Leopard tortoise emerges from brumation

[Geri K]

My leopard tortoise just emerged from 4 months of brumation. I live in Zimbabwe and the tortoise is a wild tortoise that lives in our large garden. Since we’re in the southern hemisphere, our seasons are opposite from the US and fall weather begins in March and winter in June. I tracked the tortoise’s movements weekly from April 20 (day he disappeared) till Aug 15 (day he reappeared). Four months total. He started brumating when we had a few cold nights in April and he woke up when the daytime temperature rose into the 70’s during early spring weather. The coldest nights we had in July were 42-44 F (5-7 C) which was pretty cold. He moved positions slightly 4-5 times, just 3-5 feet. See pics. So SA leopards do brúmate! He buried himself into leafy brush areas where it’s dark and shady.

 

[Geri K]

 

[Lyn W]

That's interesting, I knew they don't hibernate as some other species do and wondered how they coped with the cold weather in the wild although I had read they use burrows they find. Is it pretty dry while its cold in SA? I can't imagine my leopard coping outdoors in the winter with our climate in the UK. He has a cosy heated box all year around - lucky thing.

 

[Geri K]

That's interesting, I knew they don't hibernate as some other species do and wondered how they coped with the cold weather in the wild although I had read they use burrows they find. Is it pretty dry while its cold in SA? I can't imagine my leopard coping outdoors in the winter with our climate in the UK. He has a cosy heated box all year around - lucky thing.

The weather is completely dry from March until November. Not a drop of rain here in Harare, Zimbabwe. so my leopard has gone the full 4 months without water. He doesn’t dig a burrow, but rather pushes himself into some brushy vegetation.

 

[wellington]

You should give him a much better and larger water dish so he can get in it and self soak. If he has moved several times as you stated, I would think it would be smart to be sure water to drink was available for him should he want it during those winter months.

 

[Geri K]

You should give him a much better and larger water dish so he can get in it and self soak. If he has moved several times as you stated, I would think it would be smart to be sure water to drink was available for him should he want it during those winter months.

The dish he is drinking from is not his regular water dish. He has a drip plate for water under the garden faucet (see pic). We don't soak him and I've never seen him climb into his water plate. He is wild. He eats from a 2-acre walled garden so plenty of vegetation. We have never fed him.

 

[wellington]

I get that he is wild. In the wild though, he would not be walked in and he would be walking upto a water puddle or lake or stream to drink. Not likely climbing a high sided dish to get his water. The water drip plate is too high sided, which is why you have never seen him in it. Low sided clay saucers work the best for watering tortoises. Even though he is wild you still have him fenced in.

 

[nandusnandus]

Thank you for the post; this is interesting. What are typical daytime temperatures during the brumation period?

Your tort has some distinct carapace marks. I always wonder what story lies behind a shell with character like that.

 

[Yvonne G]

Thank you for sharing this with us. Very interesting.

 

[Geri K]

Dr

Thank you for the post; this is interesting. What are typical daytime temperatures during the brumation period?

Your tort has some distinct carapace marks. I always wonder what story lies behind a shell with character like that.

During brumation from April through August, it's about 74 F during the day, and gets down to 42 F on the coldest nights. The marks on the carapace are clearly the result of some horrible crushing injury when it was a baby or young juvenile. None of the staff here know what happened exactly, but they always have only seen the turtle with its shell damaged. However she has fully recovered and it does not seem to be bothered at all.

 

[MichaelS]

Thank you very much for sharing your information.