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Old 04-12-2017, 06:21 PM   #1
pinkypoo85
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Default Scared to Hibernate :(

Hello I am looking for some help and advice on hibernating my horsefield Winston. He is around 3 years old and I am yet to hibinate him. I have owned him for two years now.

He is starting to eat less and be a little less active over the last few weeks. So I am guessing this means he is wanting to hibinate. I have looked into and done a lot of reasrech with mixed messages.

Firstly it is my understanding the ratio scale does not apply to this type of tortoise. Is this correct?

I have also read that we should start with holding food for a 2 week period to insure an empty gut. But bath daily for a full bladder. Is this correct? Winston tends to wee after his baths so this is a worry for me.

How long will I need to hibinate him for?

I am just so worried about doing it and doing something wrong! It would be great if you could give me some tips and advice

Also what would happen if he didn't hibinate?

Thanks in advance x
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Old 06-12-2017, 11:38 PM   #2
Ozric Jonathan
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Hi there. I don't keep horsfields so my advice is limited! What you describe is the normal kind of advice given for hibernation for Mediterranean species.

Cherry Brandy is a regular poster here and keeps horsfields. I expect she will be along soon to help.

In my opinion nothing bad is going to happen if you don't hibernate this tortoise but you might be right that Winston's behaviour is showing that his biology says that he should be slowing down.

Two weeks fasting might be about right for a three year old. My opinion is that when we start the fasting we should reduce the hours and heat and light at the same time.

There are different opinions about where to hibernate a tortoise as well and mine is to use a fridge unless you are really confident of what conditions there will be outside. Unless you have a spare one, this really means buying a fridge. Sheds and lofts are not right for hibernating a tortoise unless you can monitor the temperature closely and don't have any rats around.

I believe that as a horsfield gets older and bigger it can be hard to keep them awake in winter even with lots of heat and light.

Again it's just my opinion but I think it's relevant what kind of conditions you can provide if you keep him awake. For instance will he have enough space for a decent quality of life.

If you decide to hibernate him, it should be for 8 weeks unless something goes wrong and you have to wake him early.

So it's a tricky decision and there are no easy answers. Is Winston going to be badly harmed if he is kept awake? I suggest he wouldn't be unless he stops eating and loses too much weight.

My advice is keep everything the same for the moment and start taking his weight and writing it down once a week, keep an eye on his activity and feeding.And get more advice!
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Old 07-12-2017, 10:07 AM   #3
sandy
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pinkypoo85 View Post
Hello I am looking for some help and advice on hibernating my horsefield Winston. He is around 3 years old and I am yet to hibinate him. I have owned him for two years now.

He is starting to eat less and be a little less active over the last few weeks. So I am guessing this means he is wanting to hibinate. I have looked into and done a lot of reasrech with mixed messages.

Firstly it is my understanding the ratio scale does not apply to this type of tortoise. Is this correct?

I have also read that we should start with holding food for a 2 week period to insure an empty gut. But bath daily for a full bladder. Is this correct? Winston tends to wee after his baths so this is a worry for me.

How long will I need to hibinate him for?

I am just so worried about doing it and doing something wrong! It would be great if you could give me some tips and advice

Also what would happen if he didn't hibinate?

Thanks in advance x
Horsfields are no different to hibernate than any other med or hibernating species. Except they do tend to decide its time to do so a lot earlier than meds. They react to temps a lot faster.
The thing about not hibernating is horsfields get much larger quicker, because in the wild they only are active for around 3-6 months. The rest of the time they are in hibernation. So they put on far too much weight if kept up.
Age has nothing to do with hibernation, but size can. I would suggest a three week wind down.
First week normal temps and UV with bathing NO FOOD
Week two reduce the temps and UV by something like an hour each end of the day. NO FOOD but bathe.
Third week keep reducing the day until they are not active.
Then hibernate, keeping a close eye on them after the first week. It can take a week for them once in hibernation to really settle down.
All this should be done in a coldish area, as outside temps can/will affect wind down.
The first time is always scary, but a lot easier the second:0)
Even experienced keepers stress:0)
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Old 07-12-2017, 07:56 PM   #4
CherryBrandy
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pinkypoo Welcome . What a dilemma for you - should you shouldn't you - I would say in the least bit of doubt then don't. My first observations are you don't state how much he weighs. The Jackson is a guide but think about wild - the tortoise doesn't consult the ratio guide and will react naturally to the environment and as has been mentioned Horsfields can be difficult in terms of keeping them up - even one of my 1 year old decided it was too cold despite lovely heating/basking UV etc and put up sticks to the end of the enclosure for a 3 week snooze indoors. No amout of tempting him out with cuddles and food helped. Lets see what weight he is before making a decision - its not too late as you can decided well into December and hibernate for January.


Personally I am a great believer in hibernation as I think it recharges those batteries but it can be very daunting for a TK first time, 2nd time and so forth. CB
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Old 08-12-2017, 03:07 PM   #5
Jan W
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Welcome to the forum.

I was very scared so know how you feel. My two decided they were going into hibernation anyway so it made it easier to bite the bullet and do the right thing as I was keeping them up for me and my fears.

I'm still scared now!

However, I monitor the temperature digitally, check them every week.

Remember if you do decide to let Winston have his period of hibernation you can ask lots of questions here.
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