Rethinking hibernation

Sheldon.B

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Just wondering still re if I should hibernate my Greek tortoise Sheldo. He is 10 years old but has never been hibernated. I only have him since March. He is still popping and urinating daily or every two days. But may not eat as much as usual. Recently he seems to want to sleep more and moves away from his lights and into his bed area which is boxed off. When he seems to want out he goes straight to a corner and darker are and nods of. Just wondering if I should stop feeding him and prepare for a short hibernation or keep going. His tortoise tables is 4 *4 ft. He is supposedly fully grown and is 10- 11 inches long and weighs 400 grams? Does that seem right? Just looking for advice.
 

Tom

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He is supposedly fully grown and is 10- 11 inches long and weighs 400 grams? Does that seem right? Just looking for advice.

No. This does not seem right at all. Either you've over estimated the length or under estimated the weight. Check again?

If your figures are accurate you have a giant sized greek tortoise and it is extremely light weight and should NOT be hibernated.
 

Gillian M

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A very warm welcome to the forum.:tort:

Please post pics of your tort and his enclosure so as to enable us to help you more.:)

You could also read the "Beginners' Mistake" Thread. ;)
 

teresaf

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No. This does not seem right at all. Either you've over estimated the length or under estimated the weight. Check again?

If your figures are accurate you have a giant sized greek tortoise and it is extremely light weight and should NOT be hibernated.
I was thinking the same thing. My 11 inch Leopard is 8 pounds! I can't imagine ANY tort being that big and under a pound....
 

teresaf

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I am not a fan of hibernating anything but I'm not an expert. My way of thinking though is that....the ability to hibernate, in my humble opinion, is a bodies natural defense mechanism against starving when food becomes scarce. Its hard on their bodies to go through it so I'd just keep feeding him.
 

Gillian M

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I am not a fan of hibernating anything but I'm not an expert. My way of thinking though is that....the ability to hibernate, in my humble opinion, is a bodies natural defense mechanism against starving when food becomes scarce. Its hard on their bodies to go through it so I'd just keep feeding him.
Hi.Why would a tort stave if living "at home" and has an owner?
 

Yvonne G

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Hi:

I don't "stop feeding" my hibernating species. They stop eating on their own. If you aren't comfortable allowing your tortoise to hibernate, then don't do it.
 

Tom

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I am not a fan of hibernating anything but I'm not an expert. My way of thinking though is that....the ability to hibernate, in my humble opinion, is a bodies natural defense mechanism against starving when food becomes scarce. Its hard on their bodies to go through it so I'd just keep feeding him.

Many people "feel" the way you do, but my experience tells me otherwise.

If hibernation is simply "...a bodies natural defense mechanism against starving when food becomes scarce." Then why does every indoor housed tortoise stop eating in fall with a big plate of food right in front of them in a well lit warn enclosure?

Further, what makes you think that hibernation is hard on their bodies. Quite the opposite, it does them well to have a winter rest. The vigor they demonstrate upon waking from their rest tells me otherwise.

The only time I see hibernation problems is when the people make glaring easily avoidable errors, like leaving them outside to suffer the whims of mother nature, or trying to hibernate them in a cardboard box in a back room in a relatively warm house in a warm climate like here where I am.

I guess what I am saying is that this "fear" of hibernation is irrational and based on falsehoods. Hibernation is good and natural for species that do it in the wild.

Still, Yvonne is right. If anyone does not want to do it for whatever reason, they don't have to.
 

teresaf

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Talking about torts that are put in fridges, etc. Like I said this is just my humble opinion. This person specifically asked for our OPINIONS. If he wanted only opinions that were FOR hibernation he would have worded his question differently.
 

teresaf

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Many people "feel" the way you do, but my experience tells me otherwise.

If hibernation is simply "...a bodies natural defense mechanism against starving when food becomes scarce." Then why does every indoor housed tortoise stop eating in fall with a big plate of food right in front of them in a well lit warn enclosure?

