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Hibernating a Tortoise 4 years to Adulthood
Once your tortoise has received a fasting period and you are completely sure that there is no undigested food in the gut then you are ready to begin the hibernation process.(Fasting can take up to 4 weeks if they are an adult).
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Choose a box which is big enough for your tortoise to turn around in.
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Fill the box with shredded paper or hay.
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Provide breathing holes along the top and sides of the box.
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When the tortoise is ready, place him in the box and let him burrow.
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Place the box inside a larger box and insulate all sides with polystyrene.
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Write the date hibernation commenced on the box.
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Put the tortoise in a garage or similar cool, dry place.
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Check on your tortoise throughout the hibernation, especially around springtime.
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If your tortoise is stirring, or wide awake, take him out of hibernation.
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In this country, you will have to provide suitable warm indoor quarters for your tortoise until it is warm enough to go outside.
A few key Do's and Don'ts
- Bathe your tortoise daily to completely empty the gut from food and flush out all faeces. Ammonia from tortoises excreting during hibernation can have devastating effects and even cause death.
- Tortoises are cold blooded and therefore require heat to digest food and to function properly. When autumn arrives, tortoise naturally slow down due to the drop in temperature. Therefore they lose appetite and burrow until spring to avoid the chill.
- Countries with a hot climate all year round will provide tortoises with enough energy to stay awake all year round. e.g. Leopard, Sulcata, Redfoot and many other tropical species. Therefore these species should not be hibernated in captivity.
- We begin to cut down the UV light to simulate the process that would happen in the wild. Days become shorter and cooler therefore the tortoise starts preparing itself for the hibernation period without too much of a shock.
Devastating long term effects can occur in tortoises which are not hibernated in captivity but would naturally hibernate in the wild, please consider hibernation.
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