Sleeping/hibernating

[Sonny20222]

Hello,

I have a Russian tortoise roughly 18months old. The last few weeks he has been sleeping almost constantly. I think I’ve seen him awake only a handful of times over the past few weeks. He is eating and drinking a tiny bit. We have tried to wake him by taking him out of his bed and he vaguely opens his eyes then goes back to sleep again. When he’s asleep his head isn’t in his shell, it just kind of flops out. He looks to be shedding too. Any advice? Is this normal? Is he trying to hibernate?

Thanks

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Hello!
More information is needed to answer.
1. What lights and heating do you use?
2. What are the temperatures in the enclosure - in the basking zone, day and night ambient?
3. Size of the enclosure and what substrate?
4. His routines - bathing, diet and so on.

Photos of the enclosure and tortoise (shell, head, shedding areas) would be helpful as well.

 

[Tom]

Hello,

I have a Russian tortoise roughly 18months old. The last few weeks he has been sleeping almost constantly. I think I’ve seen him awake only a handful of times over the past few weeks. He is eating and drinking a tiny bit. We have tried to wake him by taking him out of his bed and he vaguely opens his eyes then goes back to sleep again. When he’s asleep his head isn’t in his shell, it just kind of flops out. He looks to be shedding too. Any advice? Is this normal? Is he trying to hibernate?

Thanks

Give this a read through:

Tom's Brumation Thread

Every fall we get bombarded here on the forum with all sorts of questions and problems regarding hibernation and tortoises "slowing down" for winter. The purpose of this thread is to talk about all aspects of this subject, to dispel some of the myths and mysteries, and give a "how to" list of...

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