Hibernation

[Csains]

Good evening
My 16 yr old Mediterranean spur has always hibernated naturally in the ground usually around November time. This year he just won’t go in.
He has a house made of wood in the garden which he stays in during the summer months but he is choosing to stay in there now. He hasn’t eaten in weeks so I know he is ready for sleep. I have got him out the house and even dug a hole in the ground for him but he just got out and went back in his house. I purchased a big plastic box and filled that with soil and popped him in there but all he wanted to do was get out, I got him out and he walked straight back into his house. I just don’t think he can hibernate in the “normal” house but I’m all out of ideas. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Tom]

Good evening
My 16 yr old Mediterranean spur has always hibernated naturally in the ground usually around November time. This year he just won’t go in.
He has a house made of wood in the garden which he stays in during the summer months but he is choosing to stay in there now. He hasn’t eaten in weeks so I know he is ready for sleep. I have got him out the house and even dug a hole in the ground for him but he just got out and went back in his house. I purchased a big plastic box and filled that with soil and popped him in there but all he wanted to do was get out, I got him out and he walked straight back into his house. I just don’t think he can hibernate in the “normal” house but I’m all out of ideas. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Outdoors just ins't safe. Above ground in his house will be too inconsistent, unless it is well sealed and insulated. They need a constant temp around 5-7C to brumate. This is usually best accomplished with the use of a refrigerator.

Its all explained here:

Tom's Brumation Thread

Every fall we get bombarded here on the forum with all sorts of questions and problems regarding hibernation and tortoises "slowing down" for winter. The purpose of this thread is to talk about all aspects of this subject, to dispel some of the myths and mysteries, and give a "how to" list of...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[Csains]

Thank you but can you make my head hurt less by explaining why all of a sudden he won’t hibernate when for the last 16 years that’s all he has done. I just keeping reading things but I still don’t know what to do

 

[Tom]

Thank you but can you make my head hurt less by explaining why all of a sudden he won’t hibernate when for the last 16 years that’s all he has done. I just keeping reading things but I still don’t know what to do

You may never know. Could be many reasons. Temperature, humidity, lights, smells, etc...

Sorry your head hurts, but this may be a blessing in disguise. He has managed to survive that way for 16 years, but you've just been lucky. That luck will eventually run out. Better to do it the right way under controlled correct conditions.