Skip hibernation for Russian Tortoise

[KienHo]

Hi everyone. I just got my female Russian Tortoise from Petsmart about 1 month and a half, I'm pretty sure that she's a WC tortoise. I put her in the outdoor enclosure and just took her inside 3 days ago because of the low temperature outside. The indoor enclosure with a basking bulb and a T5 UVB tube, the basking spot is around 95 and the cool side is about 75. She dug in her hiding box and slept all day. She want to hibernate but I know that she won't be able to hibernate in the temp room. What should I do to skip her hibernation? I soak her with warm water in 10 minutes everyday. After soaking, I let her go around my room in 30 minutes and then take her back to her cage again. She doesn't eat anything, just drink some water while soaking.

 

[lismar79]

leave the lights 12 to 14 hrs a day and maybe bump the temps up a couple degrees. I had this with my russian as well and every day I got her up, soaked her under her light, then hand feed her. After about a month she snapped out of it.

 

[KienHo]

I took her out and put her under the basking spot but after that she ran away and back to her hide box and dug again . She is WC so she doesn't like hand feed, she just eats by herself when she likes. Should I soak her everyday and put her under the basking spot as many time as possible?

 

[dmmj]

You are gonna have to raise the overall temp, and increase the light cycle 10 to 12 hours. She will want to hibernate, if she is cold. Good call on not hibernating a new tortoise.

 

[lismar79]

Yes I would wake her every day

 

[KienHo]

You are gonna have to raise the overall temp, and increase the light cycle 10 to 12 hours. She will want to hibernate, if she is cold. Good call on not hibernating a new tortoise.

I turn the light on 14 to 15 hours/day. The night temp is usually from 65 - 70, should I use a night heat for increasing the temp?

 

[Tom]

...should I use a night heat for increasing the temp?

Sometimes that helps.

 

[Yvonne G]

Every time you think about it, or walk past the habitat, get the tortoise out and set it in front of the food. Then quickly move out of sight.

 

[Tom]

If after trying the above suggestions, she still goes two or three weeks without eating, check back in with us for a plan "B". Sometimes in these situations, a little "mini-hibernation" becomes necessary, but don't give that any thought right now.

 

[KienHo]

Thanks everyone about your advises, I'll try and keep reporting her health