How's my girls brumation look?

[swatsx]

I started her in the start of October, looking to go till February or March then wake her up in my basement with heat lamps so I can keep an eye on her till it gets nice enough outside. 41* in a cooler in my fridge with orchid bark slightly dampened every week or two.

10/09/16 - 698 grams
11/06/16 - 695 grams
12/04/16 - 691 grams
01/03/17 - 687 grams

Total weight loss is 11 grams

Is she on a healthy track? The reason I decided to burmate her is I'm working on my basement and didn't want any dust and paint fumes to bother her.

 

[Kasia]

I started her in the start of October, looking to go till February or March then wake her up in my basement with heat lamps so I can keep an eye on her till it gets nice enough outside. 41* in a cooler in my fridge with orchid bark slightly dampened every week or two.

10/09/16 - 698 grams
11/06/16 - 695 grams
12/04/16 - 691 grams
01/03/17 - 687 grams

Total weight loss is 11 grams

Is she on a healthy track? The reason I decided to burmate her is I'm working on my basement and didn't want any dust and paint fumes to bother her.

Totally fine in my opinion. You don't have to moist her bark while she's sleeping. Is it her first time in the fridge?

 

[swatsx]

Yes first time in the fridge so I'm kinda scared, plus I didn't know if she'd get too dry as the bark is dry after a couple weeks, I get scared so I check her a lot and she is fine, just sleeping... kinda jealous

 

[Kasia]

Yes first time in the fridge so I'm kinda scared, plus I didn't know if she'd get too dry as the bark is dry after a couple weeks, I get scared so I check her a lot and she is fine, just sleeping... kinda jealous

I was scared as well the first time but considering the nature it's their thing I put mine wraped in towels and newspapers, and added temperature sensor to be 100% sure it will not freez.

 

[RosemaryDW]

Do we have the same tortoise? Ours is in the fridge for the first time as well.

I have read what feels like a hundred posts about the "right" sort of weight loss and the most common advice isno more than ten percent loss total; others say closer to five percent. Your tortoise hasn't lost even two percent yet, so that sounds fine to this novice keeper.

I stopped worrying too much about humidity after the first couple of weeks but am no expert there. Like Kasia, we've got a digital temperature gauge in the substrate of her box; our fridge is loaded with water bottles to help keep the temperature stable.

It was stressful at the beginning but we're down to just giving her a quick check every few weeks. She settled down after a couple of weeks and is sleeping, just like yours. We hope to have her up in early March, weather permitting.

 

[Markw84]

I started her in the start of October, looking to go till February or March then wake her up in my basement with heat lamps so I can keep an eye on her till it gets nice enough outside. 41* in a cooler in my fridge with orchid bark slightly dampened every week or two.

10/09/16 - 698 grams
11/06/16 - 695 grams
12/04/16 - 691 grams
01/03/17 - 687 grams

Total weight loss is 11 grams

Is she on a healthy track? The reason I decided to burmate her is I'm working on my basement and didn't want any dust and paint fumes to bother her.

Your tortoise sounds like it is doing fine. Although I do not currently brumate tortoises, I do let many tturtles brumate each year. I look for very little to no weight loss while brumating. It might be worth explaining why I say that... One of the biggest differences between brumation and hibernation is that with hibernation, the mammal uses fat stores to get it through the winter, and the deep sleep. With brumation, reptiles rely on glycogen stores in their muscles and blood stream to provide the little energy they need. So while we all are so used to hearing about storing up fat for the winter - that applies to mammals and hibernation, not reptiles and brumation. They do need to be healthy and of normal / good weight to brumate successfully, however.

 

[Kasia]

Your tortoise sounds like it is doing fine. Although I do not currently brumate tortoises, I do let many tturtles brumate each year. I look for very little to no weight loss while brumating. It might be worth explaining why I say that... One of the biggest differences between brumation and hibernation is that with hibernation, the mammal uses fat stores to get it through the winter, and the deep sleep. With brumation, reptiles rely on glycogen stores in their muscles and blood stream to provide the little energy they need. So while we all are so used to hearing about storing up fat for the winter - that applies to mammals and hibernation, not reptiles and brumation. They do need to be healthy and of normal / good weight to brumate successfully, however.

Weight loss during brumination is caused by tortoise dehydration. In the fridge they have no water acces except a little air moisture. Tortoise are not perpetuum mobile.

 

[Markw84]

Weight loss during brumination is caused by tortoise dehydration. In the fridge they have no water acces except a little air moisture.

Exactly.

One of the OTHER big differences between hibernation and brumation is that a hibernating mammal actually goes in to deep sleep and does not awake, eat or drink at all. A brumating reptile still needs hydration and will drink while brumating if allowed to. They really aren't sleeping as a hibernating mammal is. Their metabolism is slowed way down, but they still are semi-awake and can react to changes. A slight warming will often stimulate movement and drinking, yet they are still brumating. So without any water available, the bigger danger is indeed dehydration.

 

[swatsx]

Isn't 1% a month or 10% total weight loss ok? Should I warm her to soak for a little or is she doing ok

 

[Kasia]

Isn't 1% a month or 10% total weight loss ok? Should I warm her to soak for a little or is she doing ok

No warm up and no soak, she's doing fine without it.