Should I allow my tortoise to sleep as he pleases?

[macyfidlerr]

The weather is getting colder here in east Texas, and my tortoise is sleeping a lot more lately. I know he is wanting to hibernate but I really don't feel comfortable allowing him to do so. When he sleeps so much, should I let him, or wake him? Or when I wake up in the morning, should I wake him, or let him wake up on his own? I see people allow their tortoises to wake up and sleep as they please but I didn't know if that is healthy. But It is becoming an issue because usually I put him outside during the day and he can run around all day but now he can't, and he's bored when he's inside. So what can I do to help? Thanks.

 

[Jodie]

Inside you have to hibernate at the correct temps or keep them up. To keep him awake do daily soaks, turn the temps up a bit, and bright light for 14 to 16 hours a day. It is not safe for them to kind of hibernate too warm. They burn too much energy.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Let him sleep.
My tortoises don't always come out during every day.

 

[macyfidlerr]

Let him sleep.
My tortoises don't always come out during every day.

Thank you!

 

[macyfidlerr]

Inside you have to hibernate at the correct temps or keep them up. To keep him awake do daily soaks, turn the temps up a bit, and bright light for 14 to 16 hours a day. It is not safe for them to kind of hibernate too warm. They burn too much energy.

Thanks so much. Will do.

 

[dmmj]

he's not bored he's more than likely cold.

 

[Tom]

The weather is getting colder here in east Texas, and my tortoise is sleeping a lot more lately. I know he is wanting to hibernate but I really don't feel comfortable allowing him to do so. When he sleeps so much, should I let him, or wake him? Or when I wake up in the morning, should I wake him, or let him wake up on his own? I see people allow their tortoises to wake up and sleep as they please but I didn't know if that is healthy. But It is becoming an issue because usually I put him outside during the day and he can run around all day but now he can't, and he's bored when he's inside. So what can I do to help? Thanks.

If you wish to fight his natural instinct to hibernate, then you need to keep things brighter and warmer than usual. Add a florescent tube or another basking lamp. Add a CHE to keep ambient and night temps up. Warm water soak him every other day. Pull him out of his hiding spot and put him in front of the food a few times a day.

You will need to work at it to convince him its not hibernation time.

Personally, I'd just do the necessary prep and let him hibernate...

 

[macyfidlerr]

If you wish to fight his natural instinct to hibernate, then you need to keep things brighter and warmer than usual. Add a florescent tube or another basking lamp. Add a CHE to keep ambient and night temps up. Warm water soak him every other day. Pull him out of his hiding spot and put him in front of the food a few times a day.

You will need to work at it to convince him its not hibernation time.

Personally, I'd just do the necessary prep and let him hibernate...

I've been reading about hibernating but I just feel that something will go wrong. I might still do it if I feel more confident soon.

 

[Jodie]

A lot of people don't. I do, because I have really long winters, and a bunch of tortoises. It is not only expensive to feed them, I don't have access to great choices for food. If you can provide all he needs in the winter, it is not necessary.

 

[Tom]

I've been reading about hibernating but I just feel that something will go wrong. I might still do it if I feel more confident soon.

It is a normal, natural, safe process. Nothing to be afraid of. I'd be happy to help you if you want.

 

[macyfidlerr]

It is a normal, natural, safe process. Nothing to be afraid of. I'd be happy to help you if you want.

Yes, please help me. I would rather do that than try to keep him up.

 

[Tom]

Yes, please help me. I would rather do that than try to keep him up.

Step 1: Empty his gut. Leave your lights and heat on for two weeks, but stop feeding him. Make sure there is nothing to eat anywhere in the enclosure. Soak daily in warm water for 20-40 minutes.

Step 2: After 14 days of no food and daily soaks with a warm, well lit, enclosure, gradually start lowering the temps and light cycle. I usually spend about two weeks to get it down to room temp with no lights. I soak every other day during this time.

Step 3: One month after we started, I box them up in plastic tubs with a couple of 1/8th inch holes drilled in the side and some dry substrate, and I move them some where consistently cold. For some species my garage floor stays 50-55F all winter and that works for them. Russians need it colder than that, so I use a fridge. I start with the fridge adjusted to 48-50F on day one and then spend a week or two getting it slowly down to 39-40F. For babies I only hibernate about 8 weeks. For older ones and adults I hibernate for at least 12 and as long as 16 weeks, depending on the weather.

Step 4: When the weather warms up in spring and the 10 day forecast looks good, I spend a few days warming the fridge back up to 50ish. Then I pull them out and give them a day with no light, at room temp in their enclosure. The next day I give them a room temp soak and turn the light on for a few hours. On day three out of the fridge I have the lights set to come on in the AM and I'll put down a small amount of food like spring mix or endive. In most cases they chow down, but I don't want to over do it. I feed them light for a week or so, soak every other day to re-hydrate them, and after that, its back to normal and they pig out and want to breed.

