Hibernation

[emmahaddock25]

Hello everyone I recently adopted a 10 month old horsefield tortoise. The pet shop recommended that I do not hibernate her until she is at least 5, and that i should just keep her basking lamp on for 10-12 hours a day which should keep her warm. Does anyone else have another opinion? thank you

 

[hunterk997]

How large is the tortoise? They may have said ten months, but if the tortoise is four inches or larger it's probably not the case. On hibernation, it's best to wait until the next year to make sure your tortoise is in good enough health to make it through hibernation.


Sent from my Ipod using the tortoiseforum app

 

[Saleama]

I am no expert but I did ask an expert at a reptile show and he said they would hibernate in the wild every year from birth. It keeps their natural cycles going and is essential to their health. If you animal is reasonably healthy, it should hibernate. Since he has been doing this for a few decades, I believe I am going to follow that advise.

 

[hunterk997]

It keeps their natural cycles going and is essential to their health.

Hibernation isn't essential to their health, it's just some keepers with hibernating species notice their tortoise slowing down in the winter and decide to hibernate them. There is more of a risk with hibernation then there is without.

 

[Saleama]

http://www.thetortoisehouse.com/Hibernation04.htm
http://www.thetortoiselady.com/page4.htm
http://www.tinytortoises.co.uk/hibernation.html

I am not certain that I would take any advise from someone who is saying to NOT follow your tortoises natural ycles. In the wild, your tortoise, provided it is a hibernating species, would hibernate each and every year. the greatest tortoise breeder ever, Mother Nature, hibernates all of them no matter their age.
Can they live without it? Sure they can, but a child could also theoretically live on soda pop and candy.
How anybody can suggest that it is better for a hibernating species to NOT hibernate is beyond me.

 

[ascott]

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-38255.html

Hi....so I have attached a link here that will kinda show you the passion that is released with the simple drop of the words hibernation or brumation

I personally believe that a tortoise species that has brumation as part of their natural life cycle should have this piece of their pie supported....now, there will be folks that do no agree--so be it, there is not much to do to ever convince that person otherwise, kinda like there is not much chance I will ever be convinced that brumation is not an important part of the entire tortoise (for brumating species that is) life cycle that should not be supported...sooooo you should heavily educate yourself on the variety of options/methods/ways folks do successful brumations and then from there when you are entirely comfortable with your acquired skills/knowledge--then you set your tort up for that part of their life cycle.

I however do believe that when you acquire a tort to host, you should wait at least an entire year from when the tort became in your care---this time is entirely for you to get to know what the tortoise normal overall behavior is --this way if a change should occur in your tortoise you can quickly tune into it and take the appropriate actions....

What did you do with the tort last winter? How did you keep him then?

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Also, when you do set up a Hibernaculum, you will want to make sure that it will remain dry, cool, quiet, rodent free and a place that you can easily check in on your resting friend (this allows you to continue to check if your set up is good and your tort is successfully resting)...

When you have a tortoise that is being offered the opportunity to do what it would naturally do---you will want to keep that in mind from the moment the weather turns favorable for a tort to be awake, eating, hydrating, exercising and sunning itself for the warm months---this is when your planning for brumation is in action, the goal is to assure that you have the healthiest tort by the time the cooler months are upon you---so the tort should be plump, juicy and exercised the entire tortoise season so that when the cool months approach, your tort will naturally do what its evolutionary clock has equipped him to do....it is a fascinating thing to observe....

Also, lets say you have a tort that is not yet ready to be brumated in your care and it skips a winter season and you force him to remain awake/semi awake--the moment the warm weather begins--get that tort out and begin the feeding frenzy the soaking frenzy the sunning and exercising...so that when the next winter rolls round--he will be ready...

Just my 2 cents worth