Looking for an RT Hibernation "Mentor"

[Kapidolo Farms]

Hi @Tom aka pinkie, really!

Ques for hibernation start as soon as the summer solstice occurs, day length begins getting shorter. Temperature it still good but some signalling is going on with days length.

Russians, at least for some populations, have two dormant periods, a summer time evading high heat and low food availability and winter evading cold and poor food availability. Most if not all experience the later, a cold winter.

These adaptations are part of how the conduct themselves if that's what has happened all along for the individual.

If your individuals have not hibernated before there is no need to do it now. You would be providing a selection event now, that may not have been in play before. For what purpose.

It has been a few years since I've kept russians. I did not hibernate them, they bred and laid eggs off and on year round. I've not read the whole thread, the hibernation argument (intellectual debate) is old for me, I don't have a stake in it. I look at these animal through the lens of a biologist with a strong academic background in evolution. They can hibernate, they do not need to hibernate. It is a selection event.

 

[Oxalis]

Yes. I put them in Sunday night at 55F. Will start lowering it tonight. Not noticing much movement. Panic is a really good definition of how I felt putting them in there. Am confident I did everything right, so hoping for the best. It is tough to leave them alone, like I know I should. Really want to check on them, and know they are ok. I satisfy myself by obsessively checking the temp. It is holding steady.

I feel for ya! That is totally going to be me, constantly checking on my little Steve! It's always the best part of my day when I come home from work and see his sparkly little eyes and his smiling face! When I think he's smiling... ;D

 

[Tom]

Hi @Tom aka pinkie, really!

Ques for hibernation start as soon as the summer solstice occurs, day length begins getting shorter. Temperature it still good but some signalling is going on with days length.

Russians, at least for some populations, have two dormant periods, a summer time evading high heat and low food availability and winter evading cold and poor food availability. Most if not all experience the later, a cold winter.

These adaptations are part of how the conduct themselves if that's what has happened all along for the individual.

If your individuals have not hibernated before there is no need to do it now. You would be providing a selection event now, that may not have been in play before. For what purpose.

It has been a few years since I've kept russians. I did not hibernate them, they bred and laid eggs off and on year round. I've not read the whole thread, the hibernation argument (intellectual debate) is old for me, I don't have a stake in it. I look at these animal through the lens of a biologist with a strong academic background in evolution. They can hibernate, they do not need to hibernate. It is a selection event.

Thank you for the insight.

Pinkie? Maybe I'm just fried after a long few days of work, but I don't get the joke…

When I got my Argentine tegu hatchlings directly from Bert Langerwurf a few years ago, he told me that they would begin hibernation mid September regardless of temps or the weather. Right around September 15th they would go into their underground burrows and not come out again until mid-March which is, not coincidentally, exactly when Bert said they would. It didn't matter if it was 110 or 65. Mid September, they were down for the season.

 

[Oxalis]

When I got my Argentine tegu hatchlings directly from Bert Langerwurf a few years ago, he told me that they would begin hibernation mid September regardless of temps or the weather. Right around September 15th they would go into their underground burrows and not come out again until mid-March which is, not coincidentally, exactly when Bert said they would. It didn't matter if it was 110 or 65. Mid September, they were down for the season.

Woah, that's really cool! Talk about an awesome internal calendar!

 

[Tom]

Woah, that's really cool! Talk about an awesome internal calendar!

And so predictable, even in a totally different climate.

 

[Kapidolo Farms]

Thank you for the insight.

Pinkie? Maybe I'm just fried after a long few days of work, but I don't get the joke…

When I got my Argentine tegu hatchlings directly from Bert Langerwurf a few years ago, he told me that they would begin hibernation mid September regardless of temps or the weather. Right around September 15th they would go into their underground burrows and not come out again until mid-March which is, not coincidentally, exactly when Bert said they would. It didn't matter if it was 110 or 65. Mid September, they were down for the season.

Pinkie and the Brain, " what are we going to do tomorrow Brain" "we are going to have a plan to take over the world" or something like that.


Yeah, I saw Bert's set-up on one of several visits. And that follows exactly what I said, they were habituated to it from the start. If you were to take some of his and keep them in an indoor enclosure, not let them go down, and sorta forcing them to stay up, by the third or fourth year they would just stay up.

He lost some while he transitioned some to the hibernating model of husbandry too. That later in life selection event I talk about.

