Interrupt early brumation?

[Cathy Schwemm]

Hi -

My DETO seems to have slipped into brumation in the house while I was on vacation. I'm going to put her out in the colder building where she was last year, but wonder if I should wake her up a bunch and hydrate and try and feed her first or just move her without much disruption. Thanks.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Cathy, and welcome to the Forum! I'm assuming by "DETO" you mean a desert tortoise? No, definitely DO NOT feed her. Desert tortoises go into a brumation, which is not a true hibernation. They can still move however slowly. BUT - About two weeks prior to them going into brumation mode they stop eating in order to clear out their digestive tract. Since you went on vacation, and probably fed her before you left, I can only assume she has not cleared out her digestive tract. Moving her into a colder area now means her body temperature won't be high enough to digest any food left inside, and it will sit there and rot. Here's what I would do, just to make sure she's ok after having someone else care for her while you were gone (we've heard horror stories of tortoises left in the care of others): Soak her in warm water daily for about a half hour. Keep the lights/heat on, but only for about 8 hours a day. Do not offer food. Do this for about a week, then if she seems ok to you, bright eyes, alert, go ahead and move the light up higher and only have it on for about 6 hours a day. Once she goes into her shelter and stops coming out, you can move the enclosure to a colder building.

 

[Yvonne G]

I just noticed you've been a member for almost five years. I try to always welcome new members, but since this was your first post in five years, I guess the "welcome" was ok!

 

[Cathy Schwemm]

Thanks, Yvonne, great tip about not feeding. I'll give her a soaking and then move her out.