Slow down

[sueb4653]

I know that not everyone burmates their tortoises but I wonder do the tortoises know that it is winter even though we are keeping them in an artficial environment and thus have a slow down not so active not eating as much?

 

[LLLReptile]

I know that not everyone burmates their tortoises but I wonder do the tortoises know that it is winter even though we are keeping them in an artficial environment and thus have a slow down not so active not eating as much?

Ambient temperatures in many homes drop significantly during winter - I know around here in summer, we don't use much AC, so it's usually about 78 to 82 degrees F in most homes. In winter, if you don't use much heat, then it's 68 to 72 degrees in the home. That can be a 10 degree or more drop in average ambient temperatures - that combined with a darker home (unless you constantly have your blinds closed and the house lights on, your home is naturally lit to an extent by sunlight during daylight hours) earlier in the day can indicate to our pets that winter is here. There's also likely many other minute changes in humidity, pressure, and a myriad of other things that they may be able to sense and we can't that could contribute to a winter slow down.

-Jen