New owner for very old family pet
 

Hi all

Im Andy and im now responsible for the care of our tortiose. Our families pet tortoise has been with us for a good thirty years if not more. My elderly mother can't really look after him any longer and I'm in need of some advice.

Weve always followed the Blue Peter tips from the 80s when it comes to hibernating a tortoise by putting him in a box with straw and packing material in a cupboard in the garage. Is this still advisable?

Also now the weather is getting worse, when do you know when he's ready for hibernation? He's an outdoor tortoise. I don't really know what type he is. I filmed a short YouTube video of him which includes a comedy scream a while ago.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NAdEn_phkjw

Forget blue Peter ! I've looked at your other post and I think you have a North African Graeca, usually these only have a short hibernation compared with European Graeca. About 8 weeks. Has he/she been left to wind down naturally, this is ok or alternatively you can do a controlled wind down. As for a box of straw in the shed or garage, now the time improve on that a little, a wooden box, that has been fully insulated , with electrics , so you can plug in a small tube heater, which is plugged into a thermostat, set at 6c . So the temps don't drop below 6c in the coldest weather.
Alternatively you could go for a fridge hibernation, I will let someone else explain this, as I've never done it.
Rather than straw, you can use shredded paper ( the small type) or even top soil, which he will dig down into. Straw and hay can have spores in it, which can cause respiratory problems.
Having said all that, most importantly, is that your tort is a good weight before starting to wind down, and is in good health, and has not had any recent health problems.

Loved the film. What is he called?

Suze has given very good advice. I use topsoil for hibernation as my instincts were to try and make the hibernation as natural as possible. If you do choose this, then better to use the cleaned/sterile one. It can be very damp so you need to dry out - I put mine in the oven on a very low temperature.

welcome Andy, lovely tortoise & video. He will probably let you know when he is ready. He looks like an old hand! good advice already, CB

Thanks everyone for the excellent advice and warm welcome!

How long should a tortoise hibernate for and when should he/she be woken?

We've always put him down for hibernation around October and then when ever the sunshine is out a few months later. I don't know whether that's correct but that's what my parents have done for the past thirty years or so.

Also do you ever have any problems with your tortoises and cats?

I already feel a lot more knowledgable about providing a decent hibernating box this winter.

Hello and welcome.
All good advice above but I would try and keep his day to day way of life the same as your mother has been doing this side of hibernation as you could upset him.you will probably find he will tell you when he wants to hibernate and when he has done so then put him in an appropriate box and place.
When you get him up in spring then I would start to change his diet a bit at a time and I'm sure you will be enjoying him for years to come.

Thanks Gordon. I do tend to worry and having the position and responisbilty of caring for a well loved family pet that I've grown up with did get me frantically googling on how best to care for him. I'm going to follow the sound advice given combined with what he's used to.

Hello, it's me again!

Does anyone have any ideas on where to buy a good, solid wooden crate that would be suitable to place a cardboard box inside for hibernation?

Thanks

That's probably the best way to go and then next year you can start your own regime.

As Gordon has said, he will let you know when he ready to hibernate, I'm sure he's probably already started to notice autumn. If you let him wind down naturally, he might be ready to go down by about the end of October /beginning of November. As I said above he looks like a North African Graeca, they have a shorter hibernation than European Meds. About 8 weeks. Also, I have never had a problem with cats and tortoises.