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Old 01-11-2016, 10:21 PM   #1
GemJam
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Hi all,

I hope all your tortoises are settling and adjusting to the colder temperatures.

I just need a bit of advice regarding hibernation. My Hermanns is 3 years old, 95mm in length and weighs 150g and usually overwinters. I have overwintered previously due to her being underweight.

I feel this year may be the year to hibernate. I have a combi bulb on from 9am - 4pm (reduced hours since summer) in a tortoise table, however she has not got up in the past 3 days and has buried herself in the soil. She last ate on Saturday after we gave her a bath and not seen her up since!!

Can anyone advise me of a good link to read about hibernation process and/or provide a crash course based on fridge hibernation.

Or do you think I should overwinter her this year?

*EDIT* I have just used the Jackson ratio to find she is 0.17, which they recommend is too light for hibernation. I do not want to risk putting her into hibernation and becoming ill or worse. Your advice is greatly appreciated on this!

Many thanks in advance,

Gemma and Hettie
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Last edited by GemJam; 01-11-2016 at 10:26 PM.
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Old 03-11-2016, 02:09 PM   #2
Ozric Jonathan
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Hi Gemma

my suggestion would be to over-winter but others may feel this is too cautious.

I like the Tortoise Trust Safer Hibernation Guide

http://www.tortoisetrust.org/article...bernation.html

and the Tortoise House guide is also well respected

http://www.thetortoisehouse.com/

The tortoise trust guide will say you should over-winter if your JR is right. I think it's worth checking your measurements.

My own experience with keeping them up is that a lot of heat and light is necessary to keep them up if the slowing down process has gone past a certain point. After the tortoise is back up to normal speed (as it were) it will then seek out heat and light just like it has all summer.

If I was in your position I would get this tortoise up and make sure it is exposed to a lot of heat and light which is likely to work given your tortoise hasn't hibernated previously. But as you know hibernation is one of the topics that there is lots of strong views about and I'd urge you to get some different opinions and make up your own mind based on your experience of keeping this specific tortoise, what his current weight and length are, what kind of summer he's had (e.g. did his weight go up and was he eating well and having decent weather).
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Old 03-11-2016, 03:31 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GemJam View Post
Hi all,

I hope all your tortoises are settling and adjusting to the colder temperatures.

I just need a bit of advice regarding hibernation. My Hermanns is 3 years old, 95mm in length and weighs 150g and usually overwinters. I have overwintered previously due to her being underweight.

I feel this year may be the year to hibernate. I have a combi bulb on from 9am - 4pm (reduced hours since summer) in a tortoise table, however she has not got up in the past 3 days and has buried herself in the soil. She last ate on Saturday after we gave her a bath and not seen her up since!!

Can anyone advise me of a good link to read about hibernation process and/or provide a crash course based on fridge hibernation.

Or do you think I should overwinter her this year?

*EDIT* I have just used the Jackson ratio to find she is 0.17, which they recommend is too light for hibernation. I do not want to risk putting her into hibernation and becoming ill or worse. Your advice is greatly appreciated on this!

Many thanks in advance,

Gemma and Hettie

You have to be really honest with yourself.
Are your fears of hibernation taking over your ability to be accurate with measurements etc:0)
As three years old with that weight sounds fine to me. You have to remember the Jackson ratio is only a guide, and not set in stone.
If you have been watching your tortoises habits over the last few years, and he/she has been eating and drinking, and acting normally then it should be fine.
I don't weigh any of my tortoises now, but use their Health and behaviour as the guide. And my tortoises dig down in my garden soil in the greenhouse. So i also can't weigh them during this time. And have done this for 20years. Including small tortoises.
Being scared of hibernation is worse for you than the tortoises, as its part of their normal behaviour. And have survived millions of years doing things their way:0)
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Old 03-11-2016, 06:44 PM   #4
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Gemma, Elenor is 200 grammes Spur, and I am over wintering her even though I am an avid supporter of hibernation. There is nothing wrong with hibernating the tinest of torts as its done in the wild under controlled conditions - where do they go when they are months old coming up to winter ! - I think if you are least bit doubtful then don't hibernate. Personally I wouldn't at 150 grammes but if you did there wouldn't be anything wrong with it for a shorter period. I don't worry about my older torts they do what they want when they want but the smaller ones I can see its nerve wracking for people who are unsure. good luck. She can see in Christmas with you ! CB
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Old 03-11-2016, 06:45 PM   #5
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And we will expect a photograph ! CB
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Old 04-11-2016, 03:47 PM   #6
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I'm going to sit on the fence , I think you could hibernate her for a short period, about 6/8 weeks and I'm sure she would be fine, of just give the whole thing a miss this year if you don't feel confident.
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Old 04-11-2016, 04:49 PM   #7
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I'm going to sit on the fence , I think you could hibernate her for a short period, about 6/8 weeks and I'm sure she would be fine, of just give the whole thing a miss this year if you don't feel confident.
Well said, and I agree totaly.
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Old 04-11-2016, 07:01 PM   #8
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I have some babes here I would love to hibernate, but really unsure how to do it. The reason being my adults hibernate like yours Sandy......they do their own thing..... and I am not sure how I would manage the babes.
I would love them to hibernate, but I don't want the fridge or box.....I need them to be as natural as possible.
How would you do this in the greenhouse Sandy. I thought about a separate container full of soil.....I have three at 2years and 1 just a year old x X X hugs x X
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Old 04-11-2016, 07:36 PM   #9
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Thank you everyone for your thoughts and advice.

I like the idea of hibernating my tort for a short period of time, I hadn't thought of that.

Sandy, I would love to hear more about your greenhouse hibernation. Do you have a box/tub of soil they dig in to? Or are they digging straight into the ground within the greenhouse?

I have a greenhouse, however it is missing a few panes at the moment, so have to get that sorted ASAP. I am currently planning and starting to build my outdoor enclosure for Hettie and she will move from her tort table and outside in to the big wide world, in the spring. Do you have any pictures of your set up? I would love to see their homes, as I want to go down the natural route.
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Old 05-11-2016, 06:39 PM   #10
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Hi Gemma if you decide to hibernate your tort this year you might still be advised to keep Hettie up for a week or two without food if she last ate a week ago.

There isn't total agreement about this either, but most keepers like to know that the last food is really far along the digestive system. And some insist that it has to have come out the other end before the tort can safely go into hibernation. Activity without feeding may lead to some weight being lost.
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