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I hibernated my 4 russian tortoises this year, just like I have for the past 5 years.

I cut off food in Mid-November, reduce lights, soak them regularly, and allow them to slow down on their own. By late-November they were hiding all of the time (all of this is in their indoor enclosure - they stay outdoors from around March/April to Sept/October). They seem to shutdown when temps drop below 60F.

I then placed them in a large wooden box, covered them with several layers of slightly dampened newspaper, then a couple layers of dry cardboard, then a screen lid, and finally a layer of carpet over the lid.

For the next 92 days the temps ranged from the low to upper 50s. Mostly 55-59. It was a very warm winter and my basement didn't get as cold as usual. I soaked them once a month and would add a little moisture to the newspaper every week or so.

When I brought them out today they were moving around a little. I soaked them and then placed them in tubs with a heat lamp and fluorescent light. Temps will be upper 80s under the lamp and down in the 60s in the opposite corner. Lights on for 8 hours a day for now, moving up to 10-12 hours a day before they go outside in late March/early April.

The pre-hibernation wt / post hib. wt / % change

Female 1: 1188 / 1182 / -0.5%
Female 2: 987 / 967 / -2.0%

Male 1: 623 / 600 / -3.8%
Male 2: 445 / 439 / -1.3%

I don't know what happened with male #1. He's healthy looking and feels heavy. I noticed some dry fecal material in the hibernation box. Also his pre-weight is a little high for him. Maybe I made a recording error.

It'll be interesting to see if they produce fertile eggs this year after a warm winter. They had a good year in 04/05, producing about 20 eggs. I allowed some eggs to stay in the ground, which was a bad decision. A cool, wet spring probably killed them off. Most of the remaining eggs hatched.

Male #2 is my first captive-bred hatchling who will be 4 yrs old in June. He will probably be mating this year, or at least trying to. He was active last year but didn't appear big enough to impress the females. He is now a little over 5 inches and will probably get to 500 grams in short order. His father (#1) is almost 5.5" and 600 grams. I'll need to keep them separated most of the time.

Thanks. Good record keeping too.

Great notes.
Did you notice any runny noses? I ask because of the wet newspapper. That has to be a precarious balance to maintain a high humidity to avoid dehydration and too moist to cause pneumonia.

>>I hibernated my 4 russian tortoises this year, just like I have for the past 5 years.
>>
>>I cut off food in Mid-November, reduce lights, soak them regularly, and allow them to slow down on their own. By late-November they were hiding all of the time (all of this is in their indoor enclosure - they stay outdoors from around March/April to Sept/October). They seem to shutdown when temps drop below 60F.
>>
>>I then placed them in a large wooden box, covered them with several layers of slightly dampened newspaper, then a couple layers of dry cardboard, then a screen lid, and finally a layer of carpet over the lid.
>>
>>For the next 92 days the temps ranged from the low to upper 50s. Mostly 55-59. It was a very warm winter and my basement didn't get as cold as usual. I soaked them once a month and would add a little moisture to the newspaper every week or so.
>>
>>When I brought them out today they were moving around a little. I soaked them and then placed them in tubs with a heat lamp and fluorescent light. Temps will be upper 80s under the lamp and down in the 60s in the opposite corner. Lights on for 8 hours a day for now, moving up to 10-12 hours a day before they go outside in late March/early April.
>>
>>The pre-hibernation wt / post hib. wt / % change
>>
>>Female 1: 1188 / 1182 / -0.5%
>>Female 2: 987 / 967 / -2.0%
>>
>>Male 1: 623 / 600 / -3.8%
>>Male 2: 445 / 439 / -1.3%
>>
>>I don't know what happened with male #1. He's healthy looking and feels heavy. I noticed some dry fecal material in the hibernation box. Also his pre-weight is a little high for him. Maybe I made a recording error.
>>
>>It'll be interesting to see if they produce fertile eggs this year after a warm winter. They had a good year in 04/05, producing about 20 eggs. I allowed some eggs to stay in the ground, which was a bad decision. A cool, wet spring probably killed them off. Most of the remaining eggs hatched.
>>
>>Male #2 is my first captive-bred hatchling who will be 4 yrs old in June. He will probably be mating this year, or at least trying to. He was active last year but didn't appear big enough to impress the females. He is now a little over 5 inches and will probably get to 500 grams in short order. His father (#1) is almost 5.5" and 600 grams. I'll need to keep them separated most of the time.
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Ed @ Tortoise Keepers
Trying to keep the fun in Chelonian care

Did you notice any runny noses? I ask because of the wet newspapper. That has to be a precarious balance to maintain a high humidity to avoid dehydration and too moist to cause pneumonia.

No runny noses. The paper never gets "wet". More like "humid" :->

I figure the torts bury themselves in the ground, and I'm sure they have humidity somewhere in Central Asia. My basement is extremely dry, and the paper dries out completely in no time.

I thought as much and your idea is sound and very well presented.

I figure I gotta start looking into hibernation methods myself.
(georgia, here I come)

>>Did you notice any runny noses? I ask because of the wet newspapper. That has to be a precarious balance to maintain a high humidity to avoid dehydration and too moist to cause pneumonia.
>>
>>No runny noses. The paper never gets "wet". More like "humid" :->
>>
>>
>>I figure the torts bury themselves in the ground, and I'm sure they have humidity somewhere in Central Asia. My basement is extremely dry, and the paper dries out completely in no time.
>>
>>
>>
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Ed @ Tortoise Keepers
Trying to keep the fun in Chelonian care

Great info!

I've still got 2 Russians & 2 Hermanns hibernating in cypress mulch in the vegatable bin in the refrigerator. I reckon they'll be coming out in a week or two.
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If I hibernated my guys in a fridge, I wouldn't bother with adding humidity. A sealed environment would probably keep humidity at a constant level. Do you soak yours or otherwise check on them during hibernation?

In fact, I think I complicated the hibernation this year by keeping all four torts in a 7 sq ft box that's about 12 inches high. In past years I kept them in much smaller and shallower plastic tubs that had a perforated lid. By keeping them in a larger and very highly ventilated space, I think the animals dried out quickly.

I do poke at 'em occassionally to make sure they're still alive & I've misted the mulch with a spray bottle a few times.

This is the oldest Hermann's 5th time to hibenate in the fridge so I don't worry about him or the oldest Russian. In the past they were all in individual boxes but with a new house came a new refrigerator with a vegatable bin that's perfect for tortoises.
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ibble obble goo