- Joined
- Nov 21, 2013
- Messages
- 204
I have always been amazed by the color of desert tortoise eyes. What a stunner!
As she is a desert tortoise, and a beautiful one at that, hibernating her in the closet is just fine. I have done it with mine. As I'm in Tucson, my reptile vet has said that it's okay to hibernate them 40°F-70°F. As long as it's within that range you're safe. And I have measured temperatures for outdoor hibernation and it's not always exactly the same either. I suggest sticking with what you've been doing for hibernation since it's worked well.
I always prepare my animals for hibernation by first getting a pre-hibernation check up with a good reptile specialist veterinarian. This is a good way to ensure that you're not inadvertently putting a sick animal into hibernation, risking them getting sicker and possibly even dying. I see that she means a lot to you. My animals mean a lot to me to and it's really nice to have peace of mind.
This is a brochure listing lots of really healthy foods for desert tortoises:
http://www.azgfd.gov/w_c/tortoise/documents/NativePlantsforDesertTortoises_2008.pdf
a good source of seeds (they even have a desert tortoise wildflower mix):
http://shop.nativeseeds.org/pages/seeds
Winter is a great time to start planting things that she can eat when she gets up next spring. I know you have a much more limited space than you would like to have for her, but you can do a lot with potted plants that she will enjoy.
I love reading about desert tortoises – you might enjoy this also:
http://www.desertmuseum.org/programs/tap_tortcare.php
Best wishes for Patsy's winter snooze.
If you will be hibernating her in say a box in a closet, just make sure you allow for her to clean out her gut. Give her a good soaking. Check her for internal parasites. Then let her crash for a few months. Just don't be feeding her while she is down. You don't want food rotting in her gut if it's not warm enough for her to digest it. And if it's warm enough for her to digest food, she should be up.
Check the specie specific section here on the forum and read up on these great critters. Learn, grow and ask questions. Soon you too will be answering questions from newbies.