Hi,
I've had a hibernation disaster and need your advice.
First the terrible news. yesterday I woke my tortoises from their fridge based hubernations (all 21 of them 10 Ibera Greeks, 11 eastern hermann's) the hermann's are perfect. But I've lost 5 of my Iberas 4 appeared the not come out of hibernation, they looked fine physically but just never worke up, one more died overnight.
So some details
Losses
2 sibling females 2.5 & 2.2 kg respectively age circa 5 4th hibernation since I've had them, slightly puffy eyes
Male around 1kg age about 14, 7th hibernation for me, woke up but died overnight.
Female 450g 2years old 1st hibernation (her sibling is fine)
Male around 5 750g 3rd hibernation for me
Method of hibernation,
Fridge method, temp range 2-6 oC, kept in ventilated boxes in hay, monitored for weight loss ever 2weeks. Fridge vented daily for air exchange
Duration 3months 2 days
Pre hibernation prep, bought in from my tortoise paddock late September 2013, kept in a tort table, weekly soakings. Temp 22-24 oC . Mid December feeding stops, jan 1st daily soaks, Jan 9th cooling day in garage, jan 10th fridge hibernation begins. All Iberas had great Jackson ratios (I never hibernate any animal that is borderline with 0.2 or less on Jackson's ratio)
Apart from being devastated, what went wrong? Why just the Greeks and not the hermann's? They all had the same prep and the same fridge.
Thanks in advance
Ian
I've had a hibernation disaster and need your advice.
First the terrible news. yesterday I woke my tortoises from their fridge based hubernations (all 21 of them 10 Ibera Greeks, 11 eastern hermann's) the hermann's are perfect. But I've lost 5 of my Iberas 4 appeared the not come out of hibernation, they looked fine physically but just never worke up, one more died overnight.
So some details
Losses
2 sibling females 2.5 & 2.2 kg respectively age circa 5 4th hibernation since I've had them, slightly puffy eyes
Male around 1kg age about 14, 7th hibernation for me, woke up but died overnight.
Female 450g 2years old 1st hibernation (her sibling is fine)
Male around 5 750g 3rd hibernation for me
Method of hibernation,
Fridge method, temp range 2-6 oC, kept in ventilated boxes in hay, monitored for weight loss ever 2weeks. Fridge vented daily for air exchange
Duration 3months 2 days
Pre hibernation prep, bought in from my tortoise paddock late September 2013, kept in a tort table, weekly soakings. Temp 22-24 oC . Mid December feeding stops, jan 1st daily soaks, Jan 9th cooling day in garage, jan 10th fridge hibernation begins. All Iberas had great Jackson ratios (I never hibernate any animal that is borderline with 0.2 or less on Jackson's ratio)
Apart from being devastated, what went wrong? Why just the Greeks and not the hermann's? They all had the same prep and the same fridge.
Thanks in advance
Ian