Brumation, reptibark

[jasmin1]

Hi
Firstly thanks for all the help and info so far.
Its a learning curve and I think I'm addicted now!
Ok so.
Reptibark for fridge brumation... should I soak, spray before she pops in her box?
Also does this sound like a good wind down plan before hand. ( I've taken into account all the helpful info I've received here, but still would like some confirmation that I've made a sensible plan....or not..as the case may be!)
3/4 week wind down.
Week 1 done...warmish temp ( 15 to 20 celcius)..no food..soaking often

Week 2..as week 1

Week 3.. as above but trying to drop temp..10 to 15 celcius approx

Week 4...as above.
at end of this week pop her in her fridge late eve or early am as advised, while she's coldish.
Fridge at 8/10 celcius, gradually drop it over week 5 to 3/4 degrees.

Opinions on whether to weigh during brumation? If so how often?
Asking this as she's old and not sure of her history, so I will be worried.

Many thanks😁

 

[Tom]

Hi
Firstly thanks for all the help and info so far.
Its a learning curve and I think I'm addicted now!
Ok so.
Reptibark for fridge brumation... should I soak, spray before she pops in her box?
Also does this sound like a good wind down plan before hand. ( I've taken into account all the helpful info I've received here, but still would like some confirmation that I've made a sensible plan....or not..as the case may be!)
3/4 week wind down.
Week 1 done...warmish temp ( 15 to 20 celcius)..no food..soaking often

Week 2..as week 1

Week 3.. as above but trying to drop temp..10 to 15 celcius approx

Week 4...as above.
at end of this week pop her in her fridge late eve or early am as advised, while she's coldish.
Fridge at 8/10 celcius, gradually drop it over week 5 to 3/4 degrees.

Opinions on whether to weigh during brumation? If so how often?
Asking this as she's old and not sure of her history, so I will be worried.

Many thanks😁

Whether to add moisture to the substrate depends on how damp it already is. like it very lightly damp for brumation. Not bone dry, but also not damp or wet either.

During your wind down, the tortoise needs warm temps and a basking area of 36C in order to pass the food that is already in the gut. You need 3 or 4 weeks at WARM temperatures with no more food, and then begin the cool down. You can start shortening the warm temps and basking lamps timer around week two. I'm usually down to about 6-8 hours of the basking lamp by the end of week four. Cold nights are good during this time, but the tortoise must be able to warm up during the day for a while to pass the food. When doing this at this time of year, the tortoise is usually happy to cooperate.

More here:

Tom's Brumation Thread

Every fall we get bombarded here on the forum with all sorts of questions and problems regarding hibernation and tortoises "slowing down" for winter. The purpose of this thread is to talk about all aspects of this subject, to dispel some of the myths and mysteries, and give a "how to" list of...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[jasmin1]

Ah ok thanks
So longer on the warm down.
She's not been to the loo for about a week now and ate very little in the week before that but I will try to keep her a bit warmer for longer before cool down.
For experienced people who have developed a safe method that suits their tortoises and their individual circumstances it must seem reasonably straight forward and common sense.
There is a lot of information out there on tortoise websites and although they basically follow the same route, with only a few conflicting ideas, it can still be a very confusing time for a newbie owner who lacks the experience to be able to filter out any mis information.
This forum must attract owners from all over, accumulating many years of knowledge.
It gives newbies like me alot of comfort and confidence that if/when we go off piste a bit , that there is always someone that can shove us back on the straight and narrow.
very grateful
😁

 

[jasmin1]

Hi all
Ok brumation time frame.
Already done 2 weeks at wrong temp.too cool.
Corrected now. Indoors with basking lamp.
So another 3/4 weeks no food. Basking lamp time gradually reduced.
Then cool down for a week ish ready for fridge.
Potentially that's nearly 7 weeks no food... is that ok?
I'm aware that my mess up of the first 2 weeks has lengthened the whole time frame... is it now too long?
She doesn't really want to use the lamp, she wanders slowly about, rests under it for a few minutes then goes back to bed, then maybe the same again later.
Room temp is about 19/20C in the day and 16C at night.
I've had her for 6 months.
I have no history of her past experiences at all.
She is old, I think.
She came with the house and apparently just survived in the field.
Weight today is 2031g and she is full size , going by what I've read online.
To be honest the whole brumation thing is really scaring me as I've no experience and she's old.
...Do I carry on with the above time line?
Or if it's too long, should I call it a day and start to feed her and keep her up all winter?
It is natural for her to brumate, but have I messed it up?
Will feeding her mess up her body clock, has she gone too far down the fasting road to change now.
I want to learn as much as I can for her sake.
To do what's best for her and her health.
I look forward to your advice on my mess up.
Many thanks

 

[Tom]

