Short hibernation

[sandy]

Originally Posted by Gordon

Personally I don't tend to worry to much about the food side of things even though I do try and make sure they are empty.
I can't see that a tortoise in the wild will starve itself for three to four weeks they will have a limited amount to eat I'm sure but if it gets warm enough to eat I'm sure they will and then if the temp drop again being a reptile they will sleep again.
It's the same with tortoises that are carrying eggs some people say don't hibernate them but mine have hibernated with eggs and as soon as awake they tend to get rid of them again I'm sure this happens in the wild.
I think a lot of the information we tend to think as gospel is very outdated hence we tend to get an awful lot of people that are to frightened to hibernate.

These are my thoughts please don't shoot me.

I agree Gordon.
I have not worried about egg laying as mine too will lay when they get up.
As for eating, mine start to slow down their eating themselves from around late August. If more actually watched their tortoises over a few years they can see for themselves. Although experience does help:0)

[Gordon]

Originally Posted by sandy

I agree Gordon.
I have not worried about egg laying as mine too will lay when they get up.
As for eating, mine start to slow down their eating themselves from around late August. If more actually watched their tortoises over a few years they can see for themselves. Although experience does help:0)

One thing that does puzzle me is any eggs I have ever had have always been infertile.
So are they fertile before they hibernate and loose the fertility over hibernation or something else as I can't see any reason that a fertile tortoise would use all that energy and calcium to just carry infertile eggs all that time.

[sandy]

Originally Posted by Gordon

One thing that does puzzle me is any eggs I have ever had have always been infertile.
So are they fertile before they hibernate and loose the fertility over hibernation or something else as I can't see any reason that a fertile tortoise would use all that energy and calcium to just carry infertile eggs all that time.

Mine have mostly been fertile when laid after hibernation. Maybe its down to species?

[Gordon]

Originally Posted by sandy

Mine have mostly been fertile when laid after hibernation. Maybe its down to species?

That's a possibility as it's always my thb that do it and seem to cause me more trouble than all my other torts put together

[amph55]

I have a hibernating tortoise and some concerns as weather warming up this week and after the weekend. Want him to stay asleep as his favourite food not available and he always refuses anything else. Have a table top fridge and so using a box with air holes in and trying that for a couple of weeks. Anyone else had to do this and what are the pitfalls? I've always hibernated him in a box of dry peat in a shady spot in the ground.

[Gordon]

Well that's it I gave in today they are all up beaks trimmed where needed and a nice warm bath before off to the greenhouse.
Within an hour they were all stomping about and eating so that makes me think I've done the best thing and got them up.

[Ozric Jonathan]

I use a fridge each time and find it OK. The temp can be exactly controlled and I know there are no rats.

It's not natural though, I know that.

[Alan1]

We've had pretty mild temperatures for over a week now, 12c yesterday and 14c forecast today but much warmer in the greenhouse of course if the sun is out. I had a look a while back in the tub of soil and they have moved from the spots where they buried down originally. I can see the top of the shell of one of them but I'm letting them just come out themselves. With the insulation round the tub of soil, any change in temps is very gradual so although it can get very warm in the greenhouse there's not much of a change in the tub.
The fact the they move around in there during hibernation would always make me wary about the fridge method. Do they need to move around to keep their joints from seizing up or what?

[sandy]

Originally Posted by Alan1

We've had pretty mild temperatures for over a week now, 12c yesterday and 14c forecast today but much warmer in the greenhouse of course if the sun is out. I had a look a while back in the tub of soil and they have moved from the spots where they buried down originally. I can see the top of the shell of one of them but I'm letting them just come out themselves. With the insulation round the tub of soil, any change in temps is very gradual so although it can get very warm in the greenhouse there's not much of a change in the tub.
The fact the they move around in there during hibernation would always make me wary about the fridge method. Do they need to move around to keep their joints from seizing up or what?

They move only when temps rise, or fall. It's all about temps:0)

[Yvonne G]

We'll need someone with more breeding experience than I to explain it, but I've always thought the ovum didn't get fertilized until right before the calcium shell was deposited on it, which would be right before laying. ??????? So the female doesn't carry fertilized ovum through brumation, she just hangs onto the sperm until she is ready to lay the eggs, then the eggs are fertilized. At least, that's what I've always thought.