Hibernation update

[veggie86]

Bit boring really - but I guess that's a good thing

Pickles has been in the fridge for 2 weeks today. He's fast asleep, but still moved his legs a bit when I picked him up to weigh him. He's lost 1g since he went in. The fridge temps have been between 4.7 and 6.2. the higher end was when I took the box out to check him. Every time I've checked the temps when I've gone past it's been between 5 and 5.2. I'm well impressed, that fridge cost me £10 from the free ads!

Can't wait for the 8 weeks to be up. I miss him

[veggie86]

Half way through! Temps holding, hasn't lost any more weight. All good

Really glad I decided to let him hibernate in the end. Can't wait to see him properly again though.

[Catwoman63]

Have you checked he hasn't urinated? Sounds all good so far, my last 2 hibernators are going in the fridge tomorrow, the other 3 have been in hibernation for 5 weeks now x

[veggie86]

Yeah I do have a quick look in his box every morning to make sure he hasn't urinated, he's in a shoe box in the fridge so I can just lift the lid to peek without disturbing him.

I can't believe it's been 4 weeks! I was only going to go for 6-8 as it's his first one. Do you only get them up if they loose too much weight or urinate? How long can they stay down for if left alone and all is well? I'm assuming in the wild they would get up with the warmer weather, which isn't going to happen in the fridge, so how would he know when to start waking up?

[Catwoman63]

It will be you who decides when to get him up, if it were one of mines first time I would only do 8 weeks, and if they were ok then next time do a week or 2 more, it's when they wake up that you need to check they are ok as well. When I'm ready to get them up, I take the box with them in it out of the fridge, leave the tort in the box to get to room temp for a couple of hours, then I put the tort in its warm table but not directly under the lamp, more often than not they will slowly make their way under the basking lamp themselves, then after they have warmed up enough I give them a warm long bath, then back in their table, and offer food, some eat a bit straight away and some take a while longer, it can take a few days before they urinate and poop, and up to a week to get back to their stomping selves x

[veggie86]

Ok, thanks Yeah I thought 8 weeks was the max for him. I really miss him, not sure I could leave it much longer!

[Catwoman63]

Then don't, if I wanted to get any of my 5 that's in hibernation then I would I'm having a bit of trouble with one of the boxes temps, its struggling to go below 7c the thermometer alarm keeps beeping, the rest. Are between 4.8 and 5.4 but the box near the top is not going low enough so I might have to get that tort up x

[veggie86]

Well Pickles did 7 1/2 weeks for his first hibernation. He lost 1g while he was in the fridge and was up and eating within a few hours of me waking him up He was back to his pre-wind down weight in three days and is currently 1g heavier than he's ever been and eating like a machine! He's still being a bit lazy but is stomping over to his food in the mornings and has been exploring his new table (the girls moved into his old one while he was asleep!)

So glad I decided to hibernate him. Thanks for all the advice and reassurance on here