Hibernation and an egg

[Whinhill]

Hi,

We put our four adult Greeks (Ibera) into hibernation on 7th November we use a small fridge for hibernation (we're is Maine so uncontrolled hibernation is out) and keep them around 45^of. On the 24th we found that one of our female Greeks has awoken from hibernation and pushed the door open and escaped (taking a small fall in the process, but no harm done). The Fridge is working fine btw

When i lived in the UK this would occasionally happen if the weather was warm. If that was the case we simply re-hydrated them and them and put them back into hibernation after the cold snap finished. This was the plan with Blondie, but she had other ideas.

Today, the 26th, she produced a single egg (which was broken, but then there is virtually no substrate in the tortoise table she is being kept in).

She's now in a 55gallon tote with 4-6' of substrate just in case there are more eggs.

My question is what do I do next? I feel I should keep her out of hibernation now and keep a close eye on her for more eggs.

Looking forward to your help

thanks in advance

Ian

 

[egyptiandan]

I would keep her up and feed her well and hope she wants to dig a nest. Did you notice her doing any digging?

Danny

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Ian:

I would set her up with the intention of keeping her awake the rest of the winter. Make a regular indoor habitat with enough substrate that she can dig a nest if she wants to. With the correct lighting and heating and hiding places. Some warm soaks every day would also be good.

 

[GBtortoises]

I would absolutely keep her out of hibernation at this point. Given the fact that Ibera typcially produce 2-4 eggs or more per clutch she is very likely caring more eggs. If she is a full grown female Ibera the substrate or a specific nesting area should be at least 8" deep, 10-12" would be better if possible. I have full grown Ibera that are 9-10" and some of them dig a hole 7" deep just to deposit 2 eggs.

I would also be concerned why your tortoises are becoming active enough during artificial hibernation to be able to get out of a box and then out of their hibernation chamber. I believe that 45+ degrees is much to warm for proper hibernation of Northern Mediterranean species when doing so artificially. 38-42 is a safe temperature range. 40 degrees being ideal. The higher the temperatures, the more active a hibernating tortoise will become to the point that it wants to surface as yours did and begin searching for a heat source to warm up to normal activity temperatures. This can be dangerous in hibernation since this increased movement and activity will burn stored fat reserve which a hibernating tortoise needs to survive on. Tortoises do not truly hibernate as some mammals do. They essentially go into an immobile state brought on by cold temperatures (and other factors). While in this "slow" state their bodies are still burning minimal calories that they have stored in body fat in order to keep vital organs functioning. By being kept warmer during hibernation these calories are burned faster due to increased body activity. If kept this way for an extended period of time but not allowed to warm up to normal activity temperatures and offered no food the tortoise can actually starve to death and/or become severely dehydrated.

 

[Whinhill]

Thank yes we 're keeping her up based on everyone's advice. No digging yet but she's testing the surface with her face.

Temp wise 45 would be the upper temp the range is 38-45 according to the temp logger

The are fully grown around 10' and 3.5 lbs

 

[egyptiandan]

That weight is quite a bit low for a Greek female around 10 inches SCL. My 10 inch female weighs 3,500g, so 7.7lbs.

Danny

 

[Whinhill]

Ok it s then so defiantly keeping them up and well fed

Thanks

Ian

 

[Whinhill]

Just an update on weight and length

she has a 7' (plastron length) and weighs 1,684g (3.7Ilb) so not as low as we thought but I'm guessing (based on Danny's 10' female she should be closer to 2kg's)

Do I owe you guys a drink for all the help you have given me since I decided to get back into torts after 30 years off. I can't thank you lot enough.

 

[egyptiandan]

To get an accurate assessment of weight we need the straight carapace length (SCL).

Danny

 

[Whinhill]

Hi,

Glad to say feeding and drinking well, no more eggs.

I've the day setting up my small 2x6 tt for her just one set of ligts to wire up now.

Anyway back to her scl it's 7.25'

Ian

 

[egyptiandan]

If she is only 7.25 inches (184mm), she is a bit overweight. I'm getting 1376g for 184mm. A more realistic size is 195mm.

Danny

 

[Yvonne G]

If she's overweight, then she might have a couple more eggs inside, huh?

 

[Whinhill]

Well i measured her very carefully suing the CSL formula I found on the web and 7.25', 184mm, was a mean of 5 measurements. I guess a couple of extra eggs could account for another 60-70g. No sign of any more eggs or nest digging though. Well I'll keep you updated.

thanks again


Ian