Hibernation of a four year old

[jorn]

Hello, I'll begin with introducing my tortoise.
His name is Cobus and he is 4 years old, I really recently bought him from a pet doctor who told me to put him in hibernation. Cobus came from outside to a terrarium just 2 days ago. He already was getting slow and non active, but not fully ready yet. The temperature in Belgium is now about 10 degrees celcius, but with transporting him by car and putting him in the terrarium he got active. So I've put my terrarium on automatic 20 degrees celcius.
My questions are,
-does he need a fully wintersleep or just a winterrest?
-should I strengthen him up first?
-what substrate to put in his winter rest/sleep box
-can I wait with just another month so he gets used to the new situation?
- I read a lot about it and a ked many people who hold tortoises, but a lot of people say different things so..

Thanks for the help,

Gr

 

[peasinapod]

Hello, I'll begin with introducing my tortoise.
His name is Cobus and he is 4 years old, I really recently bought him from a pet doctor who told me to put him in hibernation. Cobus came from outside to a terrarium just 2 days ago. He already was getting slow and non active, but not fully ready yet. The temperature in Belgium is now about 10 degrees celcius, but with transporting him by car and putting him in the terrarium he got active. So I've put my terrarium on automatic 20 degrees celcius.
My questions are,
-does he need a fully wintersleep or just a winterrest?
-should I strengthen him up first?
-what substrate to put in his winter rest/sleep box
-can I wait with just another month so he gets used to the new situation?
- I read a lot about it and a ked many people who hold tortoises, but a lot of people say different things so..

Thanks for the help,

Gr

Welcome to the forum!

What kind if tortoise is Cobus? This will determine the care he needs. If you post pics we can identify him if you aren't sure. (And we looooove pictures anyways!)

If you only just got the tortoise I don't know if it would be advisable to hibernate him. Do you even have an appropriate spot to hibernate him in?

In my opinion I'd keep him awake and think about hibernating him next year (if that's something you want to do). A hibernation which isn't done correctly will only harm a tortoise, but I'll let the experts chime in as well.

You found a good forum here with LOTS of nice, knowledgeable people.

 

[peasinapod]

Welcome to the forum!

What kind if tortoise is Cobus? This will determine the care he needs. If you post pics we can identify him if you aren't sure. (And we looooove pictures anyways!)

If you only just got the tortoise I don't know if it would be advisable to hibernate him. Do you even have an appropriate spot to hibernate him in?

In my opinion I'd keep him awake and think about hibernating him next year (if that's something you want to do). A hibernation which isn't done correctly will only harm a tortoise, but I'll let the experts chime in as well.

You found a good forum here with LOTS of nice, knowledgeable people.

Edit: pictures and more information in his diet/cage would help us as well, so we can help you give him the best care possible!

 

[jorn]

Thanks for the quick answer ! Well he is a hermanni boettgeri the man I bought him from only breeds with boetgeri. And according to the plastron patterns it should be correct.

So it isn't harmful to keep him awake just for one year?
And should I give him a winterrest on stead of a full hibernation

Tanks and greets

 

[peasinapod]

Hermann's are awesome, I own one myself. Here's a good care-sheet http://www.tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/101410/

Personally I wouldn't hibernate him if I'd only just got him. Especially if you haven't read up about it yet or don't have an adequate hibernating spot set up yet. (Maybe you have)

Lots of people on here don't hibernate their tortoises. If you use the search function you can finds lots of discussions about this subject. Personally, I hibernate mine, but that's a decision you have to make after informing yourself.

How are you planning on housing this adorable little guy?

If you don't hibernate him you have to simulate a warm season, meaning light and warmth. There's no inbetween thing.


Maybe some experts will chime in on this thread later on. (Think of the time difference)

 

[jorn]

Hello, yeah he is really not afraid of being picked up and such. Well I do plan to hibernate him next year because I want him to live q long and healthy life of course. And I don't have spot yet neither. Maybe my mistake, I should probably have waited till after winter. But I really finally decided to get one.
he's now in a ex-aquarium wich I cleaned out and made a personalised cover for. It's 120 cm by 40 cm and 60 cm high. I use a 100 watt lamp with an automatic temperature clock wich I gave set at 22 degrees Celsius right now

 

[jorn]

I know a lot already on hibernation and also everything on food climate and habitat, but I don't feel 100% about hibernation this year, because of my lack of experience with Cobus as a pet himself.

I've had yellow cheeck turtles before but these I gave yo someone because he had a pond. I've also had short fingered geckos (stenodactylus doriae) wich I gladly got to reproduce. So I have experience with reptiles, but not on tortoises. I did read a lot before getting cobus and asked a lot of testudo keepers. but hibernation is not something done quickly and I wanna be sure to do it is at should be done. Thanks for the info, anymore answers are always welcome

 

[jorn]

Here are pictures of his habitat, concerning the "infrastructure" and also the type of ground I use. He is still getting up btw

 

[peasinapod]

It's good that you already informed yourself!

I'd change the substrate though, woodchips don't hold humidity well, and it gets prett dry as it is below the lamps. Untreated soil or coco coir are a MUCH better alternative (and cheaper as well I believe). Sometimes tortoises have problems getting into waterbowls such as yours because of their hard plastron. They can even flip! A cheap terracotta plant saucer which can even be slightly buried in the substrate is a safer alternative.

 

[jorn]

Ok, so Coco choir is the compressed coconut bricks you can buy?

 

[peasinapod]

Ok, so Coco choir is the compressed coconut bricks you can buy?

Yes! You can oftentimes find it way cheaper in gardening stores and such. No need to pay extra just because it says "for pets" on it.

 

[jorn]

Ait

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

I always tell people that they should keep a new-to-you tortoise awake the first winter you have him. This gives you a chance to get to know the tortoise and to be sure he's healthy enough and has enough fat reserves to hibernate.

 

[jorn]

Ok, that sounds logical yeah. I guess I will do this, and next year he will be able to get his wintersleep.