The Slow-Down time of year

[smarch]

Alright, I've heard a lot of different ways hibernating tortoise species act if your over-wintering them. I've made the personal decision to overwinter my Russian Tort 'Nank for the past 2 winters together (no matter how much research I did it was still confusing and risks outweighed benefits to me). I hear people talk about a slowing down period around now, when they act and prepare themselves to hibernate, but Nank, even though i know he has before since he had to have survived a few wild winters to get to me. But he doesn't even seem to notice its cold time, he continues his business like any other.

So what do your torts do?
If you overwinter is it a fight to keep them awake, do they slow down briefly or do they not even notice like my lil dude does?
Same if you Hibernate: do they start preparing themselves and you follow and prepare, or do you start changing conditions downward and they follow?

 

[Tyanna]

Mine sleeps away most of the day, but wakes up when the lights are on in the morning to eat, and when it's dinner time he hears me place food in so he gets up to eat, then goes back to sleep.

I recently put him in a new table so he has yet to explore it, and I'm adding more to it this weekend. I guess once winter leaves he'll be surprised to see all the cool new places to explore.

 

[stojanovski92113]

My torts have slowed down! Some days they are active and other days they don't barely eat or move as much. I will say my large female red foot has been the most affected. She takes a longer time to move from her corner where she wakes up in the morning. She will either eat nothing, a very little, or enough, sunbathe, & go right back to her corner with in a short period of time, and remain there for the rest of the day. Other days she don't move for hours. Then there's some days were shes more active and roaming. But even my 3 other red foots have slowed down really. Not eating as much, increase in basking under the rays, and less activity. I've noticed this cycle over the years with my torts.

 

[peasinapod]

My tortoise hibernates. He lives outside 24/7. Once the days get shorter and the temps drop he slows down more and more. He sleeps more and eats less. Finally he stops eating completely. You coild give him his favourites and he wouldn't take them. A few more weeks and he's gone down completely. That's the moment where we box him up and put him inaide the garage. Once it gets too cold in the garage he and his box are moved into a temperature controlled fridge.


He's been slowing down and preparing on his own for 60+ years. We only provide an additional heatlamp, which helps him digest everything or can help extend his active phase a bit longer.

 

[Yellow Turtle01]

I don't hibernate. Same for me,too many risks!
He sleeps most of the time, but I wake him up in the morning when I feed him, again when I soak him, but he usually is just conked out besides the main basking area... there are spurts of a few days where he'll just get up and run around (stretching?) and once March or April gets here he'll be back to his active happy self!
Maybe Nank isn't set on his biological clock, which is totally ok! Slowing down just ins;t for him