Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all

The Tort:
I have a 5 tortoises of varying age, but i'm concerned about one in particular (Kiwi). Kiwi is a captive bred male tortoise, about 3 - 4 years old, with no worms in his poop. He's an ok eater in summer; when i take them outside he spends more time running around than he does eating. He never really has been a "sit down and munch" like my others. His shell is a bit bumpy, but it always has been (ever since i got him).

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. All my torts are on soil substrate, and there's a vitamin block in their cages for them to chew on (Kiwi does chew on it, i've seen the white of it on the end of his beak and there's bite marks). There is a light at one end of the cage for them to bask in, the basking area is ~90-100 degrees (if i remember correctly), and there's the other end of the cage that's room tmeperature, so they can modulate their heat as they desire.

All the tortoises are separate, i had Kiwi in with another (Clover) when they were younger, but he was older and went into "puberty" first, and became aggressive towards the other so i separated them. He would always eat when Clover ate (she's a good eater), so he'd end up eating a lot when he was with her.

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 digs, so I know he's not asleep all the time in there, but he won't come out.

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. All the other tortoises slow down during winter, but they will still eat. He remains sorta active, but won't eat.

Any help?

> 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