Hermans hibernation issues

[dickllewellyn]

Good evening all

I've got a few confidence issues with hibernation this year. The last few have been fine, and so far I'm working to the same schedule, but it aint getting cold yet!!

Boris is 7 years old and lives outside and has done for the last 4 years. He has been off the food now since the end of September, with the theory that by now frosts will be looking likelier and he will be ready to nap down. Generally I like to let him start the process himself, he will begin to burry himself and then I put Hemcore over the top of him to keep the frost off before later moving him into a box in a box for more control once he's sleeping. I lost a Tort two years ago after we had a warm snap and he woke up, un-buried himself, and consequently froze, and I've been a bit twitchy about it ever since. My concern is that Boris will be eating of his own accord in the warmth (he tends to dig up worms or chew grass if I'm not giving him his weeds), or he will be losing too much weight. I'm debating weather I should pick up the feeding again and bring him indoors this winter.

What's the consensus of the board?

[Pussygalore]

I beleive that boxing will only work if the tort is in an area where the temp can be controled ideally kept around 5c with a heater on a thermostat if the temps go to low. In my case that meant an old brick building at our previous place where it was cold all year thus ideal and making an insulated area under the shelf in a brick shed where we are now. The other choice is to use a fridge which can be controled, I know some use a greenhouse and allow the tort to dig but it needs to have a good couple of foot that it can dig down in I never tried that method, to be honest if you don't have an ideal hibernation set up then I personally wouldn't take the risk, done correctly most risks are removed.

[sandy]

Originally Posted by dickllewellyn

Good evening all

I've got a few confidence issues with hibernation this year. The last few have been fine, and so far I'm working to the same schedule, but it aint getting cold yet!!

Boris is 7 years old and lives outside and has done for the last 4 years. He has been off the food now since the end of September, with the theory that by now frosts will be looking likelier and he will be ready to nap down. Generally I like to let him start the process himself, he will begin to burry himself and then I put Hemcore over the top of him to keep the frost off before later moving him into a box in a box for more control once he's sleeping. I lost a Tort two years ago after we had a warm snap and he woke up, un-buried himself, and consequently froze, and I've been a bit twitchy about it ever since. My concern is that Boris will be eating of his own accord in the warmth (he tends to dig up worms or chew grass if I'm not giving him his weeds), or he will be losing too much weight. I'm debating weather I should pick up the feeding again and bring him indoors this winter.

What's the consensus of the board?

Once my tortoises bury themselves down in my GH soil. They wont don't dig themselves up until the soil has warmed up in the Spring. Even on the warmest days when the GH gets quite hot, they wont wake up. As its the whole garden soil has to warm up before they do.
Here in Kent, one of my tortoises buried herself down three weeks ago, and even when temps outside (not in the GH) were up to 24c, she is still down.
Temps in the GH must have been a lot hotter.

So I would say you have not really followed the correct instructions for winding down your tortoise. Which is vital.
Of course tortoises will lose weight during the wind down, because they are not eating. But temps wherever you wind them down should be cold. And remain cold. As the tortoise has to completely shut down. If done in the warm this does not happen.

For some great hibernation instructions go to www.thetortoisehouse.com

[Catwoman63]

I use the fridge method, but wind down my torts in their sheds for the whole process, gradually reducing the heat and light over a 4 week period, one of my adult females was still eating grass and weeds until I had to shut her in the shed to stop her eating, I didn't like doing that that had to for her stomache to empty x