I recently rescued this toroise. I was told he was a Russian but now I have some doubts. If he is I would like to hibernate him. Please let me know what you think. Also, I was told he is a male.
Thank You
Thank You
I rescued him from the Colorado Reptile Humane Society onbabylove6635 said:yes its a russian and i would say yes to being a male too. good luck where did you rescue it form?
First of all thank you for your help and advice. I have taken Deuce to my exotic veterinarian twice since I rescued him on 08/06/2011. She highly reccomended to hibernate him, therefore, I am a little confused.Kristina said:Yes, you do have a male Russian tortoise. However, you absolutely should NOT hibernate him, especially if he is a "rescue." The reason for this is that he could have health or nutritional problems that you do not know about, and you do not have enough time this year to evaluate him thoroughly. It is not recommended to hibernate any tortoise in the first year of ownership. Please reconsider - it could be the difference between life and death.
The shape of his beak points to metabolic bone disease. He may have other underlying problems.
ascott said:I agree with Kristina on not hibernating him this winter....especially since you are still new to him and not yet have had enough time to evaluate and get to know him and his routine....also that beak is an indicator that he had some husbandry issues prior to you.
I would not count out ever hibernating him....if done properly it is an ok thing, although when we humans hibernate them....it is not a "true" hibernation...as he should be checked on at least once a month to assure all is going well...if this is done then if anything weird appears you can simply warm em up and stop the hibernation for the season....however, I again would stress that hibernation should not be a goal in the near future....IMHO
Thanks for the advice.
I personally would be concerned with the choice of vet...I only say that due to if no discussion was prompted by the vet in regards to the beak then I would be concerned that your vet does not have an eye for signs of potential problems in your tort....now, I am not knocking the vet as a vet ...just simply sharing my opinion and concerns with that vet and your tortoise
Kristina said:I am unsure as to why she would highly recommend this, to be completely honest. It is not necessary to hibernate them. They can live happy, full lives living indoors full time. The only real reason that it is necessary to hibernate a Russian is to induce breeding. Hibernation is not a necessary condition, but rather how Russians have adapted to survive during the cold and hot/dry months of their extremely harsh homeland. If they are kept in optimal conditions year round, hibernation becomes unnecessary. Also, if you do hibernate, there is a chance that your tortoise can die during hibernation, because of malnutrition, respiratory infections due to cold/damp conditions, burrows flooding, etc. If you keep him warm and happy indoors, there is no chance of him dying from those things.
I honestly would seek a second opinion, and perhaps a different vet. Did your vet say anything about how thick and overgrown his beak is? Just because a vet knows "exotics" does not make them a good tortoise veterinarian. Granted, I am NOT a veterinarian, but I do have veterinary technical training, but even more importantly, 18 years experience keeping tortoises, and that is what I base my knowledge and opinions on.
Oh, and you are welcome I know you are doing your best to do what is right for your little guy, and I want to help.