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Originally Posted by TessaRuth
Thank you both very much for your advice. I guess I'm just nervous as I take animal care very seriously and this is all new to me. You have reassured me and I feel more confident now. I have tried to upload a photo but cannot find the 'photos' button to do so. I've had a look at his shell and there's a quite large, 2mm, white line just above the bottom line of scutes. There are finer lines around the others further up his body. Other than that, his eyes are bright and he's very active. I don't think he got much exercise in his previous home but we put him in the garden for an hour a day, which I think he likes. He ate part of a dandelion leaf for the first time today. I've been weighing him daily as I've been so worried and he lost 5g in the first week but has now put this back on so that's encouraging. Sandy, I see you're in Kent. I'm in East Sussex. Do you know a good specialist reptile vet? I want to get him checked out before he hibernates. Also, roughly which month do you hibernate yours? I'm just trying t plan ahead! Thank you both so much again and I'll try to figure out the photo! Tessa
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I have a good tortoise vet in Maidstone Mark Rowlands.
Hibernation is down to the tortoise, I have kept tortoises for over 37yrs and each year is different, because of the weather. And each tortoise is different.
I now have only five iberas, but they all go down at different times. Mine live outside all year round, as I have a greenhouse for them, which is heated when it needs to be. They also hibernate in the GH in the soil. I have one female that always goes down first, then over the next month they will go down one by one. I have one stubbon female who last year escaped the GH and buried down outside, and I didnt know where she was. But she came up in the Spring.
Usually when the threat of frosts is happening then the tortoises slow right down, thats when I put a brick in the hole (my tortoises come and go as they please) so they dont escape. And lessen feeding around the end of September (again depending on the weather) or when temps drop drastically.
You will find Horsfields will bury down as soon as the first temp drop, as in the wild they are only active for six months of the year as their normal temps are really cold. So they react very quickly. And they can bury down a long way, where as med tortoises dont bury down so far.
Sorry for the long post, but tortoises can be complicated until you get used to their routine and husbandry. Once you have a good idea it gets easier:0)