Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Welcome to kingsnake.com's message board system. Here you may share and discuss information with others about your favorite reptile and amphibian related topics such as care and feeding, caging requirements, permits and licenses, and more. Launched in 1997, the kingsnake.com message board system is one of the oldest and largest systems on the internet.

Click here to visit Classifieds

Baby turtle update and question

Linda G Feb 13, 2011 01:12 PM

Hi all,

My little turtle has been hibernating since 12/27. He has been well with no additional weight loss (still 43 grams) He is the one I got in October that had not eaten for 3 months thus I went ahead and hibernated him.

We are getting ready to go into a warmer spell here for the next week or so for sure with temps getting into the 50's. I think he will wake up as the temps warm due to his location. If he does, should I go ahead and start bringing him out of hibernation or attempt to keep him cold? February 27th will be 8 weeks.

Let me know your thoughts and how long do you guys usually hibernate your turtles? It varies on different websites.

Thanks in advance
Linda

Replies (4)

curtis9980 Feb 13, 2011 11:19 PM

I live in Texas, and mine still don't come out of hibernation for good until about the second or third week of April. They will probably come out this week, as we are expected to get 70 degree days and 45-50 degree nights.

I think the rule of thumb is, hibernation persists until nights stay consistently above 50 degrees.

Moedad Feb 14, 2011 12:03 PM

Here in southern CA (the OC), we've had a week of temps in the 70s/80s, but dipping down into the low 50s/upper 40s. No sign of my turtles yet. One dug in back in October, the other in November. Their hibernation spot is shaded all day still at this time of year.

Woodnative Feb 15, 2011 01:00 PM

My two cents.....and although I am a biologist by training, I am not a herpetologiest and my experience is narrow. I raised one box turtle from egg to adulthood, now 7.5 years old and hibernating outside. I also have two almost 3 year olds from eggs (taken by me from a roadkill) that are still inside. All are healthy and have smooth, perfect shells. I did not use a UV bulb and I hibernated at room temps when the youngsters were inside (both items go agains much wisdom you see here). These are Easterns, I am in NJ. Alhtough I can not see much difference in lighting or temps of the inside environment of the hatchlings, they seem to still somehow "sense" the winters. They butrrow down for much of the time....although they do come up and soak now and again, or change thier resting area. Every several weeks they seem more active and I may give them a worm or such at that time. Come Spring, they are active and voraceous again. I figure at the more southern part of their range they would not neceasarily experience near freezing all year. When active, I do try to get them outside in real sunlight on occasion.....maybe once every week or two in summer, much less in winter, for 10 or 15 supervised minutes. I do feed a variety of food...and I try to include a lot of fresh caught, live food when they are young (worms, slugs, pillbugs, etc.). The youngsters are kept on moist peat, and have a water dish with clean water and hiding places at all times.
If things warm up, try offering your hatchling some live food. If it doesn't eat, let it hibernate longer. If it does eat then keep it at "normal" temps again (e.g. don't let it have a full stomach and then keep it cold). Good luck with him/her. Yes, it was a few years before I knew my first is a male!

StephF Feb 15, 2011 08:12 PM

They are VERY sensitive to photo period (day length), which is why they tend to emerge from hibernation after March solstice and tend to stop eating after September solstice.

That said, they will emerge during winter warm spells.
Play it by ear.... the turtle will let you know if it wants to come up....otherwise leave it until early April or so.

Site Tools