coming out of hibernation advice

[Widgitwoo]

Sorry if this is a bit long - I am worrying and want to make sure I am doing everything correctly.

I got my tortoises about 6 to 9 months ago. They weren't kept in the best way before I got them and my vet advised I didn't hibernate them this year to get them in a better condition ready for next year. However one decided she wanted to and on advice from my vet he said to do a 4-5 week hibernation.
So I bought a reptile hibernation fridge and Tommy went in on the 30th January. She was checked every day and seemed to be doing fine (I was very nervous about hibernating her) I got her out of hibernation yesterday about 9am.
Warmed her up by a radiator and gave her a bath once she started moving around - checked her over and then popped her in her enclosure under her heat lamp.
About 5pm she started moving to the cooler area and started digging herself into the soil so I popped her out gave her another bath - she had a good couple of drinks while in this one. Let her have a bit of a wander round the living room for about 15 minutes to make sure she was moving ok and then popped her back (she had decided to try and get under a bean bag to go to sleep at this point!) - I put her hide in the enclosure and she went off in there and buried herself happily. left her lamp on for another hour and then turned it off and let her sleep.

This morning I put her lamp on about 9.45 and gave it about half an hour to warm up - could hear her scratching about in her hide, wanted to leave her to come out on her own but I checked, and she was just digging herself deeper, so I took the hide out and popped her under the lamp. Shes been under there about 20 minutes and she seems quite happy so going to give her a bath in a minute.

I want to check is all this behavior normal? She hasn't eaten yet but I know that can take a couple of days and she is drinking so I know that is ok, but should I be taking her out of her hide and putting her under her lamp or should I be letting her do that in her own time? I don't want to upset her or her bodys functions but I want to make sure I am doing the best for her.

Any advice on what your tortoises are like when they come out of hibernation would be greatly appreciated

Thank you

[sandy]

Originally Posted by Widgitwoo

Sorry if this is a bit long - I am worrying and want to make sure I am doing everything correctly.

I got my tortoises about 6 to 9 months ago. They weren't kept in the best way before I got them and my vet advised I didn't hibernate them this year to get them in a better condition ready for next year. However one decided she wanted to and on advice from my vet he said to do a 4-5 week hibernation.
So I bought a reptile hibernation fridge and Tommy went in on the 30th January. She was checked every day and seemed to be doing fine (I was very nervous about hibernating her) I got her out of hibernation yesterday about 9am.
Warmed her up by a radiator and gave her a bath once she started moving around - checked her over and then popped her in her enclosure under her heat lamp.
About 5pm she started moving to the cooler area and started digging herself into the soil so I popped her out gave her another bath - she had a good couple of drinks while in this one. Let her have a bit of a wander round the living room for about 15 minutes to make sure she was moving ok and then popped her back (she had decided to try and get under a bean bag to go to sleep at this point!) - I put her hide in the enclosure and she went off in there and buried herself happily. left her lamp on for another hour and then turned it off and let her sleep.

This morning I put her lamp on about 9.45 and gave it about half an hour to warm up - could hear her scratching about in her hide, wanted to leave her to come out on her own but I checked, and she was just digging herself deeper, so I took the hide out and popped her under the lamp. Shes been under there about 20 minutes and she seems quite happy so going to give her a bath in a minute.

I want to check is all this behavior normal? She hasn't eaten yet but I know that can take a couple of days and she is drinking so I know that is ok, but should I be taking her out of her hide and putting her under her lamp or should I be letting her do that in her own time? I don't want to upset her or her bodys functions but I want to make sure I am doing the best for her.

Any advice on what your tortoises are like when they come out of hibernation would be greatly appreciated

Thank you

This is how I get my tortoises out of hibernation.
Mine hibernate naturally in the soil in my GH, so I can monitor when the soil is starting to move (which is happening now) I keep a close eye on them.
If they are half way out of the soil, I put the heat on the GH. And let them warm up naturally.
When I used to box them, I would wait until they are moving, then bring them into a warm room (not under any lights, just the heat of the house) for a couple of hours, so they gently adjust to temps. I then put them near a heat source so they can move to it when they want too. Ambient temps need to be at least 25c so they dont go back into hibernation mode. I do let temps drop over night, but in the morning the heat lamp and ambient temps have to be quite high, so they warm through. It can take a week or more before they are eating. Just depends on the tort.
Temps at the moment are so changeable that tortoises react to them. So need to be warm.

