ThankYou SO mcuh,, this vid really helped coz i was quite unsure and worried bout how they Hibernate properly but now im getting the grips of it all !! :)xx
No fridge though, my torts are native to where I am, so the cold garage does perfectly. We just hibernate inside because their outdoor enclosure isn’t suitable for them to do it themselves in, and it’s possible for their holes to even flood sometimes (it only rains here in winter)
Really useful video, i am hibernating my tort for the first time this year and have been really worried, is there a set time to hibernate please? ... i am currently in the pre hibernation stage, also do we need to drill holes in both box lids?? thanks in advance. Michelle x
When you said to move them around the house, finding colder areas in the pre-hibernation stage. Why can't you just set the incubator to a higher temp and gradually drop it over a few days?
I have a Mediterranean baby rescued, as we live in Bulgaria, very tropical in the summer, but extreme cold in winter, only about 2 or 3 months old I think, weighs in a at very hefty 13 grams, problem we have NO reptile centre to take him/her to, and we know little or nothing about it all, little bit like foods they like and bathing daily for 10 mins or so, we keep in a a baby plant incubator no light just a paper towel floor we put down for him and a little water basin at one end, we have had it for about 6 to 8 weeks now and he is still going quite strong, active. Big problem is he/she has like a white milky film over his eyes areas and his nose like a membrane or skin, I use colloidal silver drops daily to drip over the eyes Incas there is any infections, also kill all known bad Bactria, also a little goes in his bath to. ( we do note he seems to use his front legs to try and scratch off this membrane and skin quite often) We are not touching it as he so small, and that area would be very delicate, so do not interfere with nature as it were). So I am wandering if he is completely bind or something else. Quite concerned about that. Can't let him go as he would probably not survive in the wild being blind. Any advise or help would be good from anyone who knows. Also If we were to keep him long term, I need info on how to settle him down for the winter, we don't have a fancy mini fridges to do this, what could I use to keep in a cold part of the house say, so he was tucked up for the winter when it comes. Maybe a cardboard box filled with something, I don't know, again any advise or help. Thanks.
I'm confused. My brother lives in Greece, and tells me the the local wild tortoises go into hibernation in autumn., and emerge in spring, so maybe 5 months hibernation, for all sizes and ages, and there are no warm baths etc before they start. Your suggestions seem very different from this natural hibernation. Why is this?
overall is a horse filed tortoise a hard pet to look after like do you have to take them to the vets a lot to get checked up on and can you just take it to your local vets or dose it have to be a special reptile vets and what do you feed them because i am thinking of getting one
Thank you for the information I have a tortoise which for years and years has hibernated its self we think she is about 50. It lives in the garden and even survived the harsh winter 2 years ago, in a hole she dug, in the flower boarder but this year I have been very worried about her she keeps digging a hole and it just fills with water the garden is so wet and we have clay soil so its a box this year
hi, once the tortoises gut is empty in the pre-hibernation process and we move them to cooler and cooler spots over the next few weeks, are they going with no food at all at this time? just making sure cause won't they be losing more than 1% of body weight over these weeks being over 10 degrees
I got a desert tortoise, it just walts into our yard one day and never left! We eventually put a milk crate up to keep it out of one part of the yard and it climbed on top of it!! So now it just roams around tge entire yard
Thank you. This video will help Shelly through her winter. My deep concern is for the proper oxygen amount in the fridge. I am going to insert a small hose through the door seal but I scared that's not sufficient. There needs to be a formula as guessing just isn't responsibe. Please help. Thanx, Derek and Shelly
Thank you, I have installed a pump with success in the prehibe stage. The pump can vary the air flow. I'm using it on a timer to not change temp also. I got a fridge timer through Ebay with 2 sensors, one in her "box", and 1 in the fridge. It's amazing to see the temp fluctuate by as many as 3 degrees. I'm still working on stable temps. We have a week to go. Thanx for your help. Derek
+Derek Fassio - Most modern fridge units (such as Samsung for example) use an airflow system to optimise cooling at all height / shelf levels within the fridge itself. Should you have this type fridge air circulation shouldn't be a concern for your tortoise hibernation. That said it is imperative that you do weigh your Tortoise weekly during hibernation.
help meee, i have 1 years old testudo hermanni hercegovinensis, and should i hibernate him? Because he is from my country, and in my country there is a lot of snow in winter, and i quess that, if he is outside (in the wild) and it is snowing he is gonna hibernate himself
I have a hermann's tortoise that's about 8 years old. I'm yet to hibernate him due to being told that there's no need to until they're about 10 years old when I got him. Any advice on what I should do would be great.
