Box Turtle and Tortoise Discussion :: Is My Russian Hibernating?

[TurtleGirl1985]

Hey! I'm worried about my Russian Tortoise Mufasa. I just got him 2 days ago and when I got him he was eating away and walking around. And when I brought him home he keep digging and digging he also wasnt eating... This morning I went to go check on him and took him out of his log and all his limbs were stiff and i touched them and the wouldnt retract back in same with his head but after touching his head twice he tucked it back in and so i put him down and hes not as active as he was when i brought him home. Hes indoors /in the garage. And last night the temp outside was 32 but not sure what it was like in the garage. I was told that if you distrurb them while they are hibernating that it could kill them. So do you think I should just leave him alone? I still have his lights on and a bowl of food in his enclosure... What should I do?

[Diamondbacks4Life]

I would turn off the lights, if you want him to hibernate fully you have to go all the way through with it. Actually they should have gone a month without eating before full hibernation as any food in its body can start to rot since it wont digest it since body functions slow almost to a stop during hibernation. The light might be heating him a little causing him to expend energy still that he shouldnt be. Best you can do is just let him go till spring. A weight should of been taken before hibernation and a weight taken later on when you just feel a little uneasy to make sure he isnt losing alot of weight. They will lose very little during hibernation. As for disturbing during hibernation there is nothing wrong with doing that. It wont kill them as if an emergency occurs like you notice he is losing weight it is easy for them to wake out of it just by bringing him inside.

[TurtleGirl1985]

Since I just got him should I wait till next year to hibernate him since they say not to for the first year of getting them

[Diamondbacks4Life]

I would of not hibernated since you just got him, but thats just my opinion

[TurtleGirl1985]

ok im not going to how do i prevent him from hibernating

[Diamondbacks4Life]

ok im not going to how do i prevent him from hibernating

Just bring his setup inside so it becomes room temp and turn on the light. Dont place him under the light. He will come too and be active within the day.

[TurtleGirl1985]

cause when its in the garage as the day warms up the garage does too and then he come out and is active so can i just leave it where it is.

[Diamondbacks4Life]

But when it gets cold the temp drops dramatically. It isnt good for him to be constantly going through temp changes like that.

[TurtleGirl1985]

Yea so i brought the tank in the house. Now him and his female friend are doing great thanks for your help. When should I move the tank back to the garage?

[Diamondbacks4Life]

Id, wait till temps outside stay in the steady 60 range. Thats around Feb-March.

[TurtleGirl1985]

ok thank you for your help. My two tortoises are much more active now. I was using walnut litter as their subtrate but found out that it was making the humitity level too low and its not digestible so i got loose coconut fiber