How long can I leave my tortoise alone?
It will be fine for a couple of days without the full light setup as it would just sleep more, as in a couple of days of bad weather.
What should I do before my tortoise goes into hibernation?
Four weeks before hibernation, stop feeding your tortoise completely and gradually reduce the temperature and the amount of daylight over the four weeks prior to hibernation. Continue to provide water for your tortoise and give him a weekly bath. This will ensure adequate hydration and may encourage defecation.
How often should you change your tortoise’s water?
Change the water regularly to keep it fresh. Don’t be too alarmed if your tortoise doesn’t seem to drink much. Some species, especially those that are native to arid climates, drink very little water, but it’s still a good idea to have it available for them. Soak your tortoise every week.
What happens if you put a tortoise in an outhouse?
If your tortoise gets wet it will not dry out as it is poikilothermic and generates no heat. Also, if you hibernate your tortoise in an outhouse/greenhouse make sure it doesn’t leak or flood. Predators are another hazard of hibernation.
Where do tortoises bury themselves during aestivation?
During aestivation tortoises bury themselves below ground in burrows. These burrows have temperatures which are much lower than those above ground and the relative humidity is very much higher.
How often can a baby tortoise be awake?
The tortoise can be awake for 12 hours and as long the UV radiation and temperature is not maintained they won’t sleep. The baby tortoises can sleep for 19-22 hours. However, it is not harmful to wake up your tortoise if they have exceeded their sleep limit. How often do tortoises sleep?
How long does it take a tortoise to wake up from hibernation?
Four or five days maximum should be sufficient. All tortoises should very definitely feed within ONE WEEK of emerging from hibernation. If they do not there is either; A healthproblem A husbandryproblem (usually lack of heat and light)
When to stop providing food to a tortoise?
In around mid October you should start to look for signs of lethargy in your tortoise; he’ll probably be moving around less, and perhaps eating less food than usual. As soon as this happens you’ll need to cease providing further food for a further two weeks if the tortoise is under 3 years old, and a further month if they are over 3 years old.
Do you have to bathe a tortoise before hibernation?
Whilst food is taken off the menu in the run up to hibernation, water most certainly is not. In fact you’ll need to make sure your tortoise has a full bladder before they have their long sleep, therefore daily bathing is essential to ensure the maximum uptake of water.
