hibernation..again!!!!!

[ghone]

hi im having a panic i know hibernation has been done to death and i apologise to everyone if this has been discussed already ! my horsefields have been winding down in their shed for about a month and were due to go into the fridge saturday night when i checked on them today they have all dug down by themselves one is quite near the surface but the other four are way down in soil and sand. Should i leave them to it or dig them up? will they suffocate? what about the one near the surface? the temp out there ranges from 5 at night to 7 in the day time thanks in advance! gail

[linda]

no they will not suffocate they dig down in the wild

the one near the surface will dig lower if the temperatures dictate

as long as there is no freezing weather coming they should be fine does your shed have a heat source to protect from very cold conditions

you could put them in the fridge sooner it sounds as if they are ready

[ghone]

hi thanks linda yes i do have back up heat...though im more worried about it being not cold enough! i would rather leave them where they are since theyve done it themselves and they generally hate me interfering with what they do my main worry was the suffocation business so thanks for putting my mind at rest gail

[sandy]

Some keepers horsfields go down further than arms length<g>. They are renown for going
down at the sign of cold weather/temps, catching keepers unaware.

[piglet]

Gail one of my adult female horsfields dug a deep burrow in the summer, it must have been at least 3ft deep I couldn't reach the end, she stayed in this burrow for almost 9 weeks through the torential rain and all she emerged very muddy and in perfect health one very cold morning in late Sepetmber so I would imagine they are totally safe when dug in deep

D

[ghone]

thanks all of you i feel a lot happier now!