First time brumation

[fluffybubble66]

You might remember I have Tom a 2 and a botcuear old horsefield. I've had him a year. I live in the UK. He has an indoor enclosure and in the summer he has an outside pen and also freecrun of our summer vroom. Had a few pyramiding issues bit have now changed to a good bulb, lowered my temp and increased my humidity and bathing half hour every other day.

Didn't brumate first year as I'd just got Jim but I'd like to do best for him so I guess brumation is natural.

Can I brumate in the house in my spare room if its not heated as it's very cold in the UK so I'd guess the room will be around 8 to 10 degrees maybe a little less at night. Can I use his existing tank just keep his heat source off? I have read through the thread but can't find anyone in the UK in my scenario. There's mention of outside and fridges both of whoch terrify me as we live in rural area do there's rats. Help please as I'm really scared about doing this for the first time. Thank you

 

[Yossarian]

You generally want a stable temp lower than that, I dont think it stays consistently cold enough for your spare room to maintain an appropriate temp, ideally you want 5-7 degrees and without fluctuations outside of that range. If you dont have the correct setup or are unsure of yourself, dont brumate, there is no evidence that it is detrimental as far as I know. I have not brumated my greek tort and hes 12 yrs old I think, He does sleep a lot between about november and march though, I think its as much to do with the day length cycle as temps.

 

[Tim Carlisle]

I've heard tell of folks placing them in the fridge for a couple or few weeks, but don't recall the particulars. @Tom ?

 

[Tom]

You might remember I have Tom a 2 and a botcuear old horsefield. I've had him a year. I live in the UK. He has an indoor enclosure and in the summer he has an outside pen and also freecrun of our summer vroom. Had a few pyramiding issues bit have now changed to a good bulb, lowered my temp and increased my humidity and bathing half hour every other day.

Didn't brumate first year as I'd just got Jim but I'd like to do best for him so I guess brumation is natural.

Can I brumate in the house in my spare room if its not heated as it's very cold in the UK so I'd guess the room will be around 8 to 10 degrees maybe a little less at night. Can I use his existing tank just keep his heat source off? I have read through the thread but can't find anyone in the UK in my scenario. There's mention of outside and fridges both of whoch terrify me as we live in rural area do there's rats. Help please as I'm really scared about doing this for the first time. Thank you

The only way to maintain a consistent cold temp is with a fridge, but you must do the proper lead in and lead out. Its all explained in the thread, but for those reading who have not yet seen it, here it is:

Tom's Brumation Thread

Every fall we get bombarded here on the forum with all sorts of questions and problems regarding hibernation and tortoises "slowing down" for winter. The purpose of this thread is to talk about all aspects of this subject, to dispel some of the myths and mysteries, and give a "how to" list of...

tortoiseforum.org

8-10C is much too warm for a horsfield. You need it to be 3-4C consistently. You can use that tank in that room to get him ready for brumation, hydrated, and clear the gut, but it would need to be much colder and consistent once he's ready for his winter slumber.