Tortoise hibernation help

[PurpleLuke]

Hey.

It's my first time hibernating my Horsefield tortoises this year. My vet advised putting a small saucer of water in their boxes but one of them burrowed and spilled the water everywhere.

Luckily I had a spare box so I took her out of the wet one and quickly tapped her with a towel. She's cosy in her new box now but I'm scared she might still be damp. Any tips please?

I've taken out all water now and my hibernation method is fridge

 

[Tom]

Hello and welcome.

They don't need water during hibernation.

A small amount of dampness in an otherwise dry box won't hurt anything. Think how damp it is outside buried in the dirt under rain and snow.

 

[PurpleLuke]

Hello and welcome.

They don't need water during hibernation.

A small amount of dampness in an otherwise dry box won't hurt anything. Think how damp it is outside buried in the dirt under rain and snow.

Thanks so much, that's a big relief. I'm so glad that I made some spare boxes just in case, otherwise I'd have been stuck.

I think I just worry too much!

Thanks again.

 

[RosemaryDW]

Welcome!

That’s interesting; I’ve not heard the suggestion of leaving water in the box before. Russians fuss during hibernation so I would expect them to tip any bowl right away.

 

[PurpleLuke]

Welcome!

That’s interesting; I’ve not heard the suggestion of leaving water in the box before. Russians fuss during hibernation so I would expect them to tip any bowl right away.

Thank you!

I agree completely. I knew my two would be like that so I was very reluctant to put any in. I don't think I will be doing it again though as like you say, they definitely fuss!

 

[Yvonne G]

It may be old school, but I've always thought I wanted the brumation box to be dry with no humidity at all. That's why I've always used cardboard and not a plastic bin. Respirations, even though slowed way down, cause a bit of condensation inside a plastic box, so I always use cardboard.

 

[PurpleLuke]

It may be old school, but I've always thought I wanted the brumation box to be dry with no humidity at all. That's why I've always used cardboard and not a plastic bin. Respirations, even though slowed way down, cause a bit of condensation inside a plastic box, so I always use cardboard.

I'm glad you said that, I've used cardboard and some polystyrene as insulation and it seems to working well. One of my torts dug right through on the first day so I had to do some repairs!

The only thing I'm struggling with is the temperature of the fridge. It seems to fluctuate between 4 and 6 degrees when I'm aiming for a constant 5

 

[Yvonne G]

Anything BELOW 5C and above 1C is ok. Doesn't matter if it fluctuates.

 

[PurpleLuke]

Thank you, that will be easier to achieve. Thanks for the helpful advice