Hibernating my russian tortoise in cardbard box.

[thedizzyshake]

Hello! I have a random tortoise questions and I'm hoping to get 1.) some advice, and 2.} newbie moral support.
Here goes....

Tortoise: Russian
Sex: Female
Age: 13-18 years
Outdoor: Yes in Southern California ( 30 F - 105 F)
Hibernates: Yes, naturally.

My russian tortoise hibernates during fall/winter.. she went to sleep right before halloween. Now that it started raining, I've had to move her indoors, to be out of the rain. And, I'm hoping she hibernates in a cardboard box. I added dirt from her habitat to it. So, my questions....

#1 - Do i need to keep the box covered/ uncovered? Should it be a certain size? It's in the garage, but we go in and out of it, and i feel like we are waking her up with all the noise. Can that happen?

#2 - I realize she fully buries herself outside, and I shouldn't freak out because i'm sure she can breathe and is just fine. However, now that I put her in the cardboard box, I'm afraid to cover her with dirt. Should I pour dirt on top of her? She naturally buried herself about 6-10 inches under soil and small rocks outside.

#3 - She is moving and seems to wake up. I hear the box moving around and when I check on her I think I wake her up. Do they go in and out of sleep like that? Did I wake her up when i checked on her? Or was I right to check on her because we've been waking her up? * going crazy over here *

Thanks so much for any feedback you can give me.

 

[Tom]

Hello! I have a random tortoise questions and I'm hoping to get 1.) some advice, and 2.} newbie moral support.
Here goes....

Tortoise: Russian
Sex: Female
Age: 13-18 years
Outdoor: Yes in Southern California ( 30 F - 105 F)
Hibernates: Yes, naturally.

My russian tortoise hibernates during fall/winter.. she went to sleep right before halloween. Now that it started raining, I've had to move her indoors, to be out of the rain. And, I'm hoping she hibernates in a cardboard box. I added dirt from her habitat to it. So, my questions....

#1 - Do i need to keep the box covered/ uncovered? Should it be a certain size? It's in the garage, but we go in and out of it, and i feel like we are waking her up with all the noise. Can that happen?

#2 - I realize she fully buries herself outside, and I shouldn't freak out because i'm sure she can breathe and is just fine. However, now that I put her in the cardboard box, I'm afraid to cover her with dirt. Should I pour dirt on top of her? She naturally buried herself about 6-10 inches under soil and small rocks outside.

#3 - She is moving and seems to wake up. I hear the box moving around and when I check on her I think I wake her up. Do they go in and out of sleep like that? Did I wake her up when i checked on her? Or was I right to check on her because we've been waking her up? * going crazy over here *

Thanks so much for any feedback you can give me.

#1 Box should be a little bigger than the tortoise, and it should have a lid. Preferably opaque and very dark. Yes, you're disturbing her with all the noise and coming and going.

#2 No. Do not bury your tortoise. Allow the tortoise to dig into the hibernation media if it wants to. I think many types of media will work. Over the years I've used newspaper, alfalfa pellets, dirt from the yard, orchid bark and coco coir. All worked and I had no issues.

#3 Your problem is that its not cold enough and the temp is fluctuating too much. Russians need it colder than most. I find 38-39 to be just right for them. By contrast, desert tortoises hibernate best for me around 48 degrees. You need a fridge. And you need it now.

 

[RosemaryDW]

I am also in Orange County, welcome! She’s not cold enough. I understand she has hibernated outside, and here in Southern California it is not always cold but she will have been deep enough to have some temperature stability. (Even when it’s cold here it’s not dry enough for Russians to be healthy long term, so a fridge is a better choice where we live.)

I agree with Tom you need a fridge; just a cheap dorm one is fine. To get started, we used the instructions from the Tortoise Trust here: https://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/Refrigerator.htm and here http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/newhibernation.html.

Your tortoise is also going to dig through a cardboard box unless she gets good and cold right away so be sure to reinforce it with packing tape or something similar.

Even cold she will move up and down in her dirt somewhat, that’s fine. They do it in nature a bit, as the weather changes. Tortoises brumate, which is a little different than hibernation. They will be alert the entire time, just very slow. They’ll move a foot if you touch them and probably open their eyes. This is why it’s important they get good and cold; otherwise they burn off too much weight.

She’s still going to make a fuss, scratch, dig and worry you until you get her down around 40 degrees. You can’t get around that part, I’m afraid.

Your other alternative is to set up a decent size indoor habitat and keep her up.