Desert Tortoise Not Waking

[BreeRichmond]

Hi there! My name is Bree and I'm from Tucson, AZ. I have one desert tortoise named Giles who is about 10 years old. She typically wakes around mid-May, but she still has not woken up this year and I'm worried about her. I don't want to disturb her slumber, but I want to make sure she is ok. Any suggestions? Are others' desert tortoises awake yet?

 

[KarenSoCal]

My DT would go down in Dec, and wake in March. I'm in low desert.

May seems really late to me, so I think you should get her up. If she seems to be fine, you can let her go back to sleep. If it was me, I'd keep her up, warm her slowly, soak a lot, and start her eating.

Is she in a burrow, or somewhere you can reach her?

Please let us know how she is.

 

[wellington]

May is very late and it's actually June. I would for sure wake her and give a long warm water soak.

 

[BreeRichmond]

Thanks for your suggestions! We woke Giles up, and she seems to be ok. Gave her some food and a warm soak, and she is coming to. Since it has been 115 degrees outside, I was getting worried. We’ll see if she stays awake..

 

[KarenSoCal]

Thanks for your suggestions! We woke Giles up, and she seems to be ok. Gave her some food and a warm soak, and she is coming to. Since it has been 115 degrees outside, I was getting worried. We’ll see if she stays awake..

Great news! I've been worried about her. If she goes back to sleep, since she's eaten, I would wake her daily and get her to walk around some. Gotta get the plumbing working again.