How do I hibernate without killing my tortoises?

[russian/sulcata/tortoise]

I live in Pennsylvania right now it's starting to get cold and I have brought my tortoises inside. I want to hibernate my Russian tortoises, they are inside right now under heat lamps. I was thinking of putting them in the garage inside boxes full of leaves but the garage only stays a little higher then the outside temperatures. It gets pretty cold and I'm unsure how to do this safely or if I should do it at all. Thank you

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Nick:

What you want to avoid is allowing the tortoise to freeze. I don't know the actual temperature in your garage through the winter, but it really doesn't seem like it would actually freeze in there, would it? How about a back bedroom closet with the door shut. You want to strive for a temperature somewhere between 40F and 50F with ideal being closer to the lower end.

 

[russian/sulcata/tortoise]

Hi Nick:

What you want to avoid is allowing the tortoise to freeze. I don't know the actual temperature in your garage through the winter, but it really doesn't seem like it would actually freeze in there, would it? How about a back bedroom closet with the door shut. You want to strive for a temperature somewhere between 40F and 50F with ideal being closer to the lower end.

The garage has like no instillation I'm pretty sure it would freeze. How long should I have them hibernate for? How do I wake them up? Do I check on them?

 

[Yvonne G]

The weather here is low 50's at night, but still pretty warm during the day, however, my Russians told me they wanted to be put to bed. So I've put them into their hibernating place. I will open the lid and check about once a month. Then in the Spring when the nights are consistently in the 50's I'll prop the lid open and they will wake up on their own. Then I put them back out into their yard, only blocking them into their shelter if it rains.

 

[swatsx]

Im letting mine chill in the bottom of my basement fridge, in a cooler with some slightly ever so slightly damp orchid mulch... at 42 -43 degrees i check on her weekly and weigh her monthly make sure she doesn't loose too much weight too fast. I have to look but I think it's something like 6% a month but don't quote me on that

 

[swatsx]

It's 1% which for me is just about 6 grams that's where I got lost

 

[JoesMum]

Your tort should lose no more than 10% of its bodyweight during the whole hibernation. A large drop is cause for concern.

Generally Joe loses 2-3%.

Because he's so big, he could lose up to 300g! Some years he's been close to that, but not many.

 

[swatsx]

What kind of tortoise is joe ?

 

[JoesMum]

What kind of tortoise is joe ?

Greek - Testudo Graeca Graeca. We have had him since 1970 and he weighs 3.3kg

 

[JoesMum]

I live in Pennsylvania right now it's starting to get cold and I have brought my tortoises inside. I want to hibernate my Russian tortoises, they are inside right now under heat lamps. I was thinking of putting them in the garage inside boxes full of leaves but the garage only stays a little higher then the outside temperatures. It gets pretty cold and I'm unsure how to do this safely or if I should do it at all. Thank you

I always double boxed Joe in the garage.

He would be in a smaller box filled with shredded paper and accompanied by the outdoor probe of a wireless indoor/outdoor thermometer.

That box goes in a much bigger box packed round hard with straw to keep the temperature in the inner box as stable as possible. This meant Joe's temperature fluctuated much less than what was happening with the weather (I'm in the UK)

It was unusual for temperatures in my garage to drop below freezing, but if there was a risk then I had an electric radiator with a thermostat that I could use. I set the thermostat to 2C (36F). So it was there only to prevent freezing.

This year, for the first time in 45 years, we have switched to fridge hibernation as we cannot guarantee temperatures will stay cold enough in our garage any more.

 

[russian/sulcata/tortoise]

I always double boxed Joe in the garage.

He would be in a smaller box filled with shredded paper and accompanied by the outdoor probe of a wireless indoor/outdoor thermometer.

That box goes in a much bigger box packed round hard with straw to keep the temperature in the inner box as stable as possible. This meant Joe's temperature fluctuated much less than what was happening with the weather (I'm in the UK)

It was unusual for temperatures in my garage to drop below freezing, but if there was a risk then I had an electric radiator with a thermostat that I could use. I set the thermostat to 2C (36F). So it was there only to prevent freezing.

This year, for the first time in 45 years, we have switched to fridge hibernation as we cannot guarantee temperatures will stay cold enough in our garage any more.

how do i prepare my tortoises for hibernation? i have them in the basement right now under heat lamps, I'm still feeding them.

 

[JoesMum]

how do i prepare my tortoises for hibernation? i have them in the basement right now under heat lamps, I'm still feeding them.

Disclaimer: I have never hibernated a tortoise that's kept indoors!

With Joe, he starts to slow down as the days shorten. The temperature outdoors is cooling naturally.

If I can see that he needs to be kept going a bit longer, then he has a heat lamp outdoors for basking under so he can charge up to eat and be active.

It gets to the point where the lamp makes little or no difference. I stop using it. I stop offering food and he gets daily soaks for a fortnight before he is hibernated.

 

[swatsx]

I slow my feeding down, and lessen it in the weeks leading up to hibernation, I do daily warm soaks and no food for the week prior to putting mine in the chill box. Trying to flush out the digestive tract of food and poo so it doesn't go rotten during the long months

 

[russian/sulcata/tortoise]

can i hibernate all my Russians in the same box of leaves?

 

[JoesMum]

can i hibernate all my Russians in the same box of leaves?

I don't see why not as long as there's sufficient "floor area" for all of them.

When they're doing an impression of a house brick they're unlikely to fight or bully. I wouldn't want one on top of another though.

 

[russian/sulcata/tortoise]

I don't see why not as long as there's sufficient "floor area" for all of them.

When they're doing an impression of a house brick they're unlikely to fight or bully. I wouldn't want one on top of another though.

All of my female Russians are at a good weight still eating and are very active, but my adult male Russian has slowed down barley eats, sleeps most of the time even thought he is under a heat lamp. He has lost some weight, what should i do? should i put him in hibernation now?

 

[JoesMum]

All of my female Russians are at a good weight still eating and are very active, but my adult male Russian has slowed down barley eats, sleeps most of the time even thought he is under a heat lamp. He has lost some weight, what should i do? should i put him in hibernation now?

Sounds like he's ready to go. Stop the heat lamp, soak him for a few more days and then hibernate him where it's cool enough.

If it isn't cool enough anywhere then you have more of a problem

 

[russian/sulcata/tortoise]

Sounds like he's ready to go. Stop the heat lamp, soak him for a few more days and then hibernate him where it's cool enough.

If it isn't cool enough anywhere then you have more of a problem

How long do i hibernate them? Do i wake them up? it snows where i live and the only part of my house that isn't heated in my garage, and I'm afraid it will get too cold. I could put a space heater in to even out the temperature.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Nick:

As long as it doesn't get down to freezing, he'll be ok. They usually hibernate for 5 or 6 months. ONce the night time temps get up to 50F and stay there, the tortoises start waking up. Try to find a quiet spot that stays about 40-45F degrees.

 

[russian/sulcata/tortoise]

Hi Nick:

As long as it doesn't get down to freezing, he'll be ok. They usually hibernate for 5 or 6 months. ONce the night time temps get up to 50F and stay there, the tortoises start waking up. Try to find a quiet spot that stays about 40-45F degrees.

Does noise wake them up?