[Widgitwoo]

the temperature directly under the lamps (I have put 2 in to make sure its warm everywhere) is 30 - 32 degrees. there is cooler areas if she wants to go into them but she is currently sitting under one of the lamps

They are on from 10am (I did put it on a little earlier today as I haven't got the timer set back up) and I turn them off about 9pm

[sandy]

Originally Posted by Widgitwoo

the temperature directly under the lamps (I have put 2 in to make sure its warm everywhere) is 30 - 32 degrees. there is cooler areas if she wants to go into them but she is currently sitting under one of the lamps

They are on from 10am (I did put it on a little earlier today as I haven't got the timer set back up) and I turn them off about 9pm

You need to have the heat on when its light outside:0)
As tortoises get up with the light, and go to bed when its around dusk.
My lights go on around 7-30 in the mornings and off around 5 oclock depending on how light it is. Generally I go by the torts, if they go to bed at 4, then the lights go off. If later then lights off later:0)

[Suze65]

I completely agree with Sandy, I bring mine into a warm room , in their boxes and let them come round at room temp for a couple of hours, then pop them under their basking light for an hour or two, then a warm bath. Some will eat quite a lot on the first day and some will just have a bite. Lights need to go on at about 7.30 am when it gets light, and I turn them of at about 5/6 pm , similar to Sandy , depending on how bright the afternoon is and when they go to bed.

[CherryBrandy]

It does raise a debate doesn't it. If mine are under lamps after a very very gradually warm up and bathing which I may not do for a couple of days (water available), depends on tortoise. BUT the thing here is they have lovely warm lamps, UV lites and moon lights, with high heat emitters and 10 out of 10 times at night they will go cool end which is around 8 - 10 degrees. I have commented on it over the years because I really don't understand it and it does seem to buck the idea that we need them at a coolish but not too coolish overnight temperature.

BTW mine usually will eat same day but like others have said it does depend. CB

[Suze65]

Originally Posted by CherryBrandy

It does raise a debate doesn't it. If mine are under lamps after a very very gradually warm up and bathing which I may not do for a couple of days (water available), depends on tortoise. BUT the thing here is they have lovely warm lamps, UV lites and moon lights, with high heat emitters and 10 out of 10 times at night they will go cool end which is around 8 - 10 degrees. I have commented on it over the years because I really don't understand it and it does seem to buck the idea that we need them at a coolish but not too coolish overnight temperature.

BTW mine usually will eat same day but like others have said it does depend. CB

A couple of years ago my sister in law went on a walking holiday in Greece, the Peloponnese ,in April. The point is , some days were warm and some quite cool, and the nights chilly. But the torts were up and about. It's not all hot hot hot, straight away , even in their natural environment, and I think the changeable spring weather in their natural environment regulates their eating habits, so they don't eat too much, because there is plenty available. As she reported back after her holiday, " there's plenty of wicked weeds for them to eat"

[Widgitwoo]

the tortoises are kept in our study (I work from home) so the blinds are opened around 9am so I made it the lamps go on at 10am. I am in working till 5pm and my other half plays online games in here in the evening so there is lights on till 10pm, so the lamps go off about 9pm so it works with the light and noise going on in the room they are in.
In the summer they get to go outside in the garden on the warmer days and we are working on getting a heated area outside so they can go outside more during the summer.
My concern is that she still seems to want to sleep - I have come back in the room after a couple of hours and she has dug under the plant tray into the soil underneath (polystyrene tray with pansys in for her) and was asleep under it.
Its not cold in the house so I can't see that its a lack of heat issue that is causing this.
Is what she is doing normal or am I doing something wrong?

[CherryBrandy]

Originally Posted by Widgitwoo

the tortoises are kept in our study (I work from home) so the blinds are opened around 9am so I made it the lamps go on at 10am. I am in working till 5pm and my other half plays online games in here in the evening so there is lights on till 10pm, so the lamps go off about 9pm so it works with the light and noise going on in the room they are in.
In the summer they get to go outside in the garden on the warmer days and we are working on getting a heated area outside so they can go outside more during the summer.
My concern is that she still seems to want to sleep - I have come back in the room after a couple of hours and she has dug under the plant tray into the soil underneath (polystyrene tray with pansys in for her) and was asleep under it.
Its not cold in the house so I can't see that its a lack of heat issue that is causing this.
Is what she is doing normal or am I doing something wrong?

No it sounds bliss for a tortoise/s. You don't say what they are unless I've missed it and how old (saw when you got them). Don't worry too much. depending on species they have a distinct behaviour about them. The rule of thumb is as long as they are warmed at some point ...usually morning is good as the sun moves round and they will eat (warm enough to digest food) then in the wild they will usually hide ..too many predators to bath in the open. So all sounds ok to me and you may see some more activity as the spring kicks in. But again depends on the species. Ive got some quite laid back do nothing but look at the sky ones. Others are rampaging around like there's no tomorrow. CB

[Widgitwoo]

Tommy is a Hermanns. She was 5 when I got her but I don't have paperwork so not exactly sure.