Further, what makes you think that hibernation is hard on their bodies. Quite the opposite, it does them well to have a winter rest. The vigor they demonstrate upon waking from their rest tells me otherwise.

The only time I see hibernation problems is when the people make glaring easily avoidable errors, like leaving them outside to suffer the whims of mother nature, or trying to hibernate them in a cardboard box in a back room in a relatively warm house in a warm climate like here where I am.

I guess what I am saying is that this "fear" of hibernation is irrational and based on falsehoods. Hibernation is good and natural for species that do it in the wild.

Still, Yvonne is right. If anyone does not want to do it for whatever reason, they don't have to.
 

Tom

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Talking about torts that are put in fridges, etc. Like I said this is just my humble opinion. This person specifically asked for our OPINIONS. If he wanted only opinions that were FOR hibernation he would have worded his question differently.

I understand that. Just making tortoise conversation.

What I am trying to illustrate is that some opinions are not based on actual experience, or they are based on the experience of people who've made glaring errors.

When discussing any topic, doesn't the experience level of the person, and the basis of the opinions being discussed matter to you? It does to me. If discussing heart surgery, the opinion of a heart surgeon with 20 years of successful experience would carry more weight with me than the opinion of someone whose relative had died of some heart related problem a few years ago.
 

teresaf

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Many people "feel" the way you do, but my experience tells me otherwise.

If hibernation is simply "...a bodies natural defense mechanism against starving when food becomes scarce." Then why does every indoor housed tortoise stop eating in fall with a big plate of food right in front of them in a well lit warn enclosure?

Further, what makes you think that hibernation is hard on their bodies. Quite the opposite, it does them well to have a winter rest. The vigor they demonstrate upon waking from their rest tells me otherwise.

The only time I see hibernation problems is when the people make glaring easily avoidable errors, like leaving them outside to suffer the whims of mother nature, or trying to hibernate them in a cardboard box in a back room in a relatively warm house in a warm climate like here where I am.

I guess what I am saying is that this "fear" of hibernation is irrational and based on falsehoods. Hibernation is good and natural for species that do it in the wild.

Still, Yvonne is right. If anyone does not want to do it for whatever reason, they don't have to.

I've had lots of toads in the past when I was a kid and I didn't feed them as well as I should have. I did notice that when they had gone without eating for a while they would bury themselves in the dirt and hibernate. when I would wake them up cuz I had food they would eat the membrane that had formed around them to recover the nutrients they had lost during hibernation. One of my favorite toads didn't wake up and I've always felt guilty about that. he was underweight, so yes, he wasn't in a good position to hibernate which tells me that it is hard on their bodies somewhat.

But, really, I don't know what I'm talking about with tortoises. I don't have hibernating types. never have had Hibernating types. so far my tortoises haven't refused any food. Ever. I have been blessed.

This person asked for opinions so I stated mine. Flawed as it may be. i DID put a disclaimer in my comment that I didn't know anything about tortoises really. I don't think I could have been more plain.

But you're right. Tortoise EXPERTS Like yourself and Yvonne should be listened to before beginners like me. :)
 
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Tom

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But you're right. Tortoise EXPERTS Like yourself and Yvonne should be listened to before beginners like me.


This is not what I'm getting at. Sometimes new people have great ideas and input. The goal is not to discourage inexperienced people from joining the conversation. The goal, for me at least, is to dispel common misconceptions and misunderstandings that are based on falsehoods or experiences of human error. This hibernation topic seems to be one of these topics with a lot of emotion based opinions. Its difficult for me to read these things and not comment because I see the issue clearly and my opinions are based on decades of first hand experience with the topic. Almost universally successful experience, in fact.

