Sienna'sHermanns
New Member
Hi all!
I'm Sienna and I have a 20yr old male Eastern Hermann called Ray that I've had for about three years. We're in the South of the UK!
This is the first year he's started slowing down in the colder months and after some reading I think he's preparing to hibernate though he's never done it before. My parents didn't hibernate him and apparently he's never slowed down this much before.
He's an indoor torty apart from sunny days in the summer. His open-top table is at 28°C at the warm end and 19-20°C at the cool end, humidity is usually at 35-40%. He's got fresh water year round and an Arcadia T5 UVB, a warm flood light and a ceramic heater that I use mostly at night. I've also got a Habistat thermostat to control his ceramic heater and one for the heat pad on the side of his enclosure.
He's 17.9cm long, 1133grams which I think is 0.197 on the Jackson Ratio so supposedly the correct weight for hibernation?
I've got a mini fridge and a thermometer with a probe to keep the fridge between 4-6°C and I have control over the temperature of my house for when it's time to wake up.
This year he's begun to slow down drastically though it's only mid September, I thought hibernation isn't until November?
I plan on doing the fridge method IF the vet says he's healthy enough to try this year but I'm incredibly nervous.
Is it too early for him to stop eating in preparation for the winter months?
Is it dangerous to put him into hibernation at the start of October and wake up around Christmas?
Any suggestions or advice would be great as I'm a first time owner and neither me nor my boy have tried this before. VERY nervous.
I've already started soaking him daily just in case he is preparing himself for an "early" hibernation.
Thank you all! Exited to learn how to take care of my Ray.
I'm Sienna and I have a 20yr old male Eastern Hermann called Ray that I've had for about three years. We're in the South of the UK!
This is the first year he's started slowing down in the colder months and after some reading I think he's preparing to hibernate though he's never done it before. My parents didn't hibernate him and apparently he's never slowed down this much before.
He's an indoor torty apart from sunny days in the summer. His open-top table is at 28°C at the warm end and 19-20°C at the cool end, humidity is usually at 35-40%. He's got fresh water year round and an Arcadia T5 UVB, a warm flood light and a ceramic heater that I use mostly at night. I've also got a Habistat thermostat to control his ceramic heater and one for the heat pad on the side of his enclosure.
He's 17.9cm long, 1133grams which I think is 0.197 on the Jackson Ratio so supposedly the correct weight for hibernation?
I've got a mini fridge and a thermometer with a probe to keep the fridge between 4-6°C and I have control over the temperature of my house for when it's time to wake up.
This year he's begun to slow down drastically though it's only mid September, I thought hibernation isn't until November?
I plan on doing the fridge method IF the vet says he's healthy enough to try this year but I'm incredibly nervous.
Is it too early for him to stop eating in preparation for the winter months?
Is it dangerous to put him into hibernation at the start of October and wake up around Christmas?
Any suggestions or advice would be great as I'm a first time owner and neither me nor my boy have tried this before. VERY nervous.
I've already started soaking him daily just in case he is preparing himself for an "early" hibernation.
Thank you all! Exited to learn how to take care of my Ray.