First time hibernation and weight questions

[MarcFr]

Hello!

I was thinking about hibernating my 3 year old Horsfield tortoise (called Queenie) for the first time. For the moment she lives on a tortoise table inside. I have bought a small fridge for the hibernation. I've read lots (maybe too much) online and I am confused. I have many questions:

1. I realise it is a little late in the season (end of Jan) but is it too late to start the process?
2. How long should I hibernate her for given that it's the first time?
3. What should her weight be? (she's currently 115mm x 96mm x 62 mm and weighs 356g, which is underweight, right?)

Many thanks,
Marc (Long term reader, first time poster.)

 

[RosemaryDW]

Welcome!

It’s awfully late. You’d still have to do at least two weeks of low light and no feeding before it would be safe to hibernate her; she needs to empty her gut first. So you couldn’t start until well into February.

There is no right size or weight for a tortoise. A healthy tortoise feels heavy and solid in the body, relative to the size. I know that’s not very specific when you’ve only had the one tortoise. Is she generally eating and putting on weight, even if slowly? Are her eyes bright? Is she active? These are better ways to know if she’s healthy. I am not a huge fan of the weight/size ratio chart but if you are using the Jackson ratio she seems to be in a healthy range for her size. If you aren’t sure, however, it’s best not to hibernate.

I can’t give a time suggestion for a first time hibernation of a captive bred tortoise but I’m sure someone will.

I worked with information from the Tortoise Trust to set up my fridge three years ago and was happy with it. Here is the general hibernation info from their site: http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/newhibernation.html. And here is specifically how to set up the fridge: http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/Refrigerator.htm.

I personally wouldn’t start this late. You can do some work testing and tweaking your fridge setup—I like to monitor temps a couple of weeks to make sure it’s stable—so that you’re comfortable and ready to go next year.

 

[MarcFr]

Thank you for your answer and your advice. I really want to do the best by her. I will not hibernate her this year.

Her general health is very good. She's active, bright-eyed, pink-tongued and feels 'solid'. I weigh her every two weeks and her weight does fluctuate a little but the general trend is upward.

Thanks again for your help.

 

[RosemaryDW]

She sounds great.

Hibernation is pretty scary the first time. I am a very nervous owner and benefited from having extra time to test everything before taking the plunge. I don’t know that our tortoise did, but it sure helped me!