Russian Tortoise: Lighting cycles and hibernation??

[gecko1]

Hello!

I have an adult Russian tortoise named Oscar. He is a "rescue" from my friend's brother who wasn't really caring for him. When I got Oscar, he was pretty ill, but I kept him very warm and gave his cage a total make-over. For a year Oscar has been doing great.

I want to make his life even better, so here are my questions.

1. LIGHTING CYCLES: I've read that Russian tortoises should have lighting changes with the seasons. With the overhead light on, how can I manage this? I can set his UV light on a timer, but the room's light will make a timer useless. Since I have various animals in my room (as well as myself) I can't change the room's lighting entirely to fit his needs. Plus, there is daylight (which does change seasonally but not perfectly for a Russian). What should I do?

2. HIBERNATION: Is this too risky for me to attempt? How can I get Oscar cold enough, when it does not even freeze outside? (In Seattle, winter temperatures hang around 32-50 degrees). My dad says in our basement or outside, Oscar will not cool down enough and his metbolism will not slow enough, and he might not survive hibernation. Suggestions?

Thanks for any advice you can give!
gecko1 and Oscar

 

[RTfanatic]

1. It's not critical to keep hard timing on the lights. After all on any given day in the wild it might be sunny, cloudy, rainy, etc., so the schedule of actual daylight can change. It's helpful if you are going to hibernate him that you start regulating the lights towards somewhat shorter days to work towards it.

2. It's not critical to hibernate RT's. And if you don't know what you are doing it can be risky, or if the tort is not in peak condition it can be risky. The biggest reason I've seen written to hibernate an RT is that it helps regulate their hormones and they know it's time to look for a mate when they come out of hibernation.

A range of 32-50 is a decent range with a little insulation (so they themselves aren't likely to get down 32 degrees) might work if you had the right safe container (not wet, but not too dry) to put them in. The basement would work if there's a spot that would stay in the range 40-60 while it's 32-50 outside.

 

[Jacqui]

Any way your family would let you use part of the refrigerator to hibernate in? Or maybe you already have a spare one you use just for cold drinks?

 

[gecko1]

Thanks! More questions...

Thanks so much for the help!

I'm not planning to breed Oscar, so I guess hibernation won't be necessary. Just in case though, is 40 to 60 degrees really cold enough? I'd think it wouldn't be enough to slow Oscar's metabolism, and he could starve or something? Just checking.

It is possible I could use our family fridge for Oscar, but would that be the right temp?

Thanks again!
gecko1

 

[Jenn1]

Lighting: Some of the better lighting is the new Active UVheat, T-Rex Active UVHeat, and Capture The Sun bulbs (click here for a comparison). These are used extensively in zoo's. The 100 watt flood is the most commonly used. While they do put out heat you may need to add a ceramic heat emitter to get the right temperature. Also make sure to get a good clamp on light fixture with a ceramic socket that is rated for the wattage bulb you buy.. Home Depot has them for about 10 bucks. Whenever I use a clip on fixture, I always use a "C" clamp to anchor it.

The UVHeat bulbs can be bought at Carolina Pet Supply .

An alternative is the Reptisun 10.0 straight tube. But since it doesn't give off heat you will also need a basking light such as the ESU Reptile Basking Spot BrightLight Incandescent Bulbs or the Hagen Reptile Exo-Terra Day Glo Infrared Basking Spot Lamp. Keep in mind that these bulbs should be replaced every 6 months.

There are many other bulbs out there. There is a basking light that provides UVA. But this doesn't have the UVB. There are colored bulbs...again no UVB. If it doesn't specifically say "UVB" it doesn't have it.

Keep the lights on 12-14 hours a day.

Hibernation: Hibernation is a much debated topic. In the wild Russian tortoises hibernate up to 9 months of the year. In captivity they appear to benefit from as little as 8 weeks in hibernation.

Before considering hibernation, its important that you are absolutely sure its in good health. Have it checked by a vet and be sure to check for parasites. If there are parasites, or the animal is too light.....then don't attempt hibernation. There are many that I have talked to that don't hibernate there animals and haven't observed any negative consequences. I did not hibernate mine for the first 5 years. Its really not worth the risk if you are unsure of what you are doing.

Currently I hibernate mine outdoors. I have a heated "house" .....actually a Rubbermaid deck box with a ceramic heat emitter hooked up to a thermostat to keep the temps between 40-45°F. This works well for me since the temperatures here rarely stay below freezing.

My animals usually slow down on feeding in the fall. I find that in November they will start eating small twigs and dried oak leaves. I suspect this is to clean out their intestinal tracts.

In December they start digging in. They typically come out of hibernation in March.

For those that live in colder (or warmer climates) refrigerator hibernation is a great option. Here is a great article by Shelly Jones. Hibernation Journey , She is a member of the Russian Tortoise YaHoo group
http://www.russiantortoise.org/care_sheet.htm

 

[gecko1]

Thanks! UV questions

Thank you very much! The hibernation article was very helpful.

Can I use the UV blub to create the light 12-14 hours a day? Or is that too much UV? (I don't know wether the blulb is UVA or UVB.)

Do I need to replace the UV bulb every 6 months? Even if it's only on 3 days a week?

Thanks!
gecko1

 

[Jenn1]

I leave the lights on everyday for 12 hours.
You need a uva/b bulb.I have a t-rex 100 watt and 160 watt.It has the uva/b and heat all in one.
Its recommened you replace the bulb every 6 months to a year.
You can get the bulb here http://www.carolinapetsupply.com/catalog/

 

[mousling]

RE Hibernation in Seattle:


My family has a California Desert Tortoise for years and years who hibernated yearly in the Seattle area. If for some reason you DO decide to hibernate Oscar, the Garage should be fine in the winter, just make sure he's pretty well insulated. My father would put a good amount of dirt in a box, then the tortoise and then shredded newspaper. It needs to be kept up off the concrete floor and the box needs to be tall enough that the tortoise can't easily climb out. Check on him at least weekly and you should be alright. It's probably easier in the long run since you don't want to breed him just to keep him awake though.