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Old 30-11-2014, 10:06 PM   #1
veggie86
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Default Can I shorten wind down?

Sorry, yet another hibernation question I do really value having all your shared experience guys x

Can I shorten Pickle's wind down if he seems ready?

I was aiming for 3 weeks (doing the 4 week plan but with 5 days per week) he's up to his 'week 3' (day 12) with no lights, but still in a heated room. He's been bathed every day and has been drinking. He pood daily for the first week and a couple of tiny poos last week but nothing since, and no wees. He lost 4g the first week (lots of poo!) and has lost 1g each week after.

He's sleeping in his hide all day, just wakes up when I get him up to bath him and goes straight back to his hide to sleep when I put him back in his table. When he is awake he seems healthy, still nosey and interested in exploring the worktop as usual while I got his bath ready (if a bit slower), eyes bright, nose clear etc.

He just seems ready to go. I feel like I should skip a few days of week 3 and pop him in a cold room for the next few days and into the fridge the end of this week? I don't want to keep him half awake using up reserves if he could be hibernating.

He's only little, 83mm which is why I was aiming for 3 weeks, and he had spent two weeks or so trying to wind down before I decided to hibernate him. He was being woken up daily for baths, and eating when he was put in front of a pile of food but wouldn't have bothered if left alone.

I know I don't have any experience to go on, but I feel like this would be right for him. If he were in the wild there's no way he would have moved his cute little bum out of bed this week lol

What do you think?
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Old 30-11-2014, 10:28 PM   #2
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I'd say it would be ok but and think we've got a cold spell comming, thats the main prob having a room below 10c but if you have somewhere then go for it, make sure his box with bedding is cold and in the fridge, that you have some of his own bedding in it so it smells the same and fridge him either when its still dark am or pm when he'd normally be asleep.
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Old 30-11-2014, 11:07 PM   #3
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Yep, box is in the fridge ready with some of his soil and is well insulated and holding 4-6 degrees. We have a brick shed I can pop him in for a couple of days to cool down before he goes in his fridge.
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Old 01-12-2014, 06:20 PM   #4
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I would stick to your three week plan, I have just put two down just a little bit smaller than this and they did the full three weeks wind down.
I don't and never have changed the temps during wind down only reduced the lighting. The day they are ready for the fridge I put them in a box outside where it is a lot colder than there enclosure. Once they have slowed down after a few hours I then put them in the fridge.
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Old 01-12-2014, 07:13 PM   #5
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The plan I'm following says to reduce the temps during the last week to 10 degrees? Is this not needed then? He's had no lights the past 2 days, but background temps in the house are never below 18. I've put his box inside a big polystyrene tray in our brick outhouse to check the temps and it's been holding 10-11 degrees all day, I'll check what the min/max gets to tonight. If he only needs to be in there one day I'll put him in there after his final bath Weds morning and pop him in the fridge that night. He's so ready for it now.
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Old 02-12-2014, 08:50 AM   #6
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the majority use a combined bulb so the heat would be reduced the same as the light and the whole idea is to encourage the tort to empty itself of food and then start to be sleepy which won't happen if the table is still as warm. I assume that those owners with separate light and heat would reduce them the same, I think we're trying to replicate the drop in sunlight and cooler days that they would get in the wild before they naturally hibernate and if you think the heat comes from the sun so when the sun becomes less so does the heat. To keep the table as warm all the time must confuse them and a gradual drop must be more natural then suddenly taking them from warmth to cold.
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Old 02-12-2014, 11:30 AM   #7
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I have separate lights, I used both for week1 and just the uv flood for week 2 as it still gives off some heat. This week is no light but the house is quite warm. Pickles has been sleeping all day apart from a lap of his table after his bath.

I left his box out all night and the max/min record on the thermomerter is between 9.2 and 11 degrees, so I think I'll pop him in there tonight, he'll have his final bath (tepid) tomorrow and into the fridge tomorrow night.

Thanks for your advice everyone
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Last edited by veggie86; 02-12-2014 at 11:39 AM.
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Old 03-12-2014, 06:11 PM   #8
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Unhappy Help needed torts woke up

Can anyone advise me my torts have been in fridge for about 19 days I heard some scratching today and checked some are awake and have been scratching boxes to get out can I take them out and put them bk in sheds with heat then next Wednesday we are having concrete garage they could go outside I think fridge is on blink gone up to 9 Thankyou for any advise
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Old 03-12-2014, 06:38 PM   #9
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I think once they're awake you have to get them up and keep them up over winter.. I'm sure someone more experienced will come and advise soon though...you might get more responses posting a separate thread on the forum.
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Old 03-12-2014, 06:44 PM   #10
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Thanks fir reply Laura I'm not very good at things and never sure how to post I will try and see if I can do a thread
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