I got my Russian tortoise pair in April, and wasn't planning on brumating them until next winter. However, here we are in late October, and despite being indoors, my tortoises remain buried in the substrate and haven't come out to eat, drink, or eliminate waste in weeks.
They seem to be trying to brumate, and it seems easy enough to leave them be, but I am concerned. If they don't eat, won't they go through their fat reserves faster at room temperature than at 40°F? For a while there I was digging them out every weekend to bathe and feed them. It seemed a bit mean, but I thought it was the right thing to do, and indeed they did respond for a day or two, but then they went right back under.
I wasn't planning on doing it yet, but should I put them in the refrigerator and formally brumate them in this winter?
They seem to be trying to brumate, and it seems easy enough to leave them be, but I am concerned. If they don't eat, won't they go through their fat reserves faster at room temperature than at 40°F? For a while there I was digging them out every weekend to bathe and feed them. It seemed a bit mean, but I thought it was the right thing to do, and indeed they did respond for a day or two, but then they went right back under.
I wasn't planning on doing it yet, but should I put them in the refrigerator and formally brumate them in this winter?