Posted: Tue Nov 21, 2017 9:38 am Re: Hibernation?
This is just me but I found turtles feel the change of season more than us , causing them to be sluggish , eat less and want to brumate. Yes we do our best to control the basking dock's temp but we sometimes do not notice the ambient air temp as a turtle does. I have an old house this is noticed more in them. Changing direction of air vent from an heat unit / a-c unit or even ceiling fan's creates drafts on a turtle which can cause it to catch a cold , not good. Ever notice some homes from your waist up is cooking and your toes are cold. Even the best of homes the ceiling to floor temp is different. I take a reading from floor to ceiling by my setup to see from season to season what's happening. This home I have now was only 5* ( it's old ) not much to us but to a turtle ? To be more consistent year round with the ambient air temp I took the technology from fancy heat system and applied it to my old house. I have very small fans ( 4" ) placed around home to mix the floor to ceiling air better having more control of the ambient air. Piggley never feels the change of season so stays active , that instinct to brumate never kicks in. This also makes the house much more comfortable to me too ! What we do for our turtles to be happy and healthy ! If you have a newer home may not have a big difference since newer unit's are better at circulating the air. Some even kick on the fan only to keep the air moving a few times a day. My home is 59 years old and needs some help. Simple and cheap fix that help's me and Piggley.
It's not recommended to allow a indoor captive turtle to bromate. We can never duplicate 100% what nature offers a turtle to be safe.