Hibernating tomorrow, caught her eating....any thoughts?!

MarilynTheTort

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Hello! I've been recommended here by one of Marilyn's tortie friends on Instagram when I asked for some advice...
See, Marilyn has been sneaky. She is due to go in the fridge tomorrow for hibernation BUT I caught her eating a grass pellet this morning. I'm wondering if I should still hibernate her or wait until it passes? The thing is she hasn't eaten for weeks (that I'm aware of!) so I wouldn't want to leave it too long either.
Has anyone had similar experiences with their tortoises or know of any helpful tips?

Marilyn is approximately 16 and a Hermanns
 

mark1

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is she kept indoors ? if she is , myself i wouldn't hibernate her ...... whenever i've hibernated a turtle in the fridge i let them start hibernating naturally outside . i then dig them up , or pull them out the pond and put them in the fridge ....... my thought is to hibernate one kept indoors is not something i've done .... temp and light is what stops them eating , i'm sure it can be artificially done , i myself would not be comfortable trying to replicate the conditions an outside turtle gets leading up to hibernation ......
 

JoesMum

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Hi there!

Don't panic too much if a little food gets eaten before hibernation. It happens.

Joe lives outdoors 24/7 and he undoubtedly takes a bite of food on the warmer days of his wind-down. I just don't offer him any food.

Like the previous poster my tort winds down outdoors and goes in the fridge when he's ground to a halt.

Is yours kept indoors? If so, you want the offer no food for a fortnight - just soak every day. For the last week, turn the lights off completely
 
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mark1

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when left outside to hibernate they can pick out days , past when they start hibernating , to come up and raise their metabolism if needed , in the fridge they can't ...........
 

MarilynTheTort

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Hi, thank you!

She's a mix of indoors and outdoors. I was reluctant to hibernate her last year but that was more down to my lack of confidence. I spoke with the vet a few times and she said the fridge was the best bet, but I appreciate your thoughts.

I've put Marilyn outside to cool down and she's not had any artificial light or heat for a couple of weeks, and no food for four on advice of the vet.

is she kept indoors ? if she is , myself i wouldn't hibernate her ...... whenever i've hibernated a turtle in the fridge i let them start hibernating naturally outside . i then dig them up , or pull them out the pond and put them in the fridge ....... my thought is to hibernate one kept indoors is not something i've done .... temp and light is what stops them eating , i'm sure it can be artificially done , i myself would not be comfortable trying to replicate the conditions an outside turtle gets leading up to hibernation ......
 

MarilynTheTort

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Hello!

Thank you, I removed the pellet as soon as I saw her but I think perhaps I didn't reduce her temperatures quickly enough...she's been soaked more frequently and she's now outside in he shed cooling down so when she looks sleepy I'll put her in the fridge.

Last year it was so mild outside she only got a couple of months so I wanted to make sure she had a better hibernation this time


Hi there!

Don't panic too much if a little food gets eaten before hibernation. It happens.

Joe lives outdoors 24/7 and he undoubtedly takes a bite of food on the warmer days of his wind-down. I just don't offer him any food.

Like the previous poster my tort winds down outdoors and goes in the fridge when he's ground to a halt.

Is yours kept indoors? If so, you want the offer no food for a fortnight - just soak every day. For the last week, turn the lights off completely
 

JoesMum

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10 Year Member!
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Oct 26, 2011
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Location (City and/or State)
Kent, South East England
Hello!

Thank you, I removed the pellet as soon as I saw her but I think perhaps I didn't reduce her temperatures quickly enough...she's been soaked more frequently and she's now outside in he shed cooling down so when she looks sleepy I'll put her in the fridge.

Last year it was so mild outside she only got a couple of months so I wanted to make sure she had a better hibernation this time
Last year was difficult here too. We had a freak warm December week that nearly wrecked everything. Hence the switch to the fridge this year!
 

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