Like you, I also once made a hibernation error. I took advice form a very knowledgable man who did not understand how my climate and weather was different from his. I killed two of my three beloved, raised-from-babies, black and white tegus the winter before they would have begun reproducing for me. I deviated from my normal hibernation routine on this man's well-intentioned advice and my lizards paid for my mistake with their lives. I cried for days over my mistake, but this did not deter me from hibernating my other animals in the correct way the next year and each year after that. I know what I did wrong, and I learned from it. I did not conclude that hibernation is bad or risky, or should not be engaged in. I concluded that tegus cannot hibernate outdoors, above ground in my climate. Since that time I have repeatedly hibernated multiple tegus both indoors and outdoors with nothing but success.

I can't help but believe that all of these past experiences color my opinions on this matter.
 

Yvonne G

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Why am I being painted with the same brush? Was my response to the OP controversial?
 

teresaf

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This is not what I'm getting at. Sometimes new people have great ideas and input. The goal is not to discourage inexperienced people from joining the conversation. The goal, for me at least, is to dispel common misconceptions and misunderstandings that are based on falsehoods or experiences of human error. This hibernation topic seems to be one of these topics with a lot of emotion based opinions. Its difficult for me to read these things and not comment because I see the issue clearly and my opinions are based on decades of first hand experience with the topic. Almost universally successful experience, in fact.

Like you, I also once made a hibernation error. I took advice form a very knowledgable man who did not understand how my climate and weather was different from his. I killed two of my three beloved, raised-from-babies, black and white tegus the winter before they would have begun reproducing for me. I deviated from my normal hibernation routine on this man's well-intentioned advice and my lizards paid for my mistake with their lives. I cried for days over my mistake, but this did not deter me from hibernating my other animals in the correct way the next year and each year after that. I know what I did wrong, and I learned from it. I did not conclude that hibernation is bad or risky, or should not be engaged in. I concluded that tegus cannot hibernate outdoors, above ground in my climate. Since that time I have repeatedly hibernated multiple tegus both indoors and outdoors with nothing but success.

I can't help but believe that all of these past experiences color my opinions on this matter.
I understand. :)
 

Yvonne G

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You are an Expert. That's the only thing I said about you. so I don't know what you're talking about? it was a compliment....:)

Sorry...I don't feel I'm "expert." I have a lot of experience with certain kinds and certain things, though.
 

teresaf

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This is not what I'm getting at. Sometimes new people have great ideas and input. The goal is not to discourage inexperienced people from joining the conversation. The goal, for me at least, is to dispel common misconceptions and misunderstandings that are based on falsehoods or experiences of human error. This hibernation topic seems to be one of these topics with a lot of emotion based opinions. Its difficult for me to read these things and not comment because I see the issue clearly and my opinions are based on decades of first hand experience with the topic. Almost universally successful experience, in fact.

Like you, I also once made a hibernation error. I took advice form a very knowledgable man who did not understand how my climate and weather was different from his. I killed two of my three beloved, raised-from-babies, black and white tegus the winter before they would have begun reproducing for me. I deviated from my normal hibernation routine on this man's well-intentioned advice and my lizards paid for my mistake with their lives. I cried for days over my mistake, but this did not deter me from hibernating my other animals in the correct way the next year and each year after that. I know what I did wrong, and I learned from it. I did not conclude that hibernation is bad or risky, or should not be engaged in. I concluded that tegus cannot hibernate outdoors, above ground in my climate. Since that time I have repeatedly hibernated multiple tegus both indoors and outdoors with nothing but success.

I can't help but believe that all of these past experiences color my opinions on this matter.
like you, my past experiences color my opinions on the matter as well. I purposely did not choose a hibernating type tortoise. what fun would that be anyway? I enjoy looking at mind DAILY I can't do that if they're stuck in a freezer (yes I'm exaggerating) lol
 

Sheldon.B

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Hi sorry for the delay and the panic about Sheldon's weight. Sorry my mistake he is 10 inches long and apparently fully grown, he's 10 years old and weigh's in at 1325 grams. Does that sound right?
 
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