Advice on NOT hibernating

[abee_fell_]

I think this may be a bit of a controversial subject, but I'm not hibernating my torts this year. Simple reason being, I don't feel confident enough doing it yet, I've only had Honey and Mustard since June and feel they're only really settling in and getting to know me... and I think I'd miss them a bit too much.

I'm just wondering though, through the winter months, I think I may need a heat lamp on over night, or set up in case it gets too cold through the night as this week I've seen the thermometer go down to 19c in my room at night and I've had to put a blanket over the top of the cage to warm it up a bit. Would a red heat lamp be OK to use, so it doesn't disturb their sleep or my sleep when it comes on?

Also, should I be feeding them more food as they seem to have quite healthy appetites already, as a rule of thumb, at the moment I alternate giving them a large amount and then a smaller amount of food everyday, should I maybe increase it to a larger amount each day?

Are there any others out there keeping their torts awake this winter? Any tips?

[The Baron]

Evening,

I too will be over wintering this winter! Only got Baron in December so don't quite feel confident enough yet to put him in a box for a few months!

There is loads of info if you search "over wintering":

http://www.shelledwarriors.co.uk/for...archid=1508524

I am pretty sure that you feed them as normal but not 100% sure on temps! I sure someone will be along soon to give much more informative advice!! ;0)

[hermann27]

same here only had my tort for a week and dont realy want to put him away just yet. maby next year dont fell confidant in doing it though.

[abee_fell_]

Brill thanks for the key word, I could not for the life of me think what to search for info, I knew there was bound to be some but couldn't think of the term for it! x

[Ozric Jonathan]

Hi, Unless you live in a very cold and/or draughty house I don't believe you will have any need for addtional heating. Many of us that keep hermanns don't worry if nightime temps go down as low as 10C and very few houses in the UK get as cold as that nowadays. Although it is important to make sure there are not cold draughts. If your housing is at table level there probably won't be unless you live in a leaky stone cottage with no insulation.

Apart from the heat aspect, tortoises that are over-wintered need enough light stimulation to stay active. In general you won't see the levels of activity and of apetite that you get in summer. They 'know' its not normal waking time and lots of keepers find them sluggish no matter how much heat and light they provide artificially.

I personally believe that hibernation is benefical for Hermanns that are a good weight and in good health and their keepers feel OK about doing it. If those things are not in place then I personally do not think that over-wintering is at all harmful. One reason I hibernate tortoises that I think are fit and a good weight is that no matter how hard I try I cannot offer them a great quality of life indoors, so if they have a break for a couple of months then frankly, they ain't missin' much!

[Alan1]

In the spring time there were quite a few instances on here of torts that had gone missing last autumn only for them to pop up again in spring, Red Foot Marg had one that was just a hatchling that year and in Perthshire too!

I would like to let them do their own hibernating somewhere where I know they are and that doesn't get severely cold but can't really think of how I'd go about creating such an environment

[16 shells]

This would be the way i would like to go, I think the best way would be a greenhouse/ large coldframe. I set my enclosure up for this in mind, it has a coldframe area with 1ft deep of soft topsoil, if they dug in, i could monitor temps and cover/uncover as needed. Last year's box method, the temp's fluctuated, like mad, 3c to 7c over 12 week's, they were ok, and went through it.
Paul

[dugy]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/22-watt-Electr...d=p3286.c0.m14

i may need to overwinter mr percy therfore i got myslef two of these (mine werne't eh electric ones!!) but i got two for a tenner.. gunna use it for growing teh seeds from teh SW shop which i would highley reccomend...

i over wintered last year and i would just say do exactly the same as you would during the summer apart from not outdoors if its cold (obviously it will be!)

if you really are concerned about the heat there are cerimic heat lamps available although as said they arent really needed unless you live in a really badly insulated house far up scotland!!?

[Pussygalore]

one thing that has been suggested about overwintering is to keep the tort in a room with no windows or natural light, some think that the torts can tell the length of day from what they see so if they can't see daylight then they won't know its shortened. When I overwintered mine as youngsters I had them in the small office and by shutting the door at night the room stayed warm plus it only meant having that radiater on. If we are trying to replicate summer them I'd have thought that you don't want the night temps to drop to low, they don't in the summer, cool nights are associated with autumm etc my room was about 70f at night. I also think that you need to start your overwintering temps before they start to slow down as its hard to get them going again ie bring them in,keep the temps up etc but still put them out if the weather is nice, outside torts are already showing signs of slowing so don't leave it to late in stopping it happening. I've made another table up in the conservatory and am putting the hatchlings in there through the day if they can't go out, it gets far more light and heat than in the front room this time of year and its perked them up a lot, they come back in the house late afternoom when the sun has moved around as the room is warmer at night.

[andy1]

16 shells

If you are going to let them hibernate naturally in the ground, always remember 2 things, 1 they wont survive in waterlogged ground and 2 ,while buried in the ground they can become a hidden food larder for rats....i should know , i have 1 of 4 that were attecked. 1 dead,2 with 1 front foot missing each and 1 with both front feet missing.

I believe natural hibernation is still a good way but i would want to bury mesh or some other protective measure as a precaution.

Andy