The Tortoise Table

Hello there,

How are you doing? I hope you all had some beautiful vacations this year despite the COVID-19...

I have some question regarding my tortoises’ hibernation.

So, first one: Rigel, the smaller one, is on the skinny side since she didn’t want to eat many of the weeds I offered her. I tried hibiscus, dandelions flower and leaves, plantain, some other weeds that are growing in the yard and clover. When I put the food in the enclosure she would come running (no joke she has sprint mode on) but then she nibble some of them and she returns in her hide. I noticed that her poop is even not firm but a bit runny. Is not that bad I guess... but it’s not firm, so I don’t know if I should be concerned or not. She is happy, she walks, she sunbathe and all of those things that a healthy tortoise should do.

Second question. Let’s say she turns out fine. I live in Italy as you know, so the temperatures are the right one to hibernate them in my garage, that is covered but that faces outdoors. Winters here are cold, but I am wondering if a garage is what they need. I found in some websites that you should put them in a small box filled with soil, but how much should they dig? Do I need to put 7-10cm of soil or 30-35cm, so that they can dig as much as they want?
Should I put them in separate containers or can I place them in a big tub? I found many sites that suggest me to do different things (ex. Put chips around the tub, put shredded paper, cover them, put them in a fridge ecc...) I just wanted to know what you do with yours.

Third one: I kinda forgot to starve them during August, I let them roam in their enclosure and graze on clover and dandelions. Should I starve them from today or is it too late now and I should keep them awake this year?

Thank you for your patience and your advice, you are always so kind.

Thanks
Lucre

Hi Lucre,

Lovely to hear from you! No vacation this year from me, but I've enjoyed long walks in the area around where I live and have discovered lots of little places that I never knew existed.

It sounds as if your new tortoise family is doing well, and I'm so glad that you welcomed them into your home. Regarding Rigel, it's not so good that her poop is a bit runny. There are lots of things that could have caused this. The most obvious is if she has eaten a lot of succulent plants (sedum, cacti etc.), as a lot of those can give runny poos. The other possibilities is if she is having fruit (any kind of fruit, including tomatoes), as that can cause runny poop; and the third possibility is parasites. I wonder if it would be a good idea to have a sample of her poop tested for worms, protozoa, etc. They are easily cured, but do you have a vet who could just test a sample that you bring in? All of these things could also affect her appetite as well as her poop.

Regarding hibernation. When were you wanting to hibernate them? I would hibernate them during the coldest part of the year, as that is when they won't be able to go outside anyway, and it's a bit too early for that. Can you remind me how much they weigh and what species they are (so sorry, but I've forgotten!). Strictly speaking you probably shouldn't hibernate them until you've had them for a year, so you can get to know them really well and know if they are a bit off colour. This is important because tortoises have to be in the best of health to hibernate, and that is another reason why Rigel who might be underweight and has runny poos, shouldn't be hibernated this year.

Depending on their weight, you would withhold food for between 2 - 4 weeks (very small torts only two weeks, and big adults 4 weeks) and then hibernate them for about 10 - 12 weeks. You can do this in a fridge (which is what I do), but it must be a fridge without an ice compartment. HIbernating in a box in the garage should be fine, but the only danger of that should it get down to 0 degrees in the garage, then even with good insulation eventually that temperature will reach the tortoise and their soft tissues can freeze. If it won't get down to freezing in the garage (and you can have some form of heating outside the box on a thermostat, set to go on when the temperature falls below a certain degree), then it should be fine.

The other problem with hibernating in the garage is if you have a warm spell and they wake up. The ideal temperature for hibernation is 5C (which is what most fridges are), and they can take between about 2C - 8C, but once the temperature gets up to 10C they start losing body fat and can wake up. Tortoises have a little internal energy boost called glycogen that becomes effective when they wake up from hibernation and gets them going. They only have one dose of this each year, so if she wakes up properly in a warm spell then you can't then put her back to sleep if it gets cold again.

We can send you lots of information on preparation for hibernation (called 'winding down') and hibernation itself (both fridge and box), so just let us know, but I think it is probably best if you don't hibernate this year and then take the big plunge next year.

Nina

Thank you for the information

I need to check the weight again, but I will do it tomorrow since I’m not home yet.

I will try to look for exotic vets but here in Italy the most common animals are cats and dogs, therefore there are vets for those. Do you think that they will be able to detect parasites even if they are not experts?

I will then keep them awake during this winter, even though I know it’s best for them to let them hibernate, because that is what’s normal for them.

I will tell you the weight as soon as I get home.

Thank you so much
Lucre