The Tortoise Table

Hi there! I'm looking to hibernate Peggy the Mediterranean Spur-Thigh for the first time this winter. She's 10 years old and on the petite side - her Jackson ratio is safe for hibernation but on the low end of the scale. I'm now in the first week of depriving the poor lamb of food, bathing her every day, and will start reducing the hours of her basking lamp from next week. My question is, if her weight drops over this starvation period so that it falls below the recommended Jackson ratio level, should I abort the hibernation?

Any advice about that or any other element of hibernation would be very gratefully received! The plan is to keep her in a mini-fridge that I'm buying for the purpose (I'd ordered one online but when it arrived it became apparent that it wasn't able to cool more than 10 degrees colder than the ambient temperature, and I don't have an unheated outbuilding to store it in, so it would have been difficult to ensure a consistent 5 degrees over the winter).

Thanks in advance!
Jonathan and Peggy

Hi Jonathan and Peggy.
It will depend on how much weight is dropped and because the Jackson Ratio is just a guide that will be for you to decide. In reality it is the weight they go into hibernation that matters and not the run up, those weights are just for your record.
If you know your tortoise is fit and healthy and has not lost much weight, is bright eyed, no visible problems and a vet check might help to find any hidden problems you can go from there. If you need any other info just get back to us.
Regards

Lin

If Peggy shows signs of weakness, sunken eyes, and is not as active as usual, it is best not to hibernate.