeks" and then feeding again... words like "probably" and such are not ok at this time of the year...

They are quite hardy, but if warm they do lose weight when fasting. Healthy animals can hibernate even underweight, but it is in COLD, 3-7*C, wich preserves them at almost the same weight for months! Warmth will burn them out!

Here is a type of a general scheme for preparing a tortoise for hibernation- please let me know what you did until now, with "cronology". If not remembering exactly, just try to compare what you did to this schedule and let me know.
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/post-563330.html#pid563330

 

[LadyV]

Yeah, it's getting down to 17 on Sunday.....I am filling her box with Bed-A-beast and dirt it's a big box and i have duct taped the sides up so I can fill it and she dig as far as wants. I've had her about 5 years, and she has hibernated about 3 of those years...once because she got out an I thought I'd never see her again......cried for three days...comes spring she came crawling up from that far back of the yard....I now have a very small house as it's just hubby and I.....so she will be in his shed where he as all his Flight Sims and so forth...one side is "fairly" warm, he still wear warm clothes and the other side is much colder but not as cold as outside and it's all good and dry and we can keep a check on her, I have been putting her out during the day and bringing her in at night.......something cute to tell you last night hubby was holding her, and she kept crawling up to his beard and stretching her neck out and scratching her hear and neck with his beard........during the simmer...she follows me around the yard....she's such a sweetie. How many more soaks before putting her in winter box? How long should I be soaking? I usually soak about 15 minutes

 

[icenine]

---

Icenine,

Sorry to be abrupt, but when you say "haven't fed in a few weeks" (how many, specifically??), and no weighings, no information about enclosure, temperature and light decreasing schedule, where will be hibernated etc., it seems to me that you just wait for things to happen for you, and not very mathematical when approaching such an important thing as hibernation... and waiting in that way, I'm affraid they will not be good things for your tortoise.

Why on earth didn't you open a topic and ask, instead of reading God knows what kind of "care shits"? Or if those caresheets were correct, then... sorry, but you can be blamed for lacking serious interest in finding what's about... waiting "a few weeks" and then feeding again... words like "probably" and such are not ok at this time of the year...

They are quite hardy, but if warm they do lose weight when fasting. Healthy animals can hibernate even underweight, but it is in COLD, 3-7*C, wich preserves them at almost the same weight for months! Warmth will burn them out!

Here is a type of a general scheme for preparing a tortoise for hibernation- please let me know what you did until now, with "cronology". If not remembering exactly, just try to compare what you did to this schedule and let me know.
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/post-563330.html#pid563330

---

I did post a thread, I didn't get many helpful responses other than one that told me to feed a bit longer, withhold, then lower temps, which I did but he stayed active. Anyway I fed him again I'll wean him back on and off food for the next few weeks. The reason I don't particularly like coming for questions on this forum is because I constantly get patronized like this, everyone insists on implying to me how much of a terrible idiot I am for ______ thing when I'm clearly trying to ask questions because I haven't kept my tortoise indoors before in over a decade. Yet i ask questions and get patronized. Really makes it inviting to ask more questions and be told by more people that I do everything wrong no matter what

 

[CactusVinnie]

Well, Ice, it is not patronsing, at least from me... but you really let some important factors to just happen, and that will always bring some criticism- it is justified, not patronising, since some mistakes can be dangerous, and a slightly abrupt tone just means "be more careful!", with all good intentions.
I- and not only- will be here, and glad to help.

 

[lynnedit]

How many more soaks before putting her in winter box? How long should I be soaking? I usually soak about 15 minutes

How long has it been since she had anything to eat? If 3-4 weeks, and she has been soaked regularly for 2 weeks, and is burrowing a lot, then it is probably time. However, since she had another bowel movement in the water 1-2d ago, then you probably want to wind her down for 1-2 weeks more with soaks and low heat, no lights or stimulation.