Hi folks, I've had spur thighed tortoises for decades and hibernate them outdoors in an enclosure made from cut railway sleepers on three sides and perspex/acrylic glass on the front. The base is over soil so they can dig down, and the enclosure is full of dried cut grass. They have always done well like this. In the winter I introduce a screen on the front with rat-proof wire, add extra dried grass for warmth as well as inserting and removing insulating materials and a heat pad as the weather fluctuates. I've got digital thermometers which ensure the temperatures are always in the safe range.
This year I was given a Hermann's tortoise to take care of (the previous owner has plastic grass in their lawn, which the tortoise doesn't like). I keep it separate to the other tortoises. The new tortoise was in a temporary wooden box outdoors (a cat kennel I bought for it to use) and in recent weeks was scratching the wooden base to try to dig down.
I've built another tortoise house like the other two for the new tortoise, and have a foot or so of relatively dry, loose, composted soil in the house for it to burrow down into. I plan to use the same sort of bedding in the winter and control the temperatures, again with a digital thermometer. I moved the tortoise into the new house a week ago but it won't settle; it instead wants to head out to the garden, where it dries to burrow down into soil there. That's not an option as the outdoor temperatures will get too cold in the winter.
I'm wondering if the reluctance to hibernate in the house could be due to the fact that this particular one is new to the tortoise, or is there something else I should do to make it feel at home and confident enough to burrow down in there? Any tips are appreciated.
It is unusually mild here in Wicklow, Ireland, for this time of year and so the tortoise is still quite active, although still trying to burrow.
Thank you,
Shane
ps I've never done fridge hibernation. I could give that a shot if needs be, but would like to give the usual method a try first if I can make it work. The tortoise previously was hiberated in a box in a shed by the last owner, which isn't ideal.
This year I was given a Hermann's tortoise to take care of (the previous owner has plastic grass in their lawn, which the tortoise doesn't like). I keep it separate to the other tortoises. The new tortoise was in a temporary wooden box outdoors (a cat kennel I bought for it to use) and in recent weeks was scratching the wooden base to try to dig down.
I've built another tortoise house like the other two for the new tortoise, and have a foot or so of relatively dry, loose, composted soil in the house for it to burrow down into. I plan to use the same sort of bedding in the winter and control the temperatures, again with a digital thermometer. I moved the tortoise into the new house a week ago but it won't settle; it instead wants to head out to the garden, where it dries to burrow down into soil there. That's not an option as the outdoor temperatures will get too cold in the winter.
I'm wondering if the reluctance to hibernate in the house could be due to the fact that this particular one is new to the tortoise, or is there something else I should do to make it feel at home and confident enough to burrow down in there? Any tips are appreciated.
It is unusually mild here in Wicklow, Ireland, for this time of year and so the tortoise is still quite active, although still trying to burrow.
Thank you,
Shane
ps I've never done fridge hibernation. I could give that a shot if needs be, but would like to give the usual method a try first if I can make it work. The tortoise previously was hiberated in a box in a shed by the last owner, which isn't ideal.
