I remember reading somewhere that torts slow down in winter, even if you still keep temp in enclosure pretty much the same. My 3 Cherry-head definitely slowed down a bit in terms of eating. Anybody else has the same observation?
TylerStewart said:I'm a firm believer that even light coming in through a window across the room as days get shorter is enough to affect the seasonal activity levels of tortoises. I notice the same thing with tortoises kept indoors. It may have something to do with seasonal changes in air pressure also, which would be hard to avoid even if you didn't have light coming in through a window. Nighttime temps are almost always lower in the winter also, even if you keep daytime temps the same (our house is around 68-70 at night in the winter, and more like 78-79 in the summer at night).
In a week in the winter, I use as much food for tortoises as I do in a day in the summer. I enjoy the workload and financial 3 month vacation when temps cool off here!
If an enclosure is well lit with a full spectrum light that illuminates the entire enclosure and has a light or other heat source from above that provides correct basking temperatures, as well as the enclosure having a correct overall ambient temperature range (as well as correct humidity range), a temperature climate tortoise will not be influenced by outside sources. My tortoises indoors, have a south facing window that lights shines through into the room. Yet not one of them has ever attempted to brumate indoors as a result of this exposure to the light through the window. Why? because they are not influenced by it. When the lights come one, which in the fall is before the sun comes up outdoors, each enclosure is entirely, brightly lit by a flourescent UVB bulb and a basking light at one end for 14 hours a day. The night time temperature is approximately 65 degrees each night, (although I would prefer a bit cooler). After an hour or so of the lights being on the ambient room temperature is up to about 72 degrees. Eventually the temperatures will rise up to 84 degrees in the room if I don't regulate it. I try to maintain an ambient temperature range of 76-80 degrees, sometime it gets a bit warmer, up to 82, sometimes it stay a bit cooler. Almost immediately upon the lights coming on nearly all of the tortoises of all ages and species begin to come out to bask. After nearly 30 years of keeping Northern species of tortoises (and others) in these same conditions, not one has ever stopped eating, become inactive or attempted to brumate indoors under these conditions.GeoTerraTestudo said:TylerStewart said:I'm a firm believer that even light coming in through a window across the room as days get shorter is enough to affect the seasonal activity levels of tortoises. I notice the same thing with tortoises kept indoors. It may have something to do with seasonal changes in air pressure also, which would be hard to avoid even if you didn't have light coming in through a window. Nighttime temps are almost always lower in the winter also, even if you keep daytime temps the same (our house is around 68-70 at night in the winter, and more like 78-79 in the summer at night).
In a week in the winter, I use as much food for tortoises as I do in a day in the summer. I enjoy the workload and financial 3 month vacation when temps cool off here!
^^I really agree with Tyler's post. My Russians insisted on trying to brumate by the time late October/early November rolled around, even though they were indoor torts and temperatures were close to the same. Like Tyler, I attribute this to shortening day length, and possibly subtle changes in temperature, humidity, and/or barometric pressure.
My torts tried to brumate at room temperature, which is not healthy (they would lose too much weight that way), so I am letting them brumate now in a mini-fridge. I will likely let them brumate for 4 months (from early November to early March).
Pond_Lilly said:I remember reading somewhere that torts slow down in winter, even if you still keep temp in enclosure pretty much the same. My 3 Cherry-head definitely slowed down a bit in terms of eating. Anybody else has the same observation?
GBtortoises said:Geo-Nothing is being greatly altered or unaffordable. It amounts to two light fixtures and lamps to go in them. You are correct: "Brumation is an adaptation taht allows them to deal with the reduced light, heat and humidity of wintertime". My point exactly-in order for a tortoise to actually go into brumation light (duration and intensity) and heat both need to be reduced for the tortoise to begin this action. Not just one or the other. Too many people are telling new owners that their tortoises are trying to hibernate (brumate) indoors just because it is winter weather outdoors. That is only true if indoor heat and light conditions are reduced as they would be outdoors. Reduced humidity has little to nothing to do with it either.
Russian tortoises, box turtles and any other species that would normally brumate in the wild, if kept indoors and at normal activity temperatures, light duration and intensity do not brumate. Based on most enclosures that I've seen and from what people are describing is that the light intensity is missing in their indoor enclosures. Because it happens to be fall and a Russian tortoise buries itself indoors, when the temperatures and light are at normal activity levels, it shouldn't be assumed that it is beginning brumation, because it isn't and people shouldn't be told that it is.