First Hibernation

[Aliproctor]

Hello All.
I have recently taken ownership of 2 Mediterranean Tortoises (actual breed unknown, but i have narrowed them down to Hermanns) previous owner never hibernated them however, one of mine has burrowed themselves in the soil of the garden.. the previous owner said they have never done this, but he didnt have a garden... The other appears to be trying to do the same, but cant quite do it..
My questions to anyone are;
If they have burrowed themselves, will they be fine until they decide to come out themselves - i can just see the shell poking out from the soil.
If i get a heap load more soil/sand, will the other one manage to burrow herself in the garden? Or should i get a couple of boxes, and part fill it with soil, so she is safe in that?
So many scenarios on google, but i could do with a straight answer/help
Thank you
I am grateful of any advice anyone can offer...

 

[FrankIinTheTortoise]

Hello All.
I have recently taken ownership of 2 Mediterranean Tortoises (actual breed unknown, but i have narrowed them down to Hermanns) previous owner never hibernated them however, one of mine has burrowed themselves in the soil of the garden.. the previous owner said they have never done this, but he didnt have a garden... The other appears to be trying to do the same, but cant quite do it..
My questions to anyone are;
If they have burrowed themselves, will they be fine until they decide to come out themselves - i can just see the shell poking out from the soil.
If i get a heap load more soil/sand, will the other one manage to burrow herself in the garden? Or should i get a couple of boxes, and part fill it with soil, so she is safe in that?
So many scenarios on google, but i could do with a straight answer/help
Thank you
I am grateful of any advice anyone can offer...

As long as it isn't cold where you are and there are no predators it'll be just fine. They can decide when they want to come out. If I were you I would get a couple boxes and part fill them with soil, it will be better since she isn't out in the open, exposed to any predators.

 

[Aliproctor]

As long as it isn't cold where you are and there are no predators it'll be just fine. They can decide when they want to come out. If I were you I would get a couple boxes and part fill them with soil, it will be better since she isn't out in the open, exposed to any predators.

I live in Saudi Arabia, very warm/hot however the mornings have dipped quite low.. no major predators around as i am on a compound, just the occasional stray cat.

 

[FrankIinTheTortoise]

I live in Saudi Arabia, very warm/hot however the mornings have dipped quite low.. no major predators around as i am on a compound, just the occasional stray cat.

Alright then you're good too go. Welcome to the forum and enjoy your stay here!

 

[KarenSoCal]

Hi, and welcome!

Do you have a couple pictures of your tortoises? The first thing we need to do is get a positive ID on their species. We need pics of the carapace, plastron, and if they are older than babies, a pic of the plastron clearly showing the tail area. Hopefully we can tell you if they are boys or girls.

If they sleep in your garden and it's warm, they can use too much of their body's reserves, fat and water, and die while asleep. Where I live it stays warm all winter, and I brumated my desert tort in an operating refrigerator. Several members use that method. If yours really are Hermann's, they are to be in the low 40°'s while they brumate, without letting them freeze.

Here is a care sheet for your type of tortoise. It covers them even if they aren't Hermann's specifically. Once we get some pics, we can verify what they are.

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

www.tortoiseforum.org

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome!

After we find out what species your tortoises are, we can give you better advice as to whether you should allow them to brumate or not. But personally, I would not allow it their first year with me. I'd keep them awake so I can know if they're healthy or not.