my friend has a 4 month old tortoise can they hibernate with its head out or is it dead?

Answer 1

Put it somewhere warm and dark for a month or two and reassess.
It would be horrible to find scratch marks on the cardboard box if you buried it a bit prematurely...

Answer 2

It may be dead as 4 months old is very young to hibernate a tortoise if it's not done properly at that age. Did your friend starve it for a week or so first? Doing this empties the stomach so that the food doesn't rot in the stomach and then slowly poisons the tortoise. Is it in a cold enough place? Ideally in the fridge or a rodant proof box in the out shed.

If the tortoise was in a vivarium there was no need to hibernate it. I never hibernate my tortoise as she's in a vivarium and she just fine. I had her for over 10yrs.

Put your finger under it'd back leg and see if you can feel a pulse, or put it under a heat lamp and if it arouses. If it still appears still get a vet to check it incase you think it's dead and bury the poor thing alive.

Answer 3

It is NOT dead!. I have just looked this up on the internet for you - I typed "tortoise hibernation with head out" into the yahoo search engine - go to the first hit. It gives loads of details on hibernation and says that some tortoises hibernate with all the limbs and head inside the body and, some just let it all hang out! The little lad is fine!

Answer 4

Yes they can hibernate with their head out, I had one for 25 year I didn't actually hibernate her but she used to get in a cool area of the house and hibernate herself.Unfortunately she died earlier this year, she had her head and legs as far into her shell as possible.

So I'd say your friends tortoise is probably alive and just about to come out of hibernation.

Answer 5

Hibernation has changed a lot due to the strange weather the whole world is having. Some don't hibernate anymore as they don't feel the normal winter coming. So don't give up just yet...

Answer 6

My tortoise hibernates every year for 4-6 months and he will some times sleep with all his limb completely out( including his head.) you can check if it's dead by felling for breath or poke at it;s head and see if it responds.

Answer 7

Hibernation starts when temperatures turn cooler in the fall. Days get shorter and the combination of falling temps and increasing darkness is what triggers hibernation.
All you have to do to reverse it is keep a UV light on for 12 hours a day and keep the temperature between 75-90 degrees Farenheit.
If the tortoise doesn't perk up in 2 days, it's dead.

Answer 8

it all depends on what tortoise it is. if it is a hermanns tortoise it is most probably still alive. tell your friend not to wake it up but to monitor its weight very closely. check the temperature aswell if it is below 3 degrees tell your friend to make it a little warmer. as long as the tortoise didnt have any food in its system before it went into hibernation and it was fully hydrated it should be fine. what ever you do dont try to wake it up! that could cause it stress making it ill! if it does wake up on its own try giving it a warmish bath to hydrate it even more and boost its immune system.

Answer 9

4 months is too young to hibernate it is dead.

Answer 10

sadley I think its dead.I would take it to the vets to be double sure though-dont despose of it untill its been confirmed-A tortoise that age should still be under a heat lamp & deff not outside so it shouldnt of got cold enough to hibernate-also its to young anyway-it isnt old enough to have built up the reserves to hibernate.