> Kiwi is a captive bred male tortoise, about 3 - 4 years old, with no worms in his poop.



What species? Not all tortoises hibernate in nature.





>>The Pen:

>>There's no free water in their cages, I give them baths every other week and heavily spray their food with water before they get a chance to eat it.



He probably needs access to water on a daily basis. My russians have a low water dish that they can climb into. I've seen them drinking from it. And I give them a soak once a week.





>>

>>The problem is that he's getting lighter in weight, moreso than usual for winter. He won't come out of his hay, or from under his log, and when i drag him out and stick him under his light, he hangs out for about a minute then goes back and hides.



He wants to hibernate, but it's too warm for him to shut down, so even though he hides and doesn't move much, he is still burning calories. Burning calories AND no food = weight loss. He may also be dehydrated, leading to more weight loss.





>>I understand they're (naturally) supposed to hibernate during winter, but i've heard that imitating conditions for hibernation is tricky and dangerous, and that not even trying doesn't hurt them, so i don't.



Not all tortoises respond the same way to the same environment. This individual may have a greater need to hibernate. I've hibernated my russians for the last 8 years with no problems. The temps in my basement get down into the 40s and 50s (F) over the winter, and my tortoises just shut down on their own. I've found that a minimum of about 6 weeks recharges their batteries and they wake up with a better appetite. This assumes that they are healthy and well-prepared for hibernation.



I follow the general approach recommended by www.tortoisetrust.org (linked below).
tortoise trust

[ Hide Replies ]

• Tortoise getting lighter (weight) - mortilus, Wed Feb 20 11:50:46 2008
• RE: Tortoise getting lighter (weight) - bradtort, Wed Feb 20 16:11:51 2008