When I would acclimate north American natives to being outside year round from having been in captivity for many years, I would only do that if they were outside for at least a month before the summer solstice. That way they could have several weeks of lengthening day light before experiencing shortening day length. This is wisdom from Harold Carty and me talking about this very thing. http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/chelonian-history-part-ii.60804/ look at that thread number, it is half the life of TFO ago.

Anyhow day length is more important to lizards and others with that third eye.

 

[Yvonne G]

 

[Kapidolo Farms]

image broken icon when i look.

 

[Yvonne G]

image broken icon when i look.

It's just Pinky and the Brain taking over the world.

 

[Kapidolo Farms]

 

[Oxalis]

Oh no, they're taken over my hibernation thread with Pinkie and the Brain!

 

[Oxalis]

Posting the thermometers my wonderful future hubby got for me as an early Xmas gift! He said these models had good reviews and we wanted to double-check the readings of the wine cooler. We put them in and they're working great! Incidentally, our thermostat may need updating... XD

 

[Oxalis]

How is the hibernation going so far, @Jodie? I just put my Russian in and he really took some time to get comfortable. Both my boyfriend and I are pretty panicky now, constantly checking the thermometers...

 

[Jodie]

How is the hibernation going so far, @Jodie? I just put my Russian in and he really took some time to get comfortable. Both my boyfriend and I are pretty panicky now, constantly checking the thermometers...

Mine were asleep when I put them in. Their enclosure is outside and it got really cold here, so I turned my thermostat all the way down in their box. I have pulled them out once each for just a minute to check them. They seem ok. My temps are doing ok. It takes longer then I would like for it to stabilize each time I adjust it down. It's at 45 now. I will drop a couple more degrees tomorrow as long as it stays stable there.
Have to trust our mentors and keep the temps right. I am sure it's going to be a good thing for them, if I can keep myself from panic!

 

[Oxalis]

Mine were asleep when I put them in. Their enclosure is outside and it got really cold here, so I turned my thermostat all the way down in their box. I have pulled them out once each for just a minute to check them. They seem ok. My temps are doing ok. It takes longer then I would like for it to stabilize each time I adjust it down. It's at 45 now. I will drop a couple more degrees tomorrow as long as it stays stable there.
Have to trust our mentors and keep the temps right. I am sure it's going to be a good thing for them, if I can keep myself from panic!

Sounds like you're doing a great job so far!! I think I'm keeping my panic down a little more than my boyfriend, who still can't get over the fact that our tortoise is in a wine cooler! Our Russian loves his sleep so I have a feeling that he'll love hibernation.

My boyfriend said he read that 4 weeks (less time) is better for the first hibernation round, especially since the cooler's minimum temperature is 46°F. Although here in Michigan, that's hardly a winter!! I guess we'll see what Steve the tortoise thinks when he wakes up. Too bad he'll have to wait quite a while for his outdoor garden to re-grow...

 

[ohio]

Wondering if i'm behind the curve....been reading all the post and i'm just wondering if a 4 week fast and cool down is to long? Been monitoring the fridge and it's between 41 and 46 degrees F. I plan to put them down for 2 months/ 9 weeks give or take. Does this sound good? The person i picked them up from said she's never hibernated them and she had them for 5 years.

 

[BudderTurtle]

I can't really be a "mentor" because i just started hibernating my RT but I will gladly put input from my experiences.

 

[Jodie]

I stopped feeding and left temps and lights up for 2 weeks, then another 10 days reducing temps and shortening daylight. So all told almost 4 weeks. My fridge is down to 42F. My goal is 40. Mine have been in for 2 weeks. I started them at 50F.
So I think your time and temps sound ok.

 

[ohio]

Great thanks

 

[Tom]

Wondering if i'm behind the curve....been reading all the post and i'm just wondering if a 4 week fast and cool down is to long? Been monitoring the fridge and it's between 41 and 46 degrees F. I plan to put them down for 2 months/ 9 weeks give or take. Does this sound good? The person i picked them up from said she's never hibernated them and she had them for 5 years.

I stop feeding mine, but leave lights and heat at normal settings for two weeks. I then take about another two weeks to gradually lessen the light cycles and temps before they go in the fridge.

Your time frame and temps sound good. I shoot for right around 40 degrees for most of the hibernation.