This confuses me. I have a 2 year old horsfield who weighs 186g. You state don't hibernate until year 3 yet the tortoise in your video is tiny and only weighs 106g. It's definitely not 3 years old. So which is it?
Tortoises do not need to be micro-chipped if they are not for breeding purposes, however article 10's must be supplied by law if protected species(Annex A) are sold. Russian tortoises are not yet a protected species but i think all other meditteranean species are.
@Mike Kh When temperatures get cold (late Autumn and Winter) your tortoise will refuse to eat... let it empty her belly for 1 or 2 weeks and then it's ready for hibernation! :) Hope I helped you!
I have 2 tortoises one is a boy one is a girl. the boy eats every day and he is always walking around and playing in his habitat. but the girl dug a little burrow and she wont get out of it! she doesnt eat and she doesnt go out of her burrow. its like shes always sleeping or something. it has been happening since early july and now its august can someone help me?
u shouldnt buy from a website it may be not a trusted seller but in canada im sure there is a nearby shop to go to but u must go to aquarium or fish shops there u can find different species of tortoises
I know it's not fun to ship an animal, but reptiles are sturdy little guys. I got my tortoise from Backwater Reptiles (.com). They were very knowledgeable, very responsive, and have been helpful even after my purchase. They only do specialty shipping during "safe" times of year, so it'll depend on the weather. But be sure you have everything you need BEFORE you order. You'll need a stable environment for them to go into the very moment you open the box, since the shipping can be a bit stressful.
After watching this video I have decided I will not get a tortoise we had them when I was a kid we never did any of the stuff we put them in a box in the garage with newspaper and that's it
My baby tortoise weights nothing it's so small! But for the last week it doesn't eat, its not that active, and i don't know what to do! Can a baby tortoise hibernate or not! Please answer..
That isn't a good sign for a baby tortoise. She said they don't really hibernate for the first few years, maybe 3 years. Torts should hop to for food and be active when warmed up, so I'd definitely get him to a reptile vet for a check up. If that isn't an option, you have to really buckle down on his environment and diet. What do you feed? How much, how often? Do you give him warm baths? Babies should be done at least every other day to help them metabolize food. Does he have enough moisture? Arid torts still need lots of water and humidity. So I'd start breaking things down. Your comment is 5 days old now, so I hope he's doing better. But torts are specialized animals with special needs. If you don't get it right, he'll not do well at all. Good luck.
thanks so much! this helped a lot, I do give him warm baths nearly every day, but it doesent seem to eat. like I give it a lot of salad leaves, fruits evrythng so he can choose from it but it doesent eat anything... already for about one week more or less... it still does not have the uvb/uva lights but we are going to buy them soon. my tortoise does have a lot of moisture in its cage though...
Alisa Pershina No UV, I'm assuming no heat lamp either? They need both, the heat especially. It's super important, so please get them as soon as you can. Get dandelion from your yard, they love those, leaves and flowers together. Give him cut up Timothy hay. Do you mean lettuce leaves when you say salad leaves? Because those have almost no nutrition. I feed mine a Spring Mix with kale, spinach, and other dark green leafy bits. You can cut out the fruit, they don't need the sugar. Please don't think I'm being judgy-mcjudgypants here, I'm just trying to help. ^_^ There is a gel food for land tortoises you can get as well, mine thinks it's the best thing in the world. There are colored tortoise pellets too, he loves those, and both of these are super easy to get, any pet store should have them. Repishy is the name of the brand, I think. But if he isn't warmed up soon, he won't eat. A normal house temp might be too low for him, and the babies lose heat fast.
