Hi Chaps, got another question re Mr Brown ( 2 yrs old herman, not hibernating this year). I know that allthe torts seem to be slowing down but recently Mr Brown has become very sleepy, yesterday he only woke up for about two hours and that was at five in the afternoon, he seemed ok was fairly still, he eat a little and i gave him a warm bath but he didn't settle in it like he used to, he sleeps at the far end of his home quite away from his basking lamp and he felt like a little ice cube although he is indoors and the temp inthe room is always around 12 degrees, so main question is should i wake him up each day.... or should i let him sleep and wake up by himself when ever that may be, and do you think i should  do anything else to keep him a little warmer.

All advise greatfully received as always

Kind regards

Debi 

Hi Debi,

It's not unusual for this time of year.
May I ask whether there is any particular reason why you've chosen not to hibernate him at all?

Cheers
Darren

Hi Terry,i'm not gonna hibernate him this year as he seemed to be dehydrated and passed a white stone about the size of a small pea nut in late September ( I think it was around then ) . We only got him at the end of July and i got advise from people on this site that said it would probably be safer .

He seemed wide awake again yesterday, and is eating ok, but if he is asleep say all night and into the following afetrnoon, do you think i should gethim up ...

Thanks

Debs 

Hi Debs,
If there are any doubts whether Mr Brown is 100%, fit then you shouldn't hibernate him and give him a daily bath to make sure he is well hydrated.

I would be inclined to leave your tortoise to it's own devices and wouldn't get him up. He'll surface when he's hungry:-)

HTH
Steph

Thanks Steph, I'll leave him to his sleep then..... even though really i want to wake him up to make sure he's ok (lol) and i like just to watch him...

When i do bath him he only seems to settle for about 5 mins and then seems to stress, is 5 mins long enough for him to get any hydration, i've read they should bathe for about 20mins, but the only time he seemed ok for any longer  was when he had just passed the stone and was unwell.

I have bathe him in a high sided flat bottomed bowl with warm water, he has enough room to move and turn around but it's not really big enough for him to walk about in, do you think that might make a difference.

Thanks again to all who take time to answer.

Debs 

Hi Debs
A larger bath might make a difference, or you could also try putting his bath under a lamp to keep the water warm for longer - its hard to say really until you've tried it to find out what he likes.
Also if you are going to over-winter him and you think he is not eating enough, I'd weigh him regularly to keep an eye on his weight.

Steph