Should I let my Tortoise hibernate?

Kjklea08

New Member
Joined
Jun 15, 2021
Messages
21
Location (City and/or State)
New Haven
Hello! So this is my first tortoise and I speculate he was wild caught do to certain things. But since the beginning of November he has been sleeping a lot and all burrowed deep into the substrate. During the summer I would have him outdoors during the day and indoors during the night but I live in Indiana so he is fully indoors now. The room I have him in is a finished attic so it has heat but it is chiller then the rest of the house if I don't run a heater. I've been running a heater to keep his room warm but I leave it off at night. He almost seems annoyed when I turn the heat on and disturb his slumber. I'm starting to wonder if I should just let him naturally hibernate. Without the heater the room will be a controlled temperature but much cooler. How cold does it need to be for a tortoise to hibernate? In the wintertime that room will probably be around 50 degrees. Right now without the heater it's around 60-65. I'm just trying to figure out if I should commit to the heater and just run it on a timer so it stays on enough during the day/night, or keep the room cold so he can sleep.
 

wellington

Well-Known Member
Moderator
10 Year Member!
Tortoise Club
Joined
Sep 6, 2011
Messages
49,655
Location (City and/or State)
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Yes, mine doesn't roam as much but he is also brought inside from spending summers outside.
I do heat his enclosure at night but just with one ceramic heat emitter. If you keep the temps the same as in summer they will adjust and stay up.
I use a basking light and che during the day and just a che at night. He still eats like a champ and does try to dig in but I don't give a lot of substrate in the winter so he can't really dig down deep.
 

Kjklea08

New Member
Joined
Jun 15, 2021
Messages
21
Location (City and/or State)
New Haven
Yes, mine doesn't roam as much but he is also brought inside from spending summers outside.
I do heat his enclosure at night but just with one ceramic heat emitter. If you keep the temps the same as in summer they will adjust and stay up.
I use a basking light and che during the day and just a che at night. He still eats like a champ and does try to dig in but I don't give a lot of substrate in the winter so he can't really dig down deep.

Yes, when I wake mine up to eat be still eats a ton. He just seems much lazier then usual. He looks very healthy and has no symptoms of sickness. So I think he is just naturally slowing down and if he was wild caught he probably definitely noticed the season change. It's hard to miss in Indiana ?
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,265
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
Hello! So this is my first tortoise and I speculate he was wild caught do to certain things. But since the beginning of November he has been sleeping a lot and all burrowed deep into the substrate. During the summer I would have him outdoors during the day and indoors during the night but I live in Indiana so he is fully indoors now. The room I have him in is a finished attic so it has heat but it is chiller then the rest of the house if I don't run a heater. I've been running a heater to keep his room warm but I leave it off at night. He almost seems annoyed when I turn the heat on and disturb his slumber. I'm starting to wonder if I should just let him naturally hibernate. Without the heater the room will be a controlled temperature but much cooler. How cold does it need to be for a tortoise to hibernate? In the wintertime that room will probably be around 50 degrees. Right now without the heater it's around 60-65. I'm just trying to figure out if I should commit to the heater and just run it on a timer so it stays on enough during the day/night, or keep the room cold so he can sleep.
Russians need it at a consistent 38-39 to brumate.

You've got to decide which way you want to go and do it. If you decide to brumate, you will still need a month of warm temps and frequent soak to empty out the gut.

And yes, they all slow down this time of year even when they are indoors.
 

Mrs.Jennifer

Well-Known Member
Tortoise Club
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jul 22, 2020
Messages
673
Location (City and/or State)
Norwich CT
Hello! So this is my first tortoise and I speculate he was wild caught do to certain things. But since the beginning of November he has been sleeping a lot and all burrowed deep into the substrate. During the summer I would have him outdoors during the day and indoors during the night but I live in Indiana so he is fully indoors now. The room I have him in is a finished attic so it has heat but it is chiller then the rest of the house if I don't run a heater. I've been running a heater to keep his room warm but I leave it off at night. He almost seems annoyed when I turn the heat on and disturb his slumber. I'm starting to wonder if I should just let him naturally hibernate. Without the heater the room will be a controlled temperature but much cooler. How cold does it need to be for a tortoise to hibernate? In the wintertime that room will probably be around 50 degrees. Right now without the heater it's around 60-65. I'm just trying to figure out if I should commit to the heater and just run it on a timer so it stays on enough during the day/night, or keep the room cold so he can sleep.
Hello! Are you in New Haven, Connecticut? What species of tortoise do you have?
Anyway, I’m attaching the best and most up to date care sheet in case you haven’t come across it yet. It helped me considerably and now my Russian tortoise is living his best life. Many people brumate their tortoises, but some don’t. I am in the latter group. But whatever one chooses, it has to be done properly.

 

RobinRae

New Member
Joined
Apr 9, 2021
Messages
22
Location (City and/or State)
ENCINITAS
Hello! So this is my first tortoise and I speculate he was wild caught do to certain things. But since the beginning of November he has been sleeping a lot and all burrowed deep into the substrate. During the summer I would have him outdoors during the day and indoors during the night but I live in Indiana so he is fully indoors now. The room I have him in is a finished attic so it has heat but it is chiller then the rest of the house if I don't run a heater. I've been running a heater to keep his room warm but I leave it off at night. He almost seems annoyed when I turn the heat on and disturb his slumber. I'm starting to wonder if I should just let him naturally hibernate. Without the heater the room will be a controlled temperature but much cooler. How cold does it need to be for a tortoise to hibernate? In the wintertime that room will probably be around 50 degrees. Right now without the heater it's around 60-65. I'm just trying to figure out if I should commit to the heater and just run it on a timer so it stays on enough during the day/night, or keep the room cold so he can sleep.
What type of tortoise do you have? They should do what they do in the wild and what they do naturally. So yes they should hibernate. But it has to be in very cool temperatures if it's a desert tortoise.
 
Top