Hibernation - San Diego

[Chompy]

Hi All,

The weather here is getting cooler and my Russian is eating on average every other day. It's in 70's in daytime and down to even 50's at night. She is in an outdoor enclosure. Should I use heating lamps at night or let nature take it's course. I usually do a vet check when she stops eating to make certain she is healthy for hibernation. Thoughts?

 

[nicoleann2214]

Hi All,

The weather here is getting cooler and my Russian is eating on average every other day. It's in 70's in daytime and down to even 50's at night. She is in an outdoor enclosure. Should I use heating lamps at night or let nature take it's course. I usually do a vet check when she stops eating to make certain she is healthy for hibernation. Thoughts?

@Tom

 

[Tom]

Hi All,

The weather here is getting cooler and my Russian is eating on average every other day. It's in 70's in daytime and down to even 50's at night. She is in an outdoor enclosure. Should I use heating lamps at night or let nature take it's course. I usually do a vet check when she stops eating to make certain she is healthy for hibernation. Thoughts?

Either hibernate him or don't, but commit to one or the other. You don't HAVE to hibernate him, but I'm of the opinion that you SHOULD hibernate him.

The answer to your questions are not simple. Its a long explanation that I previously type up in post number 19 here:
Looking for an RT Hibernation "Mentor"
In this thread, @Tom mentioned seeking out a "mentor" who has experience in successfully hibernating Russian tortoises. So I am looking for you! Or any ideas of potential helpful peeps... Thanks! A little background: My boyfriend and I are interested in hibernating Steve, our male Russian...
tortoiseforum.org

I"ve found it much easier to get into and out of hibernation, regardless of finicky weather using a temperature controlled night box, which is shown and explained here:
The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise
I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...
tortoiseforum.org

Read these two threads, and you should have most of your questions answered. If not, come on back and we will get you sorted.

 

[RosemaryDW]

I let my outdoor Russian decide. When she stops eating for a couple of weeks (or more), I start to check her for weight loss; when it starts dropping a bit it’s time to stick her in the fridge. She lets me know it’s time, leaving her night box and hunting out spots to dig down in in the yard.

This year was odd. After a long period of inactivity and not eating (but no weight loss) this year she decided very quickly a few days ago it was time; after only one or two nights in the high fifties. I noticed she’d started hunting around for a spot the same day she went down. I left her alone for ninety minutes and found her a foot down (I knew where she was going to dig).

My Russian is wild caught and while she makes good use of her beautiful heated box in the spring and fall, she could care less about it when the days shorten. She decides, not me. She’s in her fridge and went down with very little fuss.

Good luck with your decision!