Hibernation in 'hermanni boettgeri'?

[ComaDivine]

Hi. I've had shelley for a few months now and due to the uselessness of the person i bought her from i'm still unsure of whether she's a hibernator or not. I've googled for answers but as usual there's quite a bit of conflicting information on the net about it.

i only found out she was hermanni boettgeri from the helpful people here (this thread from a while back http://tortoiseforum.org/hi-new-member-t-2303.html ) so can anybody shed some light on hibernating or not?

many thanks
dale

 

[agiletorts]

If you're sure that Shelley is a THB then yes she could hibernate. More specific questions as to how, how long, etc. depend on where you live, outdoor vs. indoor enclosure, etc, there. Last winter my THB hibernated from November to February in my backyard without any help. BTW I live in San Jose CA and the average lows here during winter is about low to mid 30's F.

 

[ComaDivine]

If you're sure that Shelley is a THB then yes she could hibernate. More specific questions as to how, how long, etc. depend on where you live, outdoor vs. indoor enclosure, etc, there. Last winter my THB hibernated from November to February in my backyard without any help. BTW I live in San Jose CA and the average lows here during winter is about low to mid 30's F.

Ah i see. Well i guess the difference is uk winters compared to californian winters lol, gets fairly cold here. As for enclosure, she has a tort table with a 60watt reflector bulb.

 

[Ozric]

Hi Dale, yes the Hermann is a hibernating species and most of us think its best to hibernate them, although it is possible to keep them up all winter indoors.

I prefer the fridge method of hibernation as the temp can be accurately controlled.

If you are not very familiar with this tortoise or have doubts about its health because of the care it had in the past, you might want to consider keeping him awake this year although its your decision of course. The ratio of weight to length is important - if this tortoise is underweight it might be dangerous to hibernate.

My suggestion would be to keep your tort awake until Christmas at least and in meantime you can find out more about hibernation and establish the health status of the animal and his weigh/length ratio. This might help you feel more confident about whatever you decide to do.

Hope this helps a bit. Jonathan

 

[pebbles mom]

Did I read that for the first 2 years of life not to hibernate them?

 

[ComaDivine]

Hi Dale, yes the Hermann is a hibernating species and most of us think its best to hibernate them, although it is possible to keep them up all winter indoors.

I prefer the fridge method of hibernation as the temp can be accurately controlled.

If you are not very familiar with this tortoise or have doubts about its health because of the care it had in the past, you might want to consider keeping him awake this year although its your decision of course. The ratio of weight to length is important - if this tortoise is underweight it might be dangerous to hibernate.

My suggestion would be to keep your tort awake until Christmas at least and in meantime you can find out more about hibernation and establish the health status of the animal and his weigh/length ratio. This might help you feel more confident about whatever you decide to do.

Hope this helps a bit. Jonathan

Thanks for the advice, i think i'll leave her until christmas time and see how it goes. I actually acquired her around march/april time which i understand is when they should be hibernating anyway. She was really lethargic etc back then, but that could've been from wrong diet from the previous owner and new environment.

Pebbles mom - i think i read that somewhere too, not sure of its validity though. Shelley is 4 or 5 anyway so that's not really applicable however.

 

[elegans]

We have been producing hermanns for 10 years now here in South Florida with no hibernation and no problems. We will be producing F-2's this year and none of them have ever been hibernated. I shudder to think of how many tortoises have died because of improper hibernation. Best Douglas

 

[Ozric]

I understand what Elegans says about hibernation. If its managed carefully, hibernation ought not to be risky at all but I'm terrified every time.

Where I live, there is no way I can maintain my Hermanns outside between October and April even though I have a coldframe and a hut with a heat+UV lamp. I don't feel they have a great quality of life indoors, despite my best efforts. So when my tortoises are hibernating for 8-12 weeks they are not missing anything.

I'd be interested to know how sucessful the breeding is without any hibernation- I thought the animals needed to be 'cycled' to be fertile?

 

[elegans]

We have been producing them every year for the last ten years, including babies grown up here that have never been hibernated. The founder group that we bought had been hibernated for years up North and have done better for us than the previous owner. Anyone breeding hermanns in Florida does not really bother to hibernate them, they just get a hot and less hot season. We do tend to produce off season by most peoples standards though. Our first babies tend to hatch around Christmas every year. Almost like they brumate in the summer, instead of hibernating in the winter? LOL But it work, even long term. So they most certainly do not require a hibernation. Done right; it certainly does not hurt them, done wrong dead. Just my 2 cents. Douglas

 

[Ozric]

Thanks for that Douglas, very interesting to hear of your experience.

There is a view that is widely expressed here in the UK that hibernation is really beneficial for Hermanns, even essential, but I've not been certain of how much evidence there is for this.

 

[ComaDivine]

Hi guys, a quick update. The weather got a bit colder and a lot wetter today, and so far shelley's just slept through the entire day under her bridge. I decided against disturbing her, but now i'm thinking if she still decides to sleep through most of the days then what should i do regarding food and her hydration levels? I intend on leaving a bit of food in her table like always, but she rarely seems to drink at the best of times unless she's been given a bath. so should i disturb her just for that or leave her be? thanks in advance for any help