mediterranean on hunger strike

[persica]

hi everyone
its about 1 weak that my 3 year old mediterraenean tortoise doesnt eat anything .
the temperature here is between 40 and 60 F and he is an out door tortoise.he doesnt eat anything and always sleeping in his hiding place is this because of temperature reduction and season change?
some times i bring him to my room and let him get warm in order to eat something but still he desnt want to eat anything iam a little worried about him please help me .what should i do?
tnx

 

[russian/sulcata/tortoise]

40 is way to cold for a tort. if its not warm enough he can't digest his food. bring him inside and get him in a nice warm enclosure.

 

[persica]

40 is way to cold for a tort. if its not warm enough he can't digest his food. bring him inside and get him in a nice warm enclosure.

we live in an apartment and i dont have enough space for him in my room is it possible to let him hibernate during the winter? because sooner or later the temperature will reduce more than this

 

[phebe121]

He should be inside if you do not have the space or the means to take care of him you shouldnt have him you have to do what you can for him where doeshe stay outside if you live in a apartment

 

[peasinapod]

we live in an apartment and i dont have enough space for him in my room is it possible to let him hibernate during the winter? because sooner or later the temperature will reduce more than this

You really should have been planning for this already.
Do you have a place where you could hibernate your tortoise? Meaning constant low temperatures etc. It seems your tortoise has been winding down on its own.

If your tortoise was healthy during the summer and you find a correct hibernaculum I would hibernate her.

 

[persica]

You really should have been planning for this already.
Do you have a place where you could hibernate your tortoise? Meaning constant low temperatures etc. It seems your tortoise has been winding down on its own.

If your tortoise was healthy during the summer and you find a correct hibernaculum I would hibernate her.

we have terrace which his enclosure is there
its for 2 months that my girl friend gave him to me and i didnt know that i will have problem with his enclosure in cold winter
the only place that i can prepare for his hibernation is our terrace he was healthy during this 2 months and i havent seen anything suspicious
i should notice that temperature will be below 40 F here for 4 months but will swings a little if hibernation is dangerous i bring him indoor but i have to make him a smaller enclosure.

 

[phebe121]

There was just someone saying most outdoor hibernation they die irs not a steady temp he really cant be outside for it. Does he get sun outside in summer play in the grass how big is he

 

[peasinapod]

we have terrace which his enclosure is there
its for 2 months that my girl friend gave him to me and i didnt know that i will have problem with his enclosure in cold winter
the only place that i can prepare for his hibernation is our terrace he was healthy during this 2 months and i havent seen anything suspicious
i should notice that temperature will be below 40 F here for 4 months but will swings a little if hibernation is dangerous i bring him indoor but i have to make him a smaller enclosure.

Sorry, I misread and thought you had him more than a year already, that's why I made the comment about being prepared. How big could you make the indoor enclosure?

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi persica:

If your tortoise lives outside, and it is one of the species that normally hibernates in nature, then what you are seeing in his actions is his preparing to hibernate. The stop eating for a couple weeks before they go to sleep. This is perfectly normal. If you can allow him to hibernate safely, then I see no reason to make an indoor habitat. Let him hibernate. BUT FIRST, FIND OUT IF YOUR SPECIES IS THE TYPE THAT HIBERNATES.

 

[persica]

Sorry, I misread and thought you had him more than a year already, that's why I made the comment about being prepared. How big could you make the indoor enclosure?

i think a 60*25 box is the maximum size that i can assign for him this is an empty space behind my heater....
he is about 7 8 cm
yes he got sun and he was really active...still when i put a heating bulb for him he stars to get sun

 

[persica]

Hi persica:

If your tortoise lives outside, and it is one of the species that normally hibernates in nature, then what you are seeing in his actions is his preparing to hibernate. The stop eating for a couple weeks before they go to sleep. This is perfectly normal. If you can allow him to hibernate safely, then I see no reason to make an indoor habitat. Let him hibernate. BUT FIRST, FIND OUT IF YOUR SPECIES IS THE TYPE THAT HIBERNATES.

hi yvonne
yes he is spur-thighed mediterranean tortoise this species is a common species here that they hibernate during winter but as i saw in some websites his hibernation during winter is about 6 to 8 weeks it depends on his inhabitant
if not eathing and lack mobility is a sign of hibernation i should say yes after getting cold i can see this sign in him what should i do for his hibernation?

 

[Yvonne G]

Then don't bring him in and warm him up. He needs to be cool to hibernate. I pack them in boxes of shredded paper and place the box in a cool dry place. The temperature needs to stay in the range between 40F and 50F.