ok yeah I think that is why he is not eating... really soon we are going to buy him the UV and heat lamp. thanks so much for helping me! im hoping for the best because right now we can t get any lights, only in 4 to 5 days... im hoping that he dosen t pass away in the mean time! thanks for helping me though
I have 2 tortoises one is a boy one is a girl. the boy eats every day and he is always walking around and playing in his habitat. but the girl dug a little burrow and she wont get out of it! she doesnt eat and she doesnt go out of her burrow. its like shes always sleeping or something. it has been happening since early july and now its august can someone help me?
thank you, I've successfully hibernated tortoises in the past but its good to hear again just how to do it right.
Great video. It's given me some tips that I hadn't concidered so thankyou!
Thank you so much! I now feel so confident and will no hesitate on buying a tortoise in the near future! Thanks!
Hi Elsie, I'm glad that you found this useful. If you have any questions please call or email us.
Thank you so much for this video,,, very helpful for the beginners. Thank u ones again.
cool very informative video!!
ThankYou SO mcuh,, this vid really helped coz i was quite unsure and worried bout how they Hibernate properly but now im getting the grips of it all !! :)xx
It’s time to prep my desert torties for winter 💪
No fridge though, my torts are native to where I am, so the cold garage does perfectly. We just hibernate inside because their outdoor enclosure isn’t suitable for them to do it themselves in, and it’s possible for their holes to even flood sometimes (it only rains here in winter)
Really useful video, i am hibernating my tort for the first time this year and have been really worried, is there a set time to hibernate please? ... i am currently in the pre hibernation stage, also do we need to drill holes in both box lids?? thanks in advance. Michelle x
Thank you :)
What is the make of reptile fridge you showed in this video please?
When you said to move them around the house, finding colder areas in the pre-hibernation stage. Why can't you just set the incubator to a higher temp and gradually drop it over a few days?
I have a Mediterranean baby rescued, as we live in Bulgaria, very tropical in the summer, but extreme cold in winter, only about 2 or 3 months old I think, weighs in a at very hefty 13 grams, problem we have NO reptile centre to take him/her to, and we know little or nothing about it all, little bit like foods they like and bathing daily for 10 mins or so, we keep in a a baby plant incubator no light just a paper towel floor we put down for him and a little water basin at one end, we have had it for about 6 to 8 weeks now and he is still going quite strong, active. Big problem is he/she has like a white milky film over his eyes areas and his nose like a membrane or skin, I use colloidal silver drops daily to drip over the eyes Incas there is any infections, also kill all known bad Bactria, also a little goes in his bath to. ( we do note he seems to use his front legs to try and scratch off this membrane and skin quite often) We are not touching it as he so small, and that area would be very delicate, so do not interfere with nature as it were). So I am wandering if he is completely bind or something else. Quite concerned about that. Can't let him go as he would probably not survive in the wild being blind. Any advise or help would be good from anyone who knows. Also If we were to keep him long term, I need info on how to settle him down for the winter, we don't have a fancy mini fridges to do this, what could I use to keep in a cold part of the house say, so he was tucked up for the winter when it comes. Maybe a cardboard box filled with something, I don't know, again any advise or help. Thanks.
Got it in the email.. brilliant.
I'm confused. My brother lives in Greece, and tells me the the local wild tortoises go into hibernation in autumn., and emerge in spring, so maybe 5 months hibernation, for all sizes and ages, and there are no warm baths etc before they start. Your suggestions seem very different from this natural hibernation. Why is this?
Thanks very helpful advice💚🐢
overall is a horse filed tortoise a hard pet to look after like do you have to take them to the vets a lot to get checked up on and can you just take it to your local vets or dose it have to be a special reptile vets and what do you feed them because i am thinking of getting one
What months should I hibernate my Hermanns Tortoise? I've been trying to search for the answer but I still haven't got it!
Beginning of November I think.
