Long story short I had to use a low watt bulb for a few weeks and now even with a high watt bulb my Russian girl just wants to hibernate how can I get her to stop every few days I take her out, hot bath, she eats and basks all day but then boom back to sleep for a few days. Can I break her of this? Or should I go back to a lower watt bulb and less food for a month or so till she gets it out of her system them slowly increase time of light now it's 10 on 14 off her basking temp is like 105 cool end is 78
How to "un" hibernate
- Thread starter swatsx
- Start date
- Joined
- Dec 19, 2015
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Hi,
I'm no expert on hibernation or Russians, but I have a Hermann's hatchling and Hermann's are very similar to your tort species.
May I ask what age your tortoise is? If she is a hatchling, then they do sleep a lot, but not for days... bear in mind that it is the winter months, and depending on where you live, it is getting colder. Naturally, the tortoise slows down and sleeps more frequently as it's simply its body clock.
Do not hesitate to wake your tort in the morning, midday, etcetera, to make sure she is eating and basking and walking around. My Hermann's, Otis, even when woken at 8am will not be active till around 10am! I bathe her in lukewarm water for around 15min and give her some new food. Sometimes, I have to place her in front of it for her to actually take notice - she's a lazy one!
Your temperatures under the basking lamp should be 30-35 degrees Celsius, the cool end 18-22, at least that works for me.
Your basking temp sounds pretty hot to me. Is there any way of lowering it with your high watt bulb? What was the temp of your previous one (ideally should be around 90F).
Basically she shouldn't be basking constantly, just a healthy amount each day. Pick her up and move her from the lamp if necessary.
I don't think weaning her off food is the right thing to do. If she is eating well (providing that you give her a healthy amount - it should be around the space of her shell) and drinking and bathing, maybe all you're doing is not waking her.
I know mine would sleep for the whole day if I let her!
Please anyone, correct me if my info is wrong.
Good luck.
Olivia
I'm no expert on hibernation or Russians, but I have a Hermann's hatchling and Hermann's are very similar to your tort species.
May I ask what age your tortoise is? If she is a hatchling, then they do sleep a lot, but not for days... bear in mind that it is the winter months, and depending on where you live, it is getting colder. Naturally, the tortoise slows down and sleeps more frequently as it's simply its body clock.
Do not hesitate to wake your tort in the morning, midday, etcetera, to make sure she is eating and basking and walking around. My Hermann's, Otis, even when woken at 8am will not be active till around 10am! I bathe her in lukewarm water for around 15min and give her some new food. Sometimes, I have to place her in front of it for her to actually take notice - she's a lazy one!
Your temperatures under the basking lamp should be 30-35 degrees Celsius, the cool end 18-22, at least that works for me.
Your basking temp sounds pretty hot to me. Is there any way of lowering it with your high watt bulb? What was the temp of your previous one (ideally should be around 90F).
Basically she shouldn't be basking constantly, just a healthy amount each day. Pick her up and move her from the lamp if necessary.
I don't think weaning her off food is the right thing to do. If she is eating well (providing that you give her a healthy amount - it should be around the space of her shell) and drinking and bathing, maybe all you're doing is not waking her.
I know mine would sleep for the whole day if I let her!
Please anyone, correct me if my info is wrong.
Good luck.
Olivia
She's at least 5, and I live in Michigan United States the reason for me to lessen the food is if this is a loss and she must hibernate since it's too late I read if they are full of food they can get sick the problem with waking her everyday is I work 24 hour shifts so 3 days a week I'm not home she used to have a great appetite until the basking bulb blew I couldn't get to the store due to work and thanksgiving so I had to switch to a 40 watt which was 70s overall and 80s basking
- Joined
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Oh right.
You might want to research into the early on stages of hibernation, and see if any symptoms match to your Russian.
Reptiles are hardy animals and can survive without food for days, but this doesn't mean they should. Perhaps give a little less food and see if you can find any evidence that your Russian is trying to hibernate. Is she rejecting food? And what are you feeding her?
It may be even something more difficult to identify. Try taking her to the vet's just to rule out anything that may be causing her to act lethargic like this.
Also, you might want to set up some sort of camera over the enclosure to record and see if she moves during the day when you are at work (you can watch it through when you get home). You may simply be catching her at her sleepy hours - morning and evening. During the day, around 2-4, my Hermann's is most active.