Hi all
Ok brumation time frame.
Already done 2 weeks at wrong temp.too cool.
Corrected now. Indoors with basking lamp.
So another 3/4 weeks no food. Basking lamp time gradually reduced.
Then cool down for a week ish ready for fridge.
Potentially that's nearly 7 weeks no food... is that ok?
I'm aware that my mess up of the first 2 weeks has lengthened the whole time frame... is it now too long?
She doesn't really want to use the lamp, she wanders slowly about, rests under it for a few minutes then goes back to bed, then maybe the same again later.
Room temp is about 19/20C in the day and 16C at night.
I've had her for 6 months.
I have no history of her past experiences at all.
She is old, I think.
She came with the house and apparently just survived in the field.
Weight today is 2031g and she is full size , going by what I've read online.
To be honest the whole brumation thing is really scaring me as I've no experience and she's old.
...Do I carry on with the above time line?
Or if it's too long, should I call it a day and start to feed her and keep her up all winter?
It is natural for her to brumate, but have I messed it up?
Will feeding her mess up her body clock, has she gone too far down the fasting road to change now.
I want to learn as much as I can for her sake.
To do what's best for her and her health.
I look forward to your advice on my mess up.
Many thanks

Hi all
Ok brumation time frame.
Already done 2 weeks at wrong temp.too cool.
Corrected now. Indoors with basking lamp.
So another 3/4 weeks no food. Basking lamp time gradually reduced.
Then cool down for a week ish ready for fridge.
Potentially that's nearly 7 weeks no food... is that ok?
I'm aware that my mess up of the first 2 weeks has lengthened the whole time frame... is it now too long?
She doesn't really want to use the lamp, she wanders slowly about, rests under it for a few minutes then goes back to bed, then maybe the same again later.
Room temp is about 19/20C in the day and 16C at night.
I've had her for 6 months.
I have no history of her past experiences at all.
She is old, I think.
She came with the house and apparently just survived in the field.
Weight today is 2031g and she is full size , going by what I've read online.
To be honest the whole brumation thing is really scaring me as I've no experience and she's old.
...Do I carry on with the above time line?
Or if it's too long, should I call it a day and start to feed her and keep her up all winter?
It is natural for her to brumate, but have I messed it up?
Will feeding her mess up her body clock, has she gone too far down the fasting road to change now.
I want to learn as much as I can for her sake.
To do what's best for her and her health.
I look forward to your advice on my mess up.
Many thanks

Given the time frame and what has already been done, I'd do a week or two with the warm temps ad basking lamp, frequent warm soaks, and no more food, and then a couple of weeks gradually cooling with shorter day light cycles, before popping the tortoise into the fridge after a cold night.

There is a wide margin of error in all of this. Many people do it all wrong, miss the time frames, cool too quickly or too slowly, leave them to fend for themselves outside, don't stop feeding them, etc... and most of them still manage to survive just fine.

 

[Sarah2020]

Ah ok thanks
So longer on the warm down.
She's not been to the loo for about a week now and ate very little in the week before that but I will try to keep her a bit warmer for longer before cool down.
For experienced people who have developed a safe method that suits their tortoises and their individual circumstances it must seem reasonably straight forward and common sense.
There is a lot of information out there on tortoise websites and although they basically follow the same route, with only a few conflicting ideas, it can still be a very confusing time for a newbie owner who lacks the experience to be able to filter out any mis information.
This forum must attract owners from all over, accumulating many years of knowledge.
It gives newbies like me alot of comfort and confidence that if/when we go off piste a bit , that there is always someone that can shove us back on the straight and narrow.
very grateful
😁

Soaking in warm shallow water in a high sided container for around 30 mins normally gets the urates and poo moving so try that as part of the vool down ro clear the gut. I normally switch speedy over to another high-sided container when the water cools to continue the soak,

 

[jasmin1]

Given the time frame and what has already been done, I'd do a week or two with the warm temps ad basking lamp, frequent warm soaks, and no more food, and then a couple of weeks gradually cooling with shorter day light cycles, before popping the tortoise into the fridge after a cold night.

There is a wide margin of error in all of this. Many people do it all wrong, miss the time frames, cool too quickly or too slowly, leave them to fend for themselves outside, don't stop feeding them, etc... and most of them still manage to survive just fine.

Thanks tom.
I think I will brave it and carry on with the wind down as you suggest.
2 more weeks with the lamp
2 weeks reducing lamp time.
The weather here is gradually cooling so in a few weeks the room temp at night should be perfect to then pop her in the fridge in the morning.
I think I will weigh her quite often just to make sure she's not losing too much weight. I know you prefer to leave them alone but I think as this is my first one..I would feel more confident.

Just for clarity... her weight seems ok for a full sized old timer....for brumation...(2031g) ?



Many thanks

 

[jasmin1]

Soaking in warm shallow water in a high sided container for around 30 mins normally gets the urates and poo moving so try that as part of the vool down ro clear the gut. I normally switch speedy over to another high-sided container when the water cools to continue the soak,

Thanks Sarah.
I'm soaking her for about 30 mins most days at the mo.
She hates it!
She hates being dried even more 🤣
Just some random pub quiz info... she gains about 4/5g after a soak, and only loses about 1/2 by the next day..
Yeah in know...
I have too much time on my hands!
🤣

 

[Sarah2020]

I weight weekly on a Sunday and maintain a log. Yes tortoise will initially appear hating the soak but as long as water is shallow and warm then persist and watch from afar . Eventually you will get a chilled tort with legs splayed out drinking and chilling. Mine agitates when water cools so I prepare a new container and switch over. Enjoy your tortoise.