Here is what kills them:
1. People don't take the time to empty their gut.
2. People don't hydrate them enough before or after hibernation.
3. Temps are not cold enough and they burn through their energy reserves too quickly.
4. People leave them outside and Mother Nature has her way with them. Freezing, flooding, rodents, etc…

Other important factors:
1. They need to be eating good and get fattened up at the end of summer and early fall. This is no time for those people who think tortoises should be fed lightly or days skipped. I would no want to hibernate a thin or underweight tortoise.
2. There is no rush to get them down. Time should be taken to do this process gradually. Tom Quote: "Hibernation is a process, not an event."
3. There are still a lot of tortoise keepers that think water is going to somehow hurt a tortoise. It won't. Don't be skimpy on the soaks. Good hydration is critical both before and after for a successful hibernation process.
4. Just as its important to feed them up before hibernation, its equally important to let them fatten back up after hibernation. Take it easy with the food for a week or two to let their systems get back up and running, but then open the flood gates and let them eat as much as they want every day.

Using the above four steps. I've never lost a single animal of any species and I've been hibernating all sorts of tortoises and lizards for decades. Generally, I bring them inside in mid October when the weather starts to get colder. I feed the heck out of them to fatten them up for a month or so before hibernation. Around mid Nov, I begin the fasting and then cooling. I then get them in the fridge mid December. If the weather is looking good I begin the warming back up process Mid March. If the weather looks cold and rainy, I will leave them down until early April sometimes.

For anyone starting this process now, late in the season, you can just have a shorter, 8 week hibernation to get you started and gain some confidence in the process.

 

[Tom]

Here are some of mine beginning their long winter slumber.

 

[macyfidlerr]

Step 1: Empty his gut. Leave your lights and heat on for two weeks, but stop feeding him. Make sure there is nothing to eat anywhere in the enclosure. Soak daily in warm water for 20-40 minutes.

Step 2: After 14 days of no food and daily soaks with a warm, well lit, enclosure, gradually start lowering the temps and light cycle. I usually spend about two weeks to get it down to room temp with no lights. I soak every other day during this time.

Step 3: One month after we started, I box them up in plastic tubs with a couple of 1/8th inch holes drilled in the side and some dry substrate, and I move them some where consistently cold. For some species my garage floor stays 50-55F all winter and that works for them. Russians need it colder than that, so I use a fridge. I start with the fridge adjusted to 48-50F on day one and then spend a week or two getting it slowly down to 39-40F. For babies I only hibernate about 8 weeks. For older ones and adults I hibernate for at least 12 and as long as 16 weeks, depending on the weather.

Step 4: When the weather warms up in spring and the 10 day forecast looks good, I spend a few days warming the fridge back up to 50ish. Then I pull them out and give them a day with no light, at room temp in their enclosure. The next day I give them a room temp soak and turn the light on for a few hours. On day three out of the fridge I have the lights set to come on in the AM and I'll put down a small amount of food like spring mix or endive. In most cases they chow down, but I don't want to over do it. I feed them light for a week or so, soak every other day to re-hydrate them, and after that, its back to normal and they pig out and want to breed.

Here is what kills them:
1. People don't take the time to empty their gut.
2. People don't hydrate them enough before or after hibernation.
3. Temps are not cold enough and they burn through their energy reserves too quickly.
4. People leave them outside and Mother Nature has her way with them. Freezing, flooding, rodents, etc…

Other important factors:
1. They need to be eating good and get fattened up at the end of summer and early fall. This is no time for those people who think tortoises should be fed lightly or days skipped. I would no want to hibernate a thin or underweight tortoise.
2. There is no rush to get them down. Time should be taken to do this process gradually. Tom Quote: "Hibernation is a process, not an event."
3. There are still a lot of tortoise keepers that think water is going to somehow hurt a tortoise. It won't. Don't be skimpy on the soaks. Good hydration is critical both before and after for a successful hibernation process.
4. Just as its important to feed them up before hibernation, its equally important to let them fatten back up after hibernation. Take it easy with the food for a week or two to let their systems get back up and running, but then open the flood gates and let them eat as much as they want every day.

Using the above four steps. I've never lost a single animal of any species and I've been hibernating all sorts of tortoises and lizards for decades. Generally, I bring them inside in mid October when the weather starts to get colder. I feed the heck out of them to fatten them up for a month or so before hibernation. Around mid Nov, I begin the fasting and then cooling. I then get them in the fridge mid December. If the weather is looking good I begin the warming back up process Mid March. If the weather looks cold and rainy, I will leave them down until early April sometimes.

For anyone starting this process now, late in the season, you can just have a shorter, 8 week hibernation to get you started and gain some confidence in the process.

Thank you so much!!!! I'm going to start this process tomorrow. it isn't as risky for me as I thought. thanks again!!!!

 

[macyfidlerr]

Here are some of mine beginning their long winter slumber.

View attachment 159177

Adorable!!! That's awesome!!!

 

[macyfidlerr]

Here are some of mine beginning their long winter slumber.

View attachment 159177

How many of them are there? Just curious!

 

[Tom]

How many of them are there? Just curious!

Last count was 18 russians.

 

[leigti]

I appreciate the step by step instructions. I may try this next year with my Russian. One of the reasons I haven't gotten more Russians is because I do not have indoor space four good-sized enclosures for the winter. But I have to admit that there is something a little creepy about opening up a fridge and standing face to face with your tortoise.

 

[Tom]

But I have to admit that there is something a little creepy about opening up a fridge and standing face to face with your tortoise.

I guess I'm just used to it...

 

[leigti]

I guess I'm just used to it...

Are those plastic containers?