Woken up early

[Mark C]

Due to very cold nights down to -10C I decided to bring our 5 year old Greek tortoise back indoors from the garage 7 weeks after starting brumation I allowed him to gradually reawaken over a few days in his box in the lobby where it was around 10-14C and then he came out two days ago. I've bathed him three times in lukewarm water but he won't stay under the lamps, I wonder if its too big a contrast. He seems intent on just going into the indoor bedroom area of his pen and burrow down, and although I've pout quite a deep layer of soil in there, he's scratching a lot against the wooden pen sides in a stressed way. Have I made a big mistake waking him up? He obviously can't go back into brumation, or can he? He did a large wee with urates yesterday. Last year we had a similar issue but he was fine and began eating within a couple of days voraciously. So I'm wondering if I need to get him assessed by a reptile vet eg for a vitamin booster injection? Or is it just a case of keep bathing and keep temperatures up?

 

[zovick]

Due to very cold nights down to -10C I decided to bring our 5 year old Greek tortoise back indoors from the garage 7 weeks after starting brumation I allowed him to gradually reawaken over a few days in his box in the lobby where it was around 10-14C and then he came out two days ago. I've bathed him three times in lukewarm water but he won't stay under the lamps, I wonder if its too big a contrast. He seems intent on just going into the indoor bedroom area of his pen and burrow down, and although I've pout quite a deep layer of soil in there, he's scratching a lot against the wooden pen sides in a stressed way. Have I made a big mistake waking him up? He obviously can't go back into brumation, or can he? He did a large wee with urates yesterday. Last year we had a similar issue but he was fine and began eating within a couple of days voraciously. So I'm wondering if I need to get him assessed by a reptile vet eg for a vitamin booster injection? Or is it just a case of keep bathing and keep temperatures up?

Don't get any vitamin injections for your tortoise. They do more harm than good and are unnecessary at any time.

 

[Mark C]

Don't get any vitamin injections for your tortoise. They do more harm than good and are unnecessary at any time.

Okay thank you Zovick. We'll carry on with tepid baths and hope he settles down. I feel a bit of a fool having brought him in too early but just panicked, but I'm learning with each year. I think it's because forty years ago we had tortoises when I was a teenager and lost all four of them one very bad winter, and it's scarred me ever since about that loss. So starting again all these years later I'm just very anxious to protect them. But with hindsight I think in the two box method he would have been find, even though the garage air temp was saying 2C.

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

Have I made a big mistake waking him up? He obviously can't go back into brumation, or can he? He did a large wee with urates yesterday. Last year we had a similar issue but he was fine and began eating within a couple of days voraciously. So I'm wondering if I need to get him assessed by a reptile vet eg for a vitamin booster injection? Or is it just a case of keep bathing and keep temperatures up?

Maybe @Tom can answer some of your questions.

 

[zovick]

Okay thank you Zovick. We'll carry on with tepid baths and hope he settles down. I feel a bit of a fool having brought him in too early but just panicked, but I'm learning with each year. I think it's because forty years ago we had tortoises when I was a teenager and lost all four of them one very bad winter, and it's scarred me ever since about that loss. So starting again all these years later I'm just very anxious to protect them. But with hindsight I think in the two box method he would have been find, even though the garage air temp was saying 2C.

Are you set up to keep the tortoise active indoors? If so, just keep it fairly warm (85F or so) and increase the day length by keeping the lights on about a half hour longer every couple of weeks to simulate spring coming.

I would also continue with the warm water soaks every day or every other day until the tortoise can go outdoors for the summer.

 

[Mark C]

Are you set up to keep the tortoise active indoors? If so, just keep it fairly warm (85F or so) and increase the day length by keeping the lights on about a half hour longer every couple of weeks to simulate spring coming.

I would also continue with the warm water soaks every day or every other day until the tortoise can go outdoors for the summer.

Thanks Zovic just waiting to hear back from Tom who suggested he could go back into brumation as long as he hasn't eaten anything. He did have an incredibly tiny piece of cucumber the soft watery bit and literally only a couple of millimetres and incredibly thin so given that is pretty much all water I don't think it's a risk at all. So I might put him back for four weeks as he just seems to want to burrow back down despite four tepid baths and lights temperature around 80-85F.

 

[zovick]

Thanks Zovic just waiting to hear back from Tom who suggested he could go back into brumation as long as he hasn't eaten anything. He did have an incredibly tiny piece of cucumber the soft watery bit and literally only a couple of millimetres and incredibly thin so given that is pretty much all water I don't think it's a risk at all. So I might put him back for four weeks as he just seems to want to burrow back down despite four tepid baths and lights temperature around 80-85F.

Well, let's see what Tom says about returning the tortoise to brumation. I think it should be fine, but Tom knows more about brumation than I do.