>>Also, everything I've read says use a cardboard box, but no where can I find how big a box it should be. Should it be much bigger than the tortoise or just fit the tortoise? And with two tortoises, do they get separate boxes or are both put in the same box?
>>
>>Finally, how do I know conclusively that it's time to place them into hibernation?
Hello;
I am getting this question in our store every day now. The time for hibernation is about two weeks after the tortoise voluntarily quits feeding. Every year seems to be different. Two weeks is long enough to clear the bowel so the food does not rot in the gut during hibernation.
The way I hibernate ANY reptile (not just tortoises) is in a plastic sterilite or rubbermaid tub large enough to hold the animal and twelve inches deep. I then place about six inches of backyard soil in the box (kinda like a burrow underground), put the tort in, cover with shredded newspaper. The soil must simply be moist, but never wet or bone dry. We are mimicking (sp?) an underground burrow where they would hibernate in the desert. You should check the weight of the animals before and during hibernation. If they are losing weight it is water weight and they need a soak to rehydrate. If this happens lightly moisten the soil in the container.
OK. Now I am gonna get slammed because the cardboard box method has "worked" for some many people.
A) it only works on larger animals and is the cause of death of hibernated babies
B) the animal slowly dehydrates all winter and may be the cause of the large bladder stones we hear about.
C) it is unnatural. Desert Tortoises hibernate in a humid burrow in nature. This fact is irrefutable. Why not do the same in a captive situation?
A dry box causes dehydration. The air is dry on the inhale but moist on the exhale. Every breath has a net loss of body water. Babies dehydrate and die. This is why many will tell you babies cannot hibernate.
I have used my method to hibernate many hundreds of baby desert torts. It works! They simply MUST hibernate in the desert so mimic the desert hibernaculum and they will survive in fact they will thrive!
Makes sense?
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AMAZON REPTILE CENTER
NAMED BEST REPTILE STORE IN LOS ANGELES
