hibernating for the first time

[tortoiselover]

I am going to hibernate my 2 desert tortoises for the first time soon and I was wondering what kind of pre-hibernation things I need to do. I know that they are not supposed to eat for awhile before they go to sleep, but mine are outside in a natural enclosure and I can stop them from grazing on plants that are around.

Do I just stop feeding them their food and if they want something they will eat it? How about water intake should I adjust my soaking schedule to try to get more water in them?

Any advice would be great.

 

[armandoarturo]

In my experience...
My tortoises are in my back yard, in a natural big place...
I never make them stop eating, or drinking water, I let them do what they feel like doing... Its all about instinct
As time goes on, they will begin to eat less, and less, and also they wont be going out their burrow too much.
2 years ago, I moved to this house around october, and the yard didnt have any special burrow for them, So, what I did... was watch them and see when they became almost totally inactive, and took them indoors, and place them under a couch that no one sits on, and just fed them If they came out, wich was once in a blue moon. (We have no heating inside our home, as it is not necesary in here because it doesnt gets that cold down here).
But If your house its heated inside, they might become a little more active... If thats the case, I would consider building an outside burrow and let them do it the natural way...
Mines have their own burrow, and they decide when to go hibernate and when to come back from hibernation...
Like I said, for me its a natural process, and I let them do what their instinct tells them to do.
Do your tortoises have a burrow in your back yard?

 

[cuppidsarrows]

I would like an answer to this as well as mine are starting to slow down.

 

[tortoiselover]

not exactly. They have large rock hide caves that I have constructed, nothing that I would feel safe letting them stay in for a few months (I bring them in every night anyways) I am going to get a box and put them in a shed we have that is secure from predators and such.

I just want to know about about the food intake as I am sure that I can handle the other aspects of the hibernation.

But I guess they will stop eating when they know it is time.

 

[armandoarturo]

Yes, they will.
They will just start to slow down, and become more and more inactive.
Once they are completly hibernating dont move them, or disturb them.
Some times they will wake up and walk outside the box, offer them food. They might eat it, but they might just reject it and go back and sleep. Dont worry about this.
They will eat, or stop eating if they need to. Dont worry.
Keep an eye on them, and that way you'll start learning about them and their needs for the next year.

Do you feed them, or they eat by themselves in your yard?

 

[tortoiselover]

I feed them 3-4 times a week and they have to forage and graze the rest of the time.

 

[armandoarturo]

Keep doing that, sooner you will see they wont be eating or going out too much.
as time goes on... just start reducing the ammount of food as needed, like I said before, they will just eat if they need or want to...
day by day they will just start to sleep more and more... until they are completly hipernating

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where are you located?
not all Dt's start hibernating on october... it depends on wheater, temperature and sun light..
My city its located in the sonora desert, wich its still warm even the first days of december...
my tortoises start hibernating until late november - first weeks of december...