Herman burys herself in lawn - what do I do?

[kk123]

We have a 12 year old Herman. We have had her for 6 of these years, of which we have hibernated her for 5. The first two years she naturally wound down and when it was cold enough we put her in a box in the garage.

We then read of the method of hiberating in the fridge and have done that sucessfully for the last 3 years. We took her from her hutch when it was 5 degrees first thing in the morning and put her in the fridge so there was no 'cooling' required.

This year she stopped eating about 4-6 weeks ago when the weather got very wet and cold. More recently its been hot and sunny and she has been basking in the sun, but hasn't eaten. I checked on her this morning and she has buried herself in the lawn in her pen. Normally she beds down in the bedding in her hutch. It must have taken a while as the ground is quite compacted and you can just glimpse the top of her shell under the disturbed soil she she has gone down quite far. The problem is it has been 19/20 degrees everyday and I'm worried itis too warm for her to hibernate and she will be using up her food reseves.

We did also have a male tortoise to stay this summer.

Is she definately trying to hibernate or is she laying eggs?

Should I dig her up and put her in the fridge, even if the process will involve a rapid temperature reduction? Or leave her for the winter but if it is very cold, frost, snow etc she might freeze.

Any advice would be really welcome. She\s never taken charge before!!

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Hello there, and a very warm welcome to Tortoise Forum.
Not my area, but @HermanniChris may know what to do.

 

[dmmj]

they don't bury themselves when they lay eggs sounds like she's trying to hibernate. You're going to have to dig her up

 

[HermanniChris]

She's definitely trying to hibernate and certainly isn't looking to lay eggs. If you've successfully hibernated her in the fridge, then dig her up and do the same as you have before. Basically "don't fix it if it isn't broken". The ground is actually the safest place for a tortoise to hibernate because even with devastating temperatures and elements going on, the ground stays quite consistent even only a few inches below the surface. However, the water table in your area is where the danger lies. Without knowing much about that, it's much safer to dig her up and place her in the fridge.

Mediterranean tortoises are capable of withstanding some pretty messy weather conditions so long as they aren't subjected to them for an extended period of time. So, hot then cold, dry then wet is not something to worry too much over. She knows what she's doing. I would wait for the next cold snap and then at night, dig her up and put her in the fridge. Do not take her from warm temperatures and put her in the fridge, it'll be too much of a shock.

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hello

 

[kk123]

Thank you Chris, that's really reassuring. I'll get a hibernation box ready and try digging her up the minute the temperature drops.

If she has got a lot of soil stuck to her, should I try and clean her up or just leave her? I don't want to give her a bath or it would warm her up.

She's definitely trying to hibernate and certainly isn't looking to lay eggs. If you've successfully hibernated her in the fridge, then dig her up and do the same as you have before. Basically "don't fix it if it isn't broken". The ground is actually the safest place for a tortoise to hibernate because even with devastating temperatures and elements going on, the ground stays quite consistent even only a few inches below the surface. However, the water table in your area is where the danger lies. Without knowing much about that, it's much safer to dig her up and place her in the fridge.

Mediterranean tortoises are capable of withstanding some pretty messy weather conditions so long as they aren't subjected to them for an extended period of time. So, hot then cold, dry then wet is not something to worry too much over. She knows what she's doing. I would wait for the next cold snap and then at night, dig her up and put her in the fridge. Do not take her from warm temperatures and put her in the fridge, it'll be too much of a shock.

Hello
View attachment 150547

 

[HermanniChris]

You're welcome. There's no reason to clean her off but if you must, do it with cold water and then dry her off all while still keeping her cold.

 

[Speedy-1]

Hi and welcome !