Phew, at last hibernation over!

I took in an old ibera last autumn, with little or no history. I have been anxious all winter lest it had problems in hibernation. Not a bit of it...awoke on Wednesday and feeding Thursday! Ironically, my long term ibera female woke day before, and has yet to eat. She has taken fluids and is moving about, but breathing seems a little laboured. No wheezing, no runny nose, but seems to be breathing faster than in previous years. Her weight is good, mouth and eyes, clear, but I just have a suspicion there may be an issue. I have had her 25 years now, and know her pretty well. So, as a precaution I have her booked in with an exotics vet for Monday...fingers crossed!. I will update in a few days. How are you all doing?

I read with great sadness of a loss this winter. This must be  a terrible situation to be in, it was a terrible winter. I worry that some naturally hibernated torts will have woken with sight damage. Those low temperatures will have caused many issues for torts, I reckon. Please share your experiences so that we can all avoid issues in future. Good luck everyone, here's hoping for that long hot spring/ summer we dream of.               David in York

Hi David, good news on the tort you took in and successfully hibernated.  I hope your other ibera perks up, have you tried bathing her in Reptiboost?  Thanks for offering to keep us informed of her progress, as you say valuable lessons are learned from all of our experiences.

Yes, it was sad to hear of one lost tort this year, and one may have frost damage to the eyes.  It looks like the fridge method will be the preferred method, at least it is more controllable.

Regards Vivienne