![]() Hold the tortoise in your hand and check for muscle control. But there’s a way to check if your tortoise is dead or simply brumating. It becomes even more pronounced when your pet doesn’t move for weeks or months. How to Know if a Tortoise Is Brumating or DeadĪs a pet owner, losing a pet has to be one of your biggest fears. This can lead to all sorts of health issues, including bacterial infections, abdominal bloating, and digestive problems. Not taking your tortoise off food before brumation will result in having food in its stomach. But let it drink water since the bladder should be full. To do this, you should stop feeding your pet 2 weeks before brumation. When putting your tortoise in brumation, make sure its stomach does not contain food matter, and its bladder contains water. If they don’t start eating in a week or two, take them to the vet. Start feeding them the next or the day after. The water will also help them hydrate and lower their body temperature.īathe the little guy every day for a few days after he wakes up. You can also bathe them with lukewarm water to remove toxins from the body. Once your pet becomes active, encourage them to drink water. Do not expect them to start jumping around instantly. Put your tortoise close to a heat source like a UV lamp. Take the tortoise-containing box out of the fridge at the end of the brumation period. ![]() Small ones can hibernate for 8 to 10 weeks. Otherwise, the ideal brumating period for large tortoises is 12 to 16 weeks. If it’s your first time brumating a tortoise, do it for 2 weeks only, irrespective of your pet’s size. While this method can work, it’s not as effective as the fridge method, which helps keep the temperature at a consistent low of 5☌. Keep the box on a counter or table and monitor its temperature periodically using a thermometer. Then, keep this small box in a larger box with insulation material, such as newspaper or soil. In this method, you keep your tortoise in a small well-insulated box. Check on your pet every day to allow the entry of fresh air into the fridge.Īn alternative to the fridge method is the box method. Put your tortoise in an ice cream tub with holes in the lid. However, do not keep your pet in the same fridge you use for food storage for hygiene reasons. The fridge method is the most commonly recommended method for brumating a tortoise. It will help the tortoise to lower its body temperature naturally. In these 2 weeks, you should also lower the vivarium’s temperature. It will absorb the bathing water to hydrate itself. Do not feed your pet anything during this period. You can accomplish this by bathing your tortoise every day for 2 weeks. Your tortoise must brumate on empty bowels but with a full bladder. It surely sounds cruel, but it’s best for them. Two weeks before the brumation date, start fasting your tortoise. Once you’ve decided, start keeping the tortoise on a tortoise table or in a vivarium. If all is clear, you can brumate your tortoise in October or November. Let a vet examine your tortoise for signs of illness or weakness. It should have a sufficient fat layer on its body. In August, you’re ready to decide whether your pet is fit for brumation. You can also feed your pet veggies like curly kale, bell peppers, cucumbers, celery, and red cabbage. Some common plants tortoises eat are clover, dandelion leaves, and alfalfa. Planning to hibernate your tortoise this winter? You better start feeding it a good diet during summer. Image Credit: Brian Mitchell.5867, Shutterstock By doing this, they can survive on their energy reserves until favorable conditions return. Many animals survive this extremely cold period by lowering their metabolic rate to reduce energy needs. Hibernation can last for weeks or months, depending on the species and its environment. True hibernating animals don’t do this, rather they only wake up when spring comes. ![]() One difference is, tortoises can wake up to bask or get some water or food when the weather gets a little warmer even if in the middle of winter. In cold-blooded animals such as tortoises, this also occurs and is called brumation. When winter arrives, food is scarce, and the lower temperatures do not allow many animals to leave their habitat and fend for themselves out in the snow and extreme weather. Hibernation is a winter dormancy period during which some warm blooded animals lower their metabolic rates.
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