fellow hibernators in the northeast us

ColleenT

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So my turts hibernated, as i had expected. Now i worry all winter. When they first come out of the den in spring (fingers crossed they all wake up) do i need to soak them? and then should i try to feed them or wait until i know temps are warm enough that they won't go back into the ground? i am a bit confused what to do in early spring if i find them out.
 

cmacusa3

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Yes definitely soak them, I usually do for a bout an hour a day for the first week. They will probably also self soak. It may take them a few days to start eating but still offer it.
They may dig back in every night but they will come back up daily once they emerge for Spring.
 

ColleenT

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you are in Oklahoma. i am in the northeast. i need to hear from those people, bc it gets SO cold here i know they can't eat before hibernation. i appreciate your input, but i know it is probably different than the people up here in the frigid cold.
 

cmacusa3

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It's the same thing but I will let them answer. We had snow last week and this weekend we have an ice and snow storm.

I'm not sure what you meant about not eating before? I was saying in my previous post that in the spring once they come up they may go back down for a few days at a time until they finally are ready to be up all the time.

@Eric Phillips @PJay
 
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mark1

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actually Craig having the milder winter , his turtles would be more apt to run out of energy than mine , and I assume yours being kept colder ... the milder the winter the harder it is on the turtles , especially small ones ... I always soak mine when I see them , I don't see that happening for another 3-4months , when I see some , i'll dig them all up and soak them , turn the leaf pile so it warms up under it faster , i'll even pull the leaves off on a sunny day to let the ground warm , and then rake them back ....... some of these northern turtles hibernate for most of their lives .......... i'd guess some of mine haven't eaten at this point for near 3-4 months ......... since October ......
 

cmacusa3

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It's 75 today, last week was in the teens, this weekend it's going to snow and Ice. Lol, I would hate to be these little guys
 

mark1

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been 50's today and tomorrow supposed to be also , i'm hoping it gets cold again soon ...... the leaf pile does hold its temp reasonably well , as long as we don't get a warm rain ..........
 

ColleenT

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CMAC- please don't be offended, i do think it is different. Our winters are typically 20 degree days. In the spring i worry bc they might come up on a 50 degree day, and then want to go back under when nighttime's cold temps happen. So they might do this a lot before they REALLY come out for good. They say don't feed before they hibernate. ( mine actually went off their food, so i was pretty sure that was fine.) they cannot have anything in their intestines before they hibernate. I just wasn't sure when i can say it's safe to feed them.
 

cmacusa3

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I'm not offended at all, I was just giving you info of what my experience is to do once they emerge. It's the same thing once they all come up from the winter nap. They need soaked to get hydrated and fed. Its still very cold at night here too when mine come up.

Mine will come up and may go back down for a week or so, at that point it's ok if they've eaten. our weather goes from 75'yesterday to high 35 today and we experience that a lot during Spring so mine are confused for a month or so but it all works itself out. These guys have been around for a lot longer than us.
 
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Berkeley

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I agree with Cmac. Mark1's statement about milder winters being tougher is spot on. The turtles can sense weather better than we are able to, and they won't do anything that will put them in jeopardy. Offer a little food when you see them. If they are ready, they will eat it. If not, that is okay too. Soaking is good though, as mentioned.

--Berkeley
 

mark1

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ColleenT you may like to read this guys master's thesis .......

Predicting Spring Emergence in a Northern Population of the Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene c. carolina)

Christopher L. Woodley Indiana University - Purdue University Fort Wayne


http://opus.ipfw.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1024&context=masters_theses


here's a bit of it may interest you

"Monitored animals became inactive in late October to early November and
usually emerged in late March through mid-April. Overwintering sites appeared to vary
in choice of grade, slope direction, and elevation; however, all turtles chose locations
with a significant layer of leaf litter
Dates of surfacing and emerging varied by year. Turtles surfaced: in 2007
between March 14 and April 23; in 2008 between March 14 and April 23; in 2009
between March 15 and April 25; in 2010 between March 13 and April 1, and in 2011
between March 9 and March 18. No turtles ever emerged before March 31, animals
emerged: in 2007 between April 15 and May 2; in 2008 between April 14 and April 26;
in 2009 between April 17 and April 25; in 2010 between March 31 and April 3, and in
2011 between April 12 and May 1. Early surfacing turtles wait for longer before completely emerging than turtles which surface later in the spring (linear regression: R2 =
0.7573, Figure 1.2).
In a typical year turtles surfaced once ground temperatures rose above freezing
temperatures, and then emerged after some delay (Figure 1.3). This behavior was
consistent in all years, including those in which gradual warming temperatures were
interrupted by substantial periods of cold weather. In 2007 almost all of the animals in the
study surfaced during the initial warm period and then emerged during the second
sustained warm period (Figure 1.3). This behavior was also observed in 2011 when there
was a cool, but not as severe, period during the spring thaw.
Environmental"
 

ColleenT

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ok, thanks. what i really want to know is- Should i offer food the first time i see them, or is it bad for them if they go back into the ground?
 

ratbones7

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im in NJ. mine usually go down in October. last year they came up in mid April i think. one time not until May. maybe i don't pay enough attention....but mine seem to be that once they are up, they stay up. i dont bother them or even really look for them until April. i always have water available in their pen but i'll start tending/cleaning it more towards end of march. and at that time i'll start getting nightcrawler/worm bin ready too. once i see them i offer worms right away. they usually do decline for a week or so though. so to answer your question...i'd say offer food...i'm a believer in they know what they are doing more than me. just like when then know to stop eating in fall, they know when to start eating in spring.
 

repwear

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ok, thanks. what i really want to know is- Should i offer food the first time i see them, or is it bad for them if they go back into the ground?
Hi Colleen. I stumbled onto this post somehow after looking into next year's BT Conservation meeting announcement... Anyway, I realize this is an old thread, but as someone who has kept BTs outside in NE Ohio for over 20 years I felt I should contribute. They don't really need to eat or drink right away, as the melting snow & spring rains supply water while they are still underground. Once they emerge, they may go back under on cold days & nights, back into their winter spot or they may dig a new one. They don't eat for a while because nights are still cold and there is very little available at the time; no insects, few slugs, earthworms or sow bugs, etc., and few edible plants are up yet. They are quite able to navigate the emerging transition & will act accordingly.
 

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