Tortoise was mid hibernation but now seems dead

Sa Ga

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 19, 2019
Messages
653
Location (City and/or State)
MN
I am so sorry! I have only had my Russian, Morla, for 3 months now and I love her more than I ever thought possible! My heart breaks for you sincerely.
 

Krista S

Well-Known Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Aug 4, 2019
Messages
1,364
Location (City and/or State)
Saskatchewan
I’m so sorry to hear of your loss. That’s completely devastating and heartbreaking. As others have said, it sounds like you did everything right, so don’t blame yourself. Take care and don’t be too hard on yourself.
 

Gillian M

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Aug 28, 2014
Messages
15,417
Location (City and/or State)
Jordan
Extremely sorry to hear about your loss.

Please accept my sincere condolences.
 

Tortalini

New Member
Joined
Jul 17, 2019
Messages
29
Location (City and/or State)
Columbus, Ohio
Really sorry about your loss. I can't imagine how that could of happened. If you ever do consider getting another tortoise, I would suggest a tropical species that doesn't hibernate so something like this won't happen again.
 

tortoisekev

Member
Joined
Sep 18, 2018
Messages
65
Location (City and/or State)
UK
This is incredibly sad, I feel so sorry for you.
This is exactly the reason I'm too scared to hibernate Kevin (a family friend nearly lost their Tort a few years back when he woke up to early). Kevin's only 4 1/2 years old, but I still won't hibernate him as the risk is too high for the effort and benefits. I keep him in his indoor enclosure, have the light on daily, force him out every other day (he still likes to bury himself and self-hibernate!), give him a bath and feed him... he's now back to coming out on his own for a good few hours a day, which I'm very pleased by!

I hope you get an answer, please share if you do. And don't be put off getting another... just maybe give yourself a bit of time first :(
 

AzDesert

Member
Joined
Feb 6, 2019
Messages
39
Location (City and/or State)
metro Phx, AZ
I am very sorry to hear about your tort. I lost a lil redfoot not long ago. It is indeed devastating and no words can ease the hurt in your heart. I bought a small tortoise "statue" (only about 2" big) in its memory. Since then I have felt confident enough to try a different species. So far so good. Wishing you the best in a hard time.
 

jso

Member
Joined
Feb 28, 2019
Messages
69
Location (City and/or State)
55*N, UK
So sorry to hear of your sad loss. My little Hermanns is 16mths old and I have had her for about 2 months. Even after that short time I would be lost without her.
Refrigerator hibernation/brumation is quite common. Respiration is very slow when a tortoise is brumating, and the air in the fridge is enough to keep him alive through the winter.
And it’s common practice to open the door quite often so there’s a change of air, and possibly to check temps or the torts themselves...
 
Top