Hi Guys, was just wandering if someone could double check Queenies weight loss for me. She went into the fridge on the11/11 weighing 347g, it took her about 10-12 days to bed down so I left it till tonight to weigh her. Her first weigh in has brought her to 334g. Is this ok, it seems quite a lot to me but I have heard that the weight loss is greater when they first go in and slows once they're bedded down.

Hi,

Do you have the tortoises weight at the start of the wind down too. The 13 grams lost since the start of the hibernation I make 3.7% of the tortoise body weight but it would be good to know the pre wind down weight to be on the safe side. I've had tortoises that have lost weight during the first couple of weeks of hibernation and others whoses weight doesn't budge!

I think of a loss of 10% body weight from the start of the wind down as the key factor these days.This is the point I woud consider waking a tortoise.

Dave.

Hi Dave, her weight just before wind down-20/10 was 352g. Is this weight loss bad?

Hi Winnie,

I make that a 5% weight loss since the start of the windown. I would class that as an acceptable loss. Hope this reassures you a bit, it is a very stressful time (for us!).  You are doing good things by keeping accurate weight records, keep monitoring , the amount of weight being lost should reduce, as a tortoise enters full hibernation it uses very little energy to keep things ticking over, its not the same a a mammilian hibernation where huge quantities of energy (fat) is burned to maintain a semblance of normal bodily function, tortoises basicaly shut themselves down. Please check back if worried at all or just to let us know how well its all going!

It's a big reassurence (wish i could lose weight as quickly, ha), thanx a mill'. I'll more then likely post again if I think her weight loss is excessive (in other words, when i start to panic). Once again thanks for the reassurence.

                                                                 Winnie