I wish you the best of luck with her. Try adjusting the temps accordingly and see if it makes any difference (as mentioned in previous comment).
Many things can contribute to a lethargic tortoise. I suggest you either seek answers here in the forum and on the Internet, or take your girl to the vet if there is no improvement over the course of a few days, just to make sure.
Olivia
You might want to research into the early on stages of hibernation, and see if any symptoms match to your Russian.
Reptiles are hardy animals and can survive without food for days, but this doesn't mean they should. Perhaps give a little less food and see if you can find any evidence that your Russian is trying to hibernate. Is she rejecting food? And what are you feeding her?
It may be even something more difficult to identify. Try taking her to the vet's just to rule out anything that may be causing her to act lethargic like this.
Also, you might want to set up some sort of camera over the enclosure to record and see if she moves during the day when you are at work (you can watch it through when you get home). You may simply be catching her at her sleepy hours - morning and evening. During the day, around 2-4, my Hermann's is most active.
I wish you the best of luck with her. Try adjusting the temps accordingly and see if it makes any difference (as mentioned in previous comment).
Many things can contribute to a lethargic tortoise. I suggest you either seek answers here in the forum and on the Internet, or take your girl to the vet if there is no improvement over the course of a few days, just to make sure.
Olivia
Diet is less then in the summer as I don't have the hibiscus hosta or rose plants but she eats mostly greens (turnip collard and mixed) kale and some very little bit of romain and some dandelion all store bought
the only thing that changed besides her diet which changed in September is her light issue at thanksgiving
myself or my wife puts new food out every am and besides the days I pull her out of her hide bathe her then set her under her basking lamp (she'll bask at least an hour before eating) she doesn't eat
the only thing that changed besides her diet which changed in September is her light issue at thanksgiving
myself or my wife puts new food out every am and besides the days I pull her out of her hide bathe her then set her under her basking lamp (she'll bask at least an hour before eating) she doesn't eat
M
Maggie Cummings
Guest
Wake her up every morning and give her a warm soak. Give her 12 hours of UVB light daily, that's the important part. It's not diet or temps, it's length of light.
You need more heat and more light. The light should be on 14 and off 10, not the other way around.
I would also make sure the basking area stays around 100 and keep the other side at least 70-75 day and night until she snaps out of it. Daily warm soaks and pulling the tortoise out of its hide will help too.
Or you could take the needed steps and let her hibernate.
I would also make sure the basking area stays around 100 and keep the other side at least 70-75 day and night until she snaps out of it. Daily warm soaks and pulling the tortoise out of its hide will help too.
Or you could take the needed steps and let her hibernate.
Yea I was just reading about letting her hibernate figure daily soaks lower temps no food for a few weeks then the refrigerator method to keep temps around 40 maybe a good 8-10 weeks would do her some good I'm assuming as long as I do it right no harm can be done
Leave the lights up and running for two weeks, but stop feeding and clean up an leftover food bits or poop. Daily soaks ensure that no poop will be eaten, because they poop in the soak water and it gets dumped. Then spend another week or two gradually cooling the enclosure and shortening the amount of time the lights are on. After that I put them in a pastil container and move them to the fridge. Ideally the fridge would be around 50F and then slowly drop it too 40ish. 8-10 weeks will work mighty fine.
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Glad to see you're progressing with her.
M
Maggie Cummings
Guest
I would NEVER argue with Tom, however, you can fool them too, I have simply lower the temp, no food, close the shade, no lights for about 2 weeks, or maybe 3. Then lights, camera, action. I've done it to 2 tortoises, and each time it fooled them, they became active started eating etc. My sis can tell you exactly how to do it, I forget the details now, but it fools them into thinking they did hibernate. And I use lights on for 12....
I would NEVER argue with Tom, however, you can fool them too, I have simply lower the temp, no food, close the shade, no lights for about 2 weeks, or maybe 3. Then lights, camera, action. I've done it to 2 tortoises, and each time it fooled them, they became active started eating etc. My sis can tell you exactly how to do it, I forget the details now, but it fools them into thinking they did hibernate. And I use lights on for 12....
I've never done this, but I've seen Yvonne recommend it too. I don't see why it wouldn't work at least some of the time, if not all the time.
I know I have found that photo period is the key trigger for activity and starting / stopping brumation. (just as an aside -mammals hibernate, reptiles brumate) So a photo period of at least 13 hours is key.
