Advice please on tortoises!!!! URGENT?

Question

My tortoise is under 1 year old, kept in a vivarium and I havn't seen him for 5 days now, he has hibernated himself. Should I wake him up?

Answer 1

If you wake him up he would probably be pissed. Would you like someone waking you up from a deep sleep for no reason?

Answer 2

I agree with Cameron. It is fine for tortoises to hibernate once they are old enough and have a large enough body mass to survive. You must make sure that you don't feed your tortoise too close to it hibernating or else when his metabolism slows down he won't be able to pass any food you gave him and toxins may build up. Never wake your tortoise up during hibernation but you may find that if it is quite mild over the winter he may naturally wake up. My tortoise is approximately 30 years old now and he hibernates every year with no problems. We keep him indoors but somewhere cool so he will not wake up. I think the best thing is to take your tortoise to the vets or ask for their advice at least.

Good Luck :)

Answer 3

first a vivarium is a no no for a tortoise unless you want a lot of problems.wake your tortoise up ,you should never allow your tortoise to hibernate with food inside them,he will die.Your tortoise has to say awake until he has a empty tummy.Your tortoise should have his weight checked against his lenght to make sure he is a good weight for hibernation,he should have bright eyes ,dry nose and not be making any noise.
PLEASE GO TO TORTOISE TRUST WEBSITE and read read read.Please don't tell me that he is feed on salad.Your tortoise should be on a good mix of weeds and having pure calcium and nutrobal as well.If you have the tortoise the least you can do is look after him and he is so young to ,if you want your tortoise to live then please go to the above site and learn how to care for him .
hannah

Answer 4

Hibernation requires that the tortoise find a sheltered spot that is pretty cool (40'ish). If it is not cool enough in the tank to hibernate, then the tortoise will start to slow down and waste away.

Double check your temps and other cares. It might be too cool o your lighting may be out of whack. \

Try http://www.austinsturtlepage.com for articles and care sheets.

Answer 5

Hi Catalina,

I have a toroise, he is only a hatchling. Hatchlings are not reccomended to hibernate until they are 3 years of age. I would wake him up as hibernation in a vivarium is not a good idea, temperatures can vary a lot in them conditions and he could get ill and unwell. But please dont just take my advise-ask you vet or someone with greater experiance. I hope he comes round ok xx

Cameron xx

Answer 6

If he's hibernated then he's too cold; why haven't you kept his vivarium at the correct temp? if he's underweight and too small to hibernate its unlikely he'll survive.
Take him to a vet; he needs specialist care, and you need to find out how to look after him. He needs the right temperature, humidity and diet.

Answer 7

Don t panic! All creatures can capture a chilly - it doesn t mean this is deadly... i'm faraway from domicile on the 2d so don t have my books with me, yet there is sure to be some information on the internet. Why no longer provide the guy you acquire your tortoise from a call for suggestion?

Answer 8

Take the advice given by LOUandFRA!. Seek advice from your vet (or a zoo/tropical centre) BEFORE WAKING him/her UP.

I have two tort's which I have had for 30 years. Both hibernate outside (insulated, mouse/rat free boxes).

Good luck!

Answer 9

I would suggest that you see a secialist but I know that the babies havent got the body mass/ correct amount of fat to safely hibernate- it's too young. I would recommend increasing the temp for sure.

Answer 10

it is not unusual for tortoises to hibernate, i would leave him be. my sister in law had a desert tortoise that hibernated every year. nothing to worry about

Answer 11

sum tortoises just go off on their own to hibernate mine used too but then when he awoke he would come and find us.