sparkleday65
New Member
Hey everyone. I have a (roughly) 6 year old Horsfield tortoise who I am getting ready to hibernate for the first time. I took away his food a couple of weeks ago (he wasn't eating anyway) and I've reduced his exposure to the heat lamp. I've been bathing him and weighing him to make sure he's okay to hibernate.
His shell is 12.5cm long. 11 days ago he weighed 440g and now he weighs 430g. Is his weight dropping too quickly? I was using the Jackson Ratio chart which showed he is healthy, but I've now learned that I should be using the McIntyre Ratio chart instead. According to this chart, a good/average weight for his length is 500g and 380g is underweight. He is 430g so I'm worried he might be slightly underweight and therefore shouldn't hibernate?
Not sure if I'm just overthinking! Any advice appreciated.
His shell is 12.5cm long. 11 days ago he weighed 440g and now he weighs 430g. Is his weight dropping too quickly? I was using the Jackson Ratio chart which showed he is healthy, but I've now learned that I should be using the McIntyre Ratio chart instead. According to this chart, a good/average weight for his length is 500g and 380g is underweight. He is 430g so I'm worried he might be slightly underweight and therefore shouldn't hibernate?
Not sure if I'm just overthinking! Any advice appreciated.