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Old 16-06-2014, 10:53 AM   #11
Suze65
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The same works over here for weeds, I always sort of feed up my tortoises from May until around the beginning of August. I sow my seeds in October all over the garden. So they germinate and grow for when my tortoises come out of hibernation. They are sort of over fed, or make pigs of themselves on the weeds. Then in August I have lots of hibiscus flowers and lavvy flowers along with any weeds that are still around. This tends to be less amounts of food. Then at the beginning of September my tortoises have already began to slow down ( you can hardly notice this, but they have) so can come out and graze as they wish, with the odd top up of food now and again. Then as the days get really short, they will be ready for hibernation.
I completely agree with this, I think we should be trying to follow their natural feeding habits, mine do this, and as Sandy has said they start to very slowly , slow down from September onwards, mine do a natural outdoor wind down, all by themselves. So back to natural feeding habits, rather than restricting food.
I'm going to throw a spanner in the works now I think hibernation is part of their natural feeding cycle, ok if know that's going to open a huge can of worms. Yes I know hibernation is a survival strategy, but over thousands of years their natural growth has evolved to fit in with that down time. Hope that makes sense. That's just my theory, I don't mind if people disagree
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Old 16-06-2014, 11:15 AM   #12
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Might be a silly question but as the plants grow the nutrients are in them, if they get dried up by the sun does that remove the nutrients or just the moisture content of the plant? would it mean that the tortoise just drinks more and rehydrates the plants within its system? a bit like adding boiling water to dried packet foods such as stuffing!?
I would think it would remove a lot of the nutrients, when we cook veg, much of the original nutrients are destroyed. But obviously cooking them is different to being dried/baked by the sun, so I may be wrong. x
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Old 16-06-2014, 11:23 AM   #13
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I completely agree with this, I think we should be trying to follow their natural feeding habits, mine do this, and as Sandy has said they start to very slowly , slow down from September onwards, mine do a natural outdoor wind down, all by themselves. So back to natural feeding habits, rather than restricting food.
I'm going to throw a spanner in the works now I think hibernation is part of their natural feeding cycle, ok if know that's going to open a huge can of worms. Yes I know hibernation is a survival strategy, but over thousands of years their natural growth has evolved to fit in with that down time. Hope that makes sense. That's just my theory, I don't mind if people disagree
I agree with you. BUT I also think that you have to be competent and knowledgeable enough before starting the process, it can't be good for them to start the process then be yanked out if it by a panicking keeper, I'm the first to admit I haven't done it. I'd only had Darwin a few weeks by hibernation time last year, I also don't think Galileo would be suitable for hibernating this year. I am planning on reading up on it and may try next year.

I'm also of the thought though, that hibernation is to survive, I can provide year round sun and UV, is it necessary to hibernate them then?

So to sum up, I really don't know!!
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Old 16-06-2014, 02:25 PM   #14
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The mediterranean species in the wild experience periods in the summer where it is too hot a lot of the time for them to be out and about. There is also not much food at that time due to the low rainfall and high temperatures. So they just hang out in shady areas avoiding the heat. For those of us keeping these species in the UK, there is no point in the year when we are copying these conditions. Our hottest summer conditions are more or less like spring in the Med.

For this and other reasons I don't think we can talk too much of tortoises experiencing anything like natural conditions in the UK. Although I am saying this from the point of view of having just about the worst tortoise keeping weather in the UK and the situation is maybe very different on the south coast!
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Old 16-06-2014, 02:33 PM   #15
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The mediterranean species in the wild experience periods in the summer where it is too hot a lot of the time for them to be out and about. There is also not much food at that time due to the low rainfall and high temperatures. So they just hang out in shady areas avoiding the heat. For those of us keeping these species in the UK, there is no point in the year when we are copying these conditions. Our hottest summer conditions are more or less like spring in the Med.

For this and other reasons I don't think we can talk too much of tortoises experiencing anything like natural conditions in the UK. Although I am saying this from the point of view of having just about the worst tortoise keeping weather in the UK and the situation is maybe very different on the south coast!
No it isn't exactly the same as med conditions, and it does get a bit closer to it down here than where you are, and when it does get blistering hot, like last summer, I do see my torts do just as you have said, they don't eat much, they go and find shade by about 11am and don't come out again till about 4/5 pm.
But I do think we can try a replicate natural feeding patterns to a point. It will never be exactly the same. And I feel hibernation has evolved to become part of that natural feeding pattern, even though it is a survival strategy. I know many won't agree with that and that's fine, I happy with what I think
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Old 16-06-2014, 02:45 PM   #16
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I agree with you. BUT I also think that you have to be competent and knowledgeable enough before starting the process, it can't be good for them to start the process then be yanked out if it by a panicking keeper, I'm the first to admit I haven't done it. I'd only had Darwin a few weeks by hibernation time last year, I also don't think Galileo would be suitable for hibernating this year. I am planning on reading up on it and may try next year.

I'm also of the thought though, that hibernation is to survive, I can provide year round sun and UV, is it necessary to hibernate them then?

So to sum up, I really don't know!!
Yes absolutely Becci, you must be confident enough to go ahead with hibernation.
Hibernation is a survival strategy, but I believe that over thousands of years it's become part of their natural life cycle, it is definitely part of their breeding cycle. You don't have to force a tortoise to hibernate, but you do have to force it to stay awake all winter , and that can be difficult with old tors who have hibernated all their lives. And some torts how ever hard you try to keep them going all winter will still slow down for a while. I know some of my hatchlings last winter were sleeping longer during the day by January, and they were plenty warm, and lights on for 12 hours a day.
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Old 16-06-2014, 04:11 PM   #17
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Mine slept a lot more too x
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Old 16-06-2014, 05:33 PM   #18
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I would still imagine that because of our higher rainfall through the summer that our weeds and plants would be richer than those in climates where rain is very infrequent through the summer. Weeds might be abundant in the spring but I doubt they be green and fresh for long, whenever we've been to med its been very dry and the plants aren't much more than dried up brownish weeds not the green lush ones we can find most of the year. I don't think we can replicate the natural diet unless we actually live there we all know how quickly our garden plants,grass etc will die if we don't water them if we do have a dry spell well doesn't the med etc have a 'dry spell' most of the summer.
Exactly, my weeds do dry up at the end of July, I then feed flowers, which tortoises would do in the wild:0)
I would never feed pellet foods, as it goes against my way of keeping tortoises. I also rarely feed salad foods either, as I have enough weeds and flowers not too:0)
I try to feed with the seasons, so in August tortoises rarely get fed anything other than what they can find:0)
They have had more rain in the south of france than we have:0)
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Old 16-06-2014, 06:04 PM   #19
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Exactly, my weeds do dry up at the end of July, I then feed flowers, which tortoises would do in the wild:0)
I would never feed pellet foods, as it goes against my way of keeping tortoises. I also rarely feed salad foods either, as I have enough weeds and flowers not too:0)
I try to feed with the seasons, so in August tortoises rarely get fed anything other than what they can find:0)
They have had more rain in the south of france than we have:0)
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