You should try to hibernate it around 8-10 weeks
THANKS A LOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is nice
Thank you for the information I have a tortoise which for years and years has hibernated its self we think she is about 50. It lives in the garden and even survived the harsh winter 2 years ago, in a hole she dug, in the flower boarder but this year I have been very worried about her she keeps digging a hole and it just fills with water the garden is so wet and we have clay soil so its a box this year
Where do u stay in the UK
nice
Is there any types of tortoise that you dont need to heat, and will stay out in summer and then I can hibernate in winter?
David Vine...
when you put it into the box should it be awake
hi, once the tortoises gut is empty in the pre-hibernation process and we move them to cooler and cooler spots over the next few weeks, are they going with no food at all at this time? just making sure cause won't they be losing more than 1% of body weight over these weeks being over 10 degrees
I got a desert tortoise, it just walts into our yard one day and never left! We eventually put a milk crate up to keep it out of one part of the yard and it climbed on top of it!! So now it just roams around tge entire yard
Why did I keep watching this whole video if I have a leapord tortoise
Thank you. This video will help Shelly through her winter. My deep concern is for the proper oxygen amount in the fridge. I am going to insert a small hose through the door seal but I scared that's not sufficient. There needs to be a formula as guessing just isn't responsibe. Please help. Thanx, Derek and Shelly
Thank you, I have installed a pump with success in the prehibe stage. The pump can vary the air flow. I'm using it on a timer to not change temp also. I got a fridge timer through Ebay with 2 sensors, one in her "box", and 1 in the fridge. It's amazing to see the temp fluctuate by as many as 3 degrees. I'm still working on stable temps. We have a week to go. Thanx for your help. Derek
+Derek Fassio - Most modern fridge units (such as Samsung for example) use an airflow system to optimise cooling at all height / shelf levels within the fridge itself. Should you have this type fridge air circulation shouldn't be a concern for your tortoise hibernation. That said it is imperative that you do weigh your Tortoise weekly during hibernation.
Mines called Humphrey!!! If it was a girl it would be called shelly
Can you hibernate a 2 year old herman tortoise in a fridge ?
help meee, i have 1 years old testudo hermanni hercegovinensis, and should i hibernate him? Because he is from my country, and in my country there is a lot of snow in winter, and i quess that, if he is outside (in the wild) and it is snowing he is gonna hibernate himself
I have a hermann's tortoise that's about 8 years old. I'm yet to hibernate him due to being told that there's no need to until they're about 10 years old when I got him. Any advice on what I should do would be great.
only 3 months? my box turtle would hibernate 5-6 months inside or outside
If the setting is pit to normal does the fridge quite down when it reaches the temperature you want?
Yes, the fans would stop working once it gets to the correct temperature.
This confuses me. I have a 2 year old horsfield who weighs 186g. You state don't hibernate until year 3 yet the tortoise in your video is tiny and only weighs 106g. It's definitely not 3 years old. So which is it?
do u have to put your tortoise through hibernation???
hi got a tortise table few days ago and wondering do i leave the heatlamp on overnight for my tortises or not?
vBrownie1 I dont. i leave it on for 8 hours a day and shut the UVB and heat lamp off. Horsefield tortoises wont be affected by a temper drop.
The bottom fan has broke on my
mine and I have 2 tortoises hibernating in there
Hi Tommy, That's a shame. They have a 1 year warranty so you should contact the person you purchased it from.
Tortoises do not need to be micro-chipped if they are not for breeding purposes, however article 10's must be supplied by law if protected species(Annex A) are sold. Russian tortoises are not yet a protected species but i think all other meditteranean species are.
@Mike Kh
When temperatures get cold (late Autumn and Winter) your tortoise will refuse to eat... let it empty her belly for 1 or 2 weeks and then it's ready for hibernation! :) Hope I helped you!
here is some more info to help with the questions
russian-tortoise.com/hibernation-guide
I have 2 tortoises one is a boy one is a girl. the boy eats every day and he is always walking around and playing in his habitat. but the girl dug a little burrow and she wont get out of it! she doesnt eat and she doesnt go out of her burrow. its like shes always sleeping or something. it has been happening since early july and now its august can someone help me?
