Hi I am in desperate need of help.  My Spur thighs seem to have decided to do there own thing with regards to hibernation.  I began going through the process to wind them down but they seemed to want to wind down in their own way.  They have stopped eating and seem to be sleeping without me going through the cutting down on daylight(turning off of the lamp earlier).  I am afraid that they may still have undigested food in their guts.  I would really like to keep them awake but firstly I will have problems with supplying them with the right food, is there something I can give them just for the winter that I could get from a garden centre/supermarket or do I definately need to give them garden grown food like weeds. The second problem is how do I wake them up if they are naturally winding down or how do I hibernate them now if I am not sure about their stomachs etc.  Can I keep them in the state that they are now in semi hibernation, if I keep the light on and the heat I am thinking that they might become active again in their own time.   I tried to follow the information sheet on this site but it is difficult to when you hav tortoises who want to do it their own way.

Hi
I am not an expert and can only help out in a limited capacity because I have Hermans not Spur thighs, but I guess the same principles apply. You haven't mentioned that you are giving them baths? you can still do this and it will help the digestive system to digest the food and pass it through. Are they in a warm room and how long have you been doing the wind down? 
Jane, Keya & Molly

Hi there the problem I have is that I started to wind down and then stupidly rescued a baby tortoise from a petshop.  Put it in with them not realising that I should quarantine the baby.  I came on this site to ask for advice and was told to take the baby out immediately which I did do. 

I was adviced to not start to hibernate the tortoises for a while longer just to make sure they had not picked anything up from the baby.  It was only with them for a few hours so hopefully no harm was done but I stopped the wind down and began feeding them again.

Since then as I said they have done their own thing and spend most of the day asleep.  They are indoors with the heat dropping at night but getting up to over 20c under the lamp in the day.  I stopped bathing them as I was intending on keeping them awake this winter.  But they don't seem to want to wake up.  Should I put them in a warmer spot and if they do wake up what can I feed them this winter that is easy to come by or find.

Regards Pauline

Hi there,

If you've made the decision to over winter the tortoises you need to ensure that their temperatures closely replicate those of the summer, both day and night. I believe that low nighttime temperatures are a key factor in a tortoise deciding to start the wind down process. I would recommend a minimum overnight temperature of 16 degrees C, either via your central heating or from a local heat source such as a reptile ceramic spot heater (Heat but no light). The daytime temperatures should replicate the summer with a cool end in the low 20's and a hot basking spot, 32-35C. Day length and light quality are all things that will make a tortoise think winter has arrived so I'd recommend your basking lamp is on for 14 hours a day. You could also consider some additional "daylight" lighting via a flourescent tube like the reptisun 2.0 or 5.0.

As for feeding, lots of people have to substitute or at least bulk out the weeds with supermarket and garden centre plants at this time of year. The key remains variety and supplementation. There are a few good winter feeding guides around , have a look at these sites:

http://www.tortoisetrust.org/enews/

http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk

Hope this helps,

Dave.
 

Hi

The only think I can add to Daves excellent advice is that it is worth giving them a daily warm bath, it can help wake them up a bit, and also stimulate the gut and the appetite.

I dont know whereabouts in the UK you are, but even in cold weather you will be surprised how many weeds you can find - if you need to feed supermarket stuff, go for the romaine or kos lettuce, and avoid brassicas ie cabbage etc, and also peas and beans.  You can buy a seed mix full of tortoise friendly plants called the TLadys Mix,

atb

Arlene TPG

Hi there that is fantastic thank you so much for your advice.  I have followed the links and they are will help me greatly.  Luckily the tortoises are not too big and I do have  some dandelions in the garden  but I was worried that I might run out and I wanted something in case of snow covering the ground.  By the way I am in Essex which has not been hit too bad as yet.  Many thanks for all your help.  I feel much happier now.

Regards Pauline

Hello Pauline,  I am also in Essex, Rayleigh..  I tried to over Winter my little Hermanns but he had other ideas.   He wound down all on his own for a few weeks and then one day he buried in and didn't show his little cheeky face for a week. !!   I was still  providing him with his usual Summer lamp (a Megaray) and warm baths but I guess he's the boss when it comes to hiberation !!     So now he's in his hibernation box in my porch (which is pretty cold) !!!   I keep a thermometor on his box so I know when to move him to a colder spot or not.  So far so good.  It is a worrying time for us as we love them so much .... but if they are cared for well during the Summer they usually know what they're doing.   I am really hoping to get another tort in the new year when I can afford one.  I love them.      Just wanted to say hello and where abouts in Essex are you ???     Happy New Year... love from Marilyn. x