Francis has awoken!

[Bass.Isles]

My 12-year-old Gopher Tortoise, Francis, came out of hibernation yesterday. Here he is about to enjoy his favorite meal of Hibiscus flowers and leaves at one end of his hibernation quarters. So happy to see him out and active again! He's raring and ready to get back out in the grass.

 

[Yvonne G]

You're lucky. I looked in at my Texas tortoises (because I could smell something rotten) and three of them had died during hibernation. Last year I hibernated them in a disconnected freezer and lost one, now this year I hibernated them in a protected and dry shelter outside and lost three. I guess what I have left will not be allowed to hibernate next winter.

Francis is a beauty. What was the length of his hibernation?

 

[Lyn W]

You're lucky. I looked in at my Texas tortoises (because I could smell something rotten) and three of them had died during hibernation. Last year I hibernated them in a disconnected freezer and lost one, now this year I hibernated them in a protected and dry shelter outside and lost three. I guess what I have left will not be allowed to hibernate next winter.

Francis is a beauty. What was the length of his hibernation?

So sorry to hear that Yvonne, it's a risky business isn't it?
Glad Francis is Ok though and looks ready to face the world again.

 

[Bass.Isles]

You're lucky. I looked in at my Texas tortoises (because I could smell something rotten) and three of them had died during hibernation. Last year I hibernated them in a disconnected freezer and lost one, now this year I hibernated them in a protected and dry shelter outside and lost three. I guess what I have left will not be allowed to hibernate next winter.

Francis is a beauty. What was the length of his hibernation?

Oh God, I am SO sorry. That's awful. He actually only usually hibernates for about 3 months on average. It was the same this year. I really have never like, forced him into hibernation, I just put him in this enclosure around the same time each year and let him sleep as he pleases. I always make sure he has some water at one end just in case he decides to wake up lol. This is his hibernate enclosure.I cover the top, obviously. but this is what it looks like uncovered.

 

[Yvonne G]

Nice. How long have you had him?

 

[Bass.Isles]

Nice. How long have you had him?

Since 2005. I found him half dead, about the size of a golf ball. Took a long while to get him well. I couldn't actually tell for certain that "he" was a he, until about two years ago when he was old enough to accurately sex. I had been referring to him with female pronouns for like 10 years. Haha.

 

[JohnnyB65]

You're lucky. I looked in at my Texas tortoises (because I could smell something rotten) and three of them had died during hibernation. Last year I hibernated them in a disconnected freezer and lost one, now this year I hibernated them in a protected and dry shelter outside and lost three. I guess what I have left will not be allowed to hibernate next winter.

Francis is a beauty. What was the length of his hibernation?

OMG Yvonne, that is my worst fear. Every year I worry mine will not come out. Mine is deep under ground and with all the rain we had this year, I was afraid he would drown so I put a wheelbarrow upside down over his entrance to divert the rain water.

 

[BeeBee*BeeLeaves]

You're lucky. I looked in at my Texas tortoises (because I could smell something rotten) and three of them had died during hibernation.

Oh, dear. Yvonne! That is devastating. My heart dropped reading this. Sigh. What could have happened? Sad x 3.

Bass.Isles, yay for Francis! Phew! Saint Francis that he's up and ready to go. Someday I will have to read up on the difference between gopher gopherus California desert gopherus. Francis looks like one of ours to me. He's a beauty!