Take her out and if she goes back in get her roam around your home if she dosnt take her to a vet
She's either ovulating/laying eggs or trying to hibernate
I live in Canada and I want to order a tortoise but I can't find a site that "actually" ships here can anyone help me out?
u shouldnt buy from a website it may be not a trusted seller but in canada im sure there is a nearby shop to go to but u must go to aquarium or fish shops there u can find different species of tortoises
+GamingWithJoshua pet stores are terrible to buy certain pets from a breeder would be a better choice
I know it's not fun to ship an animal, but reptiles are sturdy little guys. I got my tortoise from Backwater Reptiles (.com). They were very knowledgeable, very responsive, and have been helpful even after my purchase. They only do specialty shipping during "safe" times of year, so it'll depend on the weather.
But be sure you have everything you need BEFORE you order. You'll need a stable environment for them to go into the very moment you open the box, since the shipping can be a bit stressful.
After watching this video I have decided I will not get a tortoise we had them when I was a kid we never did any of the stuff we put them in a box in the garage with newspaper and that's it
My baby tortoise weights nothing it's so small! But for the last week it doesn't eat, its not that active, and i don't know what to do! Can a baby tortoise hibernate or not! Please answer..
That isn't a good sign for a baby tortoise. She said they don't really hibernate for the first few years, maybe 3 years. Torts should hop to for food and be active when warmed up, so I'd definitely get him to a reptile vet for a check up. If that isn't an option, you have to really buckle down on his environment and diet.
What do you feed? How much, how often?
Do you give him warm baths? Babies should be done at least every other day to help them metabolize food.
Does he have enough moisture? Arid torts still need lots of water and humidity.
So I'd start breaking things down. Your comment is 5 days old now, so I hope he's doing better. But torts are specialized animals with special needs. If you don't get it right, he'll not do well at all. Good luck.
thanks so much! this helped a lot, I do give him warm baths nearly every day, but it doesent seem to eat. like I give it a lot of salad leaves, fruits evrythng so he can choose from it but it doesent eat anything... already for about one week more or less... it still does not have the uvb/uva lights but we are going to buy them soon. my tortoise does have a lot of moisture in its cage though...
Alisa Pershina
No UV, I'm assuming no heat lamp either? They need both, the heat especially. It's super important, so please get them as soon as you can. Get dandelion from your yard, they love those, leaves and flowers together. Give him cut up Timothy hay. Do you mean lettuce leaves when you say salad leaves? Because those have almost no nutrition. I feed mine a Spring Mix with kale, spinach, and other dark green leafy bits. You can cut out the fruit, they don't need the sugar.
Please don't think I'm being judgy-mcjudgypants here, I'm just trying to help. ^_^
There is a gel food for land tortoises you can get as well, mine thinks it's the best thing in the world. There are colored tortoise pellets too, he loves those, and both of these are super easy to get, any pet store should have them. Repishy is the name of the brand, I think.
But if he isn't warmed up soon, he won't eat. A normal house temp might be too low for him, and the babies lose heat fast.
ok yeah I think that is why he is not eating... really soon we are going to buy him the UV and heat lamp. thanks so much for helping me! im hoping for the best because right now we can t get any lights, only in 4 to 5 days... im hoping that he dosen t pass away in the mean time! thanks for helping me though
British have talent
I still don't understand. Maybe if you show us step by step actually doing it so we can see what you're doing I will understand 😊
what if my turtle kept moving in the box and dont want to hibernate yet ? how do i know its the right time for it ?
Mike Kh Tortoise*
Anthony L lol
@gluesniff3 medetarianian spur thigh
Nice turtle I gt a box turtle check it out on my channel
I have 2 tortoises one is a boy one is a girl. the boy eats every day and he is always walking around and playing in his habitat. but the girl dug a little burrow and she wont get out of it! she doesnt eat and she doesnt go out of her burrow. its like shes always sleeping or something. it has been happening since early july and now its august can someone help me?
She mite be pregnant t
It could be a sign that she's sick, or at least thats what my petco tortoise guide said. but anyways this was 5 months ago.
thank you both for the great information!