Advice needed desperately (hibernation?)

[SquiffyShell]

hello
New to the forum, so a quick introduction. We have Darwin a male horsefield who is 3 years old. We got him in July from a very experienced tortoise owner. He has been hibernated before successfully.
About the Middle of September, Darwin started to slow down so we purchased a heat lamp and he loved it, basking under it all day. About ten days ago he stopped eating so we turned off his lamp as we read that he needs to empty his tummy prior to hibernation and has not had anything to eat in these ten days. However, he is still so active. He is constantly walking around his indoor enclosure and scratching away at the sides. Is this normal? Or should he be slowing down? He has been given bath/soaks every 3 days also.
I'm worried about what to do next. He is our 11 year olds pride and joy and absolutely cherished pet. Any advive would be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks,
Xx

 

[Jacqui]

Normally, it is recommended to keep a tortoise up (not hibernating) the first year you have them. Are you wanting to have him hibernate?

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Hello, and very warm welcome to Tortoise Forum!
I ,too, understand that hibernating only a few months after you've got him is not generally recommended.
How big is his enclosure ? Russian tortoises need a lot of space.
Can he see out of his enclosure? If so it's a good idea to put masking tape or similar to block his view.
Also look at http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
and http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/
for lots of good advice.

 

[Tom]

Did he not have a heat lamp prior to mid September?

Do you want to hibernate him, or not? This will determine what to do from here?

 

[SquiffyShell]

Thank you for everyone's reply. No, don't want to hibernate him it was just the advice we were given. His indoor run is dark so he can't see out. I'm worried though as he has not eaten for ten days. Does everyone think we should skip hibernation this year? Will he be okay, after having his lamp off and no food? Should we start feeding him again? So many questions, I'm sorry! Also he only just got a heat lamp as his indoor run was so warm and the UK weather was mild.
Thanks everyone.

 

[SquiffyShell]

Also thank you for the links. Definitely don't want to hibernate him till we know more about it. Please can we have some advice to keep him healthy and safe through a UK winter. I forgot to mention that up until September,he spent lots of time in his outdoor run.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

You need to get him a good set up, lots of heat and uvb lighting, an exciting and varied diet and try to keep him active.
This is what I do with my little girl when she feels like brumating (hibernating)
After two or three weeks she reverts to normal behaviour and over-wintering is easy.
Yes, if you want him to over-winter, start feeding again, now.

 

[Gillian M]

A very warm welcome to the forum!

 

[dmmj]

if you keep him warm during the winter and give him a normal summer light cycle he should stay up with no problems.

 

[SquiffyShell]

Thanks everyone your advice has been wonderful. I should have posted ages ago! Thanks for making me so welcome too. This is Darwin or "squiffy shell", he has a little kink in the back of his shell that we think makes him even more loveable! Just another question, what is the optimum temp to keep him at during overwintering? Our house is never cold.
Thanks again everyone
Xx

 

[Alaskamike]

" cold" is a relative term. I keep my house here in Florida at 78f when I go into someone's house who keeps it at 70f it feels cold to me.

That's why folks on here will ask what the temps are. Appropriate temperatures vary by species as well as age / size of the tortoise.

 

[Tom]

Right now your tortoise is in a state of "limbo" not cold enough to hibernate, not warm enough to function. This is bad.

If you don't want to hibernate him, set him up like this:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/

To stop them wanting to hibernate you should add more light, like a long florescent tube, keep the light on for 13-14 hours a day, warm up the basking and daytime ambient temps a bit, use a ceramic heating element set on a thermostat to keep day time and night time temps a little warmer, and give him daily warm soaks.

It might take a week or two, but if you do all of the above, he will snap out of it and realize its not time to hibernate.

This might have some useful tips too:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

 

[Wanda]

Hi, I am in the uk too and the weather has been strange this year for the tortoises. I have a group of horsfields that live outside 24/7, 365 days a year in an insulated shed with outdoor enclosure. They only started to try and dig down about two weeks ago and so are still going throu their wind down. Mid September would be far too early to try and wind him down, and when you do in future years you need to gradually reduce the time the lamp is on rather than just turn it off. They need the heat to completely digest the food in their gut in preparation for hibernation.
I brought my youngsters in from the shed two weeks ago and they are currently stomping around eating their heads off and enjoying their winter holiday!

 

[SquiffyShell]

This is a great forum, can't believe the amount of help and advice we've been given, thanks everyone! Wanda, I'm interested to know if you (being in the UK too) think I shoukd hibernate our fella this year or 'overwinter' him, I think that's the correct term.

 

[Wanda]

I am certainly not an expert but I can answer you on what I would probably do. I like to know that there has been steady weight gain and no issues prior to hibernation and although you have had him a few months and he came from an experienced keeper, I think I would feel happier overwintering him this year and going for hibernation the following year. That way you know without a doubt he is fit and well and hibernation would go smoothly. Also, by next year you will have got to k ow him so much better and you can get a real sense of what is right for him.

I have an old girl who is thirty plus years old and she had some issues with rns earlier on this year. Because she wasn't eating properly through that time she lost some weight and hasn't fully regained it, in fact she has only just got back to being her old self. Therefore, I think she is going to be overwintered because I would rather err on the side of caution than lose her