Accidental hibernation 3 days in

[Sunshine]

Hi Everyone
I have a 4 year old Herman's Tortoise.

She usually doesn't hibernate as she is under a heat lamp and uvb light during the winter.

Unfortunately this very cold weather spell seems to have forced her to hibernate with the night drop in temp which we didn't anticipate.
She last ate on Sunday but has since burrowed herself in her plant pot hideout in the cooler part of the enclosure.
We are 3 days in of no movement other than a leg move when stimulated.

Given that I wasn't anticipating this, I'm not sure if she's eaten enough, consumed enough water or urinated prior to hibernation, for this to be safe.

I feel I have 3 options:

1.Leave her as she is, keeping the lighting and heating off until she emerges in warmer days ahead.
2. Fully hibernate her, moving her to a fridge
3. Wake her as its only been 3 days, by using the heat lamp and warm baths, and supplement the room heating at night moving forward.

My instinct says option 3, but would love your advice as we are all really worried, given she's never hibernated before.

Thanks so much !

[lin]

Hi Sunshine.
As you or your tortoise hasn’t prepared for this hibernation I would say your instinct is right and go with number 3.

I would start by getting her up two or three times daily and placing her under the heat, make sure the room is bright as well as the light on the table.
What are the temperatures dropping to of a night, it would be helpful to know this and if it’s too cold maybe think about getting a ceramic heat emitter for a gentle (no light) heat for night time us to keep the night temperature above 12 deg C For example…
https://www.reptiles.swelluk.com/swell- ... t-emitters
And the ceramic holder for the emitters. https://www.reptiles.swelluk.com/swell- ... amp-holder

If she is going to insist on sleeping don’t worry, it would be better if she is awake now and it will give you time to learn and also time to prepare for next winter and if you would like me to send you the hibernation sheets now for you to be thinking about it.

I do hope this is useful and do come back if you need any more information.

Lin

[Sunshine]

Thank you so much Lyn for your sage advice.
I estimate the temperature has dropped to around d 5 degrees on a couple of nights here.
What do you think about warm baths?
Thanks again

[Nina]

Hi Sunshine,

I agree with Lin that it would be better to keep her awake now, and then prepare in good time for hibernation next winter. Is she currently in the house? The only reason I ask is that it is very unusual for the temperature in a house to drop to as low as 5C. I have areas of my house that are totally unheated, and they only drop to about 11C or 12C at night (and that is when it is several degrees below zero outdoors).

If it does drop as low as 5C (or even lower than about 14C) then you will need some form of supplementary heating for her at night, and the ceramic heat emitter that Lin recommended is the way to go because you can attach it to a thermostat, so that it comes on only when the temperature drops below a certain level (that way you don't waste electricity), and also it gives off heat but no light, so the tortoise still has a 'night time'.

What temperature is it below her heat source during the daytime, measured at the height of her shell, directly beneath the bulb (not measured by a thermometer on a nearby wall). The right temperature (c. 29C - 30C at the hot end and 20C at the cool end) and high light levels are really important to encouraging them to stay awake -- you want to fool them into thinking that it's a hot, bright summer's day.

Nina

[lin]

I forgot to mention my thoughts on bathing. Yes, bathing any tortoise is a good thing and nice warm water to a depth just below the mouth. Around 15 - 20 mins is good but just remember to keep the water warm by topping it up with warm.

Lin

Sunshine wrote:
> Thank you so much Lyn for your sage advice.
> I estimate the temperature has dropped to around d 5 degrees on a couple of
> nights here.
> What do you think about warm baths?
> Thanks again

[jesse99]

Option 3 sounds like a reasonable approach given the circumstances. It's understandable to feel worried, but gently waking her up with the heat lamp and warm baths, while supplementing room heating at night, seems like the most prudent course of action. Keep a close eye on her behavior and ensure she resumes eating and drinking normally once she's awake.