Overwintering

[Donna Shaw]

Hi all. I have had my Herman's Stella since Feb 20 so nearly a year now. I believe she was 6-12months when we got her. I had initial problems with getting her enclosure right and lack of eating in the early days but we have settled into a good routine and with toms help she built up a good little appetite. I've not hibernated her due to age and my lack of experience although when I checked her Jackson ratio she would have been a good weight for hibernation. She weighed 127g just before winter set in. I expected her to lose a bit of energy of winter and to slow down but in the last week she hasn't eaten anything, hasn't been to the toilet and she keeps moving into the cold area. I keep having to wake her up in a morning and move her under the heat lamp. She is indoors in a tortoise table. I turned off the radiator in that room as we have had the heating on constantly and I thought it might be too warm for her but quickly realised this was a mistake and have switched it back on. I've bathed her every day for 30 minutes and tried to feed at the same time every day. I tried a mixture of dandelions, weeds, supermarket mixed salad, romaine lettuce etc. But she has a little nibble and its like she doesnt have the energy to eat. I tried baby carrot food today and when she wouldn't eat it, I bathed her in it instead. Her temps are at 33c under basking light and on a night time it drops to around 16c. Anyone have any other suggestions on how to encourage her to eat?? She currently weighs 115/116g so has lost around 10-12g.

 

[JoesMum]

The Jackson Ratio only applies when your tortoise reaches 500g. At 127g Hope is too small to me measured against it and too small for hibernation.

It needs to be 35-37C under the basking lamp at tortoise level. You need to lower it slightly to raise the temperature underneath.

For a baby like this I would want it warmer at night. Not below 27C. To achieve this you need a Ceramic Heat Emitter which must be used with a thermostat and a covered enclosure. Use an infrared thermometer to measure temperatures accurately.

Please can you post phot of your enclosure and lighting?

Yojr lights need to be on for 12-14 hours. Use a timer if you aren’t already.

You don’t say when you soak her. Don’t give her a choice. Haul her our first thing every morning and soak her for at least 30 minutes in warm water. Use a washing up bowl with water deep enough to come just over the join between the shell and the plastron.

Feed her immediately after the soak as she is most likely to eat then.

Please read (or reread) this thread from Tom and compare it with your care.

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

www.tortoiseforum.org

 

[Donna Shaw]

The Jackson Ratio only applies when your tortoise reaches 500g. At 127g Hope is too small to me measured against it and too small for hibernation.

It needs to be 35-37C under the basking lamp at tortoise level. You need to lower it slightly to raise the temperature underneath.

For a baby like this I would want it warmer at night. Not below 27C. To achieve this you need a Ceramic Heat Emitter which must be used with a thermostat and a covered enclosure. Use an infrared thermometer to measure temperatures accurately.

Please can you post phot of your enclosure and lighting?

Yojr lights need to be on for 12-14 hours. Use a timer if you aren’t already.

You don’t say when you soak her. Don’t give her a choice. Haul her our first thing every morning and soak her for at least 30 minutes in warm water. Use a washing up bowl with water deep enough to come just over the join between the shell and the plastron.

Feed her immediately after the soak as she is most likely to eat then.

Please read (or reread) this thread from Tom and compare it with your care.

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

www.tortoiseforum.org

Thanks so much for your advice. I don't have a ceramic heat emitter so will invest in ones of those and increase the overnight heat. I have an infrared thermometer so I know my temps are accurate and I expect i need a reading of 35-37c as my temperature probe is at tortoise level rather than pushing it higher? I will up the daytime temperatures from tomorrow. Not sure how to cover the table though? Would i use the ceramic heat emitter just at night and the current basking bulb through the day? I have been soaking her around lunchtime. Using a plastic tupperware box at the level you suggested. I will start dragging her out of bed and soaking her first thing rather than letting her have a bit of a lie in! I have attached photos of the enclosure and lighting as well as a couple of photos of Stella. I really appreciate all your help and advice. I will let you know how I get on ??

 

[JoesMum]

Your basking lamp is at an angle because it is a clamp lamp. Clamps are unsafe. If they slip, the lamp falls and can start a fire. You need a reptile lamp stand that you can hang your lamp from. That way you get an accurate temperature directly under it too.

A Ceramic Heat Emitter can run 24/7 as the thermostat which you must also buy ensures that it only cuts in when necessary.

Use a washing up bowl for soaks. The larger volume of water cools more slowly and there’s room for your tort to march about and get its digestive tract going.

Some people use a portable greenhouse like this sort of thing to cover an open table. Make aure the lights don’t touch the plastic. This one’s on Amazon.

 

[Donna Shaw]

Great, thanks again for your help. Will read back through the info again and get the lamp stand, ceramic heat emitter and portable greenhouse sorted ASAP along with earlier soaks and trying to feed straight after.

 

[Donna Shaw]

JoesMum, thanks so much for your help. I really appreciate it. I have got rid of the clamp lamp and replaced with a lamp stand as suggested. I have added a ceramic heat emitter for night time warmth on a thermostat. The basking temp is now 35c-37c as suggested with the cooler end at 20-22c daytime but still dropping to below 20c at night. This is because I can't find anything suitable to cover my table. I bought the one you suggested but its too big for my table and I can't find anything that it the right size. I will use it in the garden to grow Stella's food in the winter. I am looking at possible buying a vivarium instead to maintain the heat and humidity and I wondered what peoples thoughts were on this? Thanks to your help, Stella is now eating properly, she is more active and stomping round her enclosure and had her first poop today after over a week without. Thanks again, you guys are always so helpful and appreciate the advice you give