February 26, 2008: Tortoises Hibernate

[xoxoxoBruce]

From the Daily Mail.

Mrs Neely who runs the Jersey-based Tortoise Sanctuary, had to set up the fridges because of the particularly mild winter.

Her tortoises hibernate for up to three months between December and March, and need steady temperatures between 3c and 8c.

They are in danger of waking early if it heats up - and then do not have enough body weight to keep themselves warm and not enough energy to eat or drink.

But fridges, at a steady 4c to 6c, are the perfect environment.

Mrs Neely said: "It's much easier to maintain a constantly cool temperature with a fridge than it is with our ever-warming climate."

On Saturday night a guest said she would get a bottle of wine and was stunned when she opened the fridge.

Mrs Neely said: "I do sometimes keep a bottle of wine inside because it helps stabilise the temperature."

A friend of mine is a dog catcher... er, Animal Control officer... I'll bet she wishes she could put her menagerie in the fridge, once in a while.

[DanaC]

I like the way the fridge is still in use for food and wine!

[tw]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

From the Daily Mail.

Species have been moving to higher altitudes to escape the effects of global warming. But eventually there is no more mountain to climb. Warmer weather then deletes that species. Ecologists call this "falling off the mountain".

Warming has been occurring so quickly that species cannot move northward fast enough. Those who climb mountains tend to last longer until eventually they run out of mountain.

[Gravdigr]

I see Mrs. Neely likes to keep a couple of large severed penises (peni?) on hand on the top shelf. You never know when you might need one.

The red tub with aluminum foil must be the tortoises (torti?) that wouldn't settle down and go to sleep. Man, she's strict!

[Silazius]

Air, I need air!!!!! (plus it's dark in here!)

[TheMercenary]

Cool. I suspect since they are underground during hibernation and that metabolism is so slow they don't do much breathing lack of air should not be a problem. Open it up and close quickly every few days and it should do the trick. Of course I have no idea what the metabolic oxygen requirements of a hibernating tortise are either.

[xoxoxoBruce]

She opens the doors each day to waft fresh air inside. As tortoises breathe only once a minute during hibernation, this is sufficient to keep them healthy.

[TheMercenary]

[TheMercenary]

And then there is this:

Hibernating Terrestrials And Semi-Aquatics Indoors And Out
Freezing and drowning are the two biggest hazards faced by captive terrestrial and semi-terrestrial turtles and tortoises hibernating outdoors, so keepers often provide containers in which their animals can spend the winters indoors. A box-within-a-box that is filled with wadded or shredded newspaper provides insulation and darkness. Place the box in a little-used room, closet, a shed or a garage and keep a thermometer on the box. Check it frequently, especially if there are external weather changes.

Hibernating species can tolerate a temperature between 39°F and 50°F (3.8°C and 10°C) when artificially hibernated. A temperature above 50°F may precipitate torpor, not a true hibernation, and your turtle or tortoise may use up precious fat reserves with its raised metabolism. If that happens and too much fat has been expended, you'll have to take the turtle or tortoise out of its hibernation container and allow it to gradually come up to a warmer temperature. The animal must then be fed and maintained at non-hibernating temperatures. One way to tell your tortoise isn't truly hibernating is if it is active in its hibernation box or if you find it has urinated . Remove him and hydrate him and move the box to a cooler, protected spot. Provide fresh, dry substrate and monitor him to be sure he will sleep.

It's critical to weigh your turtle or tortoise prior to hibernation and chart its weight throughout the hibernation period. Invest in a digital scale for weighing the smaller species (under 6 lbs.) for best accuracy. Based upon the size-to-weight ratio, your vet or another keeper can tell you if hibernation is safe. During hibernation your frequent checks can be used as a time to gently weigh your tortoise. An excellent rule-of-thumb is that a tortoise or turtle should lose only 1% of its body weight per month of hibernation. For example, a 400 gram tortoise should not lose more than 4g per month. Multiply the animal's weight in grams by 0.01: 0.01 X 400 = 4.0 grams. Chart it on a piece of paper you keep taped close to the hibernaculum/container as a guide for next year's hibernation.

Wild tortoises and turtles will select a burrow that has slightly humid soil or leaf litter to decease evaporative water loss through the skin and lungs. Captives that are being hibernated in unnatural conditions indoors risk dehydration due to low humidity. However, because they're poikilotherms, they mustn't be allowed to become wet and chilled, either; they won't be able to dry off. Check the skin condition of animals spending the winter sleeping indoors. If the skin is drier than usual or the animal has lost too much body mass in that period, wake it and soak it in shallow (below the bridge), room-temperature water for two hours to regain lost fluid. Dry it thoroughly (but do not warm it!) and return it to its box. Younger tortoises and turtles (hatchlings and juveniles) should have this done for them every three weeks if necessary.

Body water partitioning in hibernating turtles and tortoises changes in the fall, allowing them to store more water in winter than in summer, so hydration is critical to a successful hibernation. If your hibernating turtle or tortoise voids its water stores (you find the substrate is wet), you absolutely must bring it out for rehydration in shallow water as previously explained.

If your animal is used to hibernating outdoors, make sure it has access to drinking water at all times, but don't let it hibernate where rain can drown it or wet it to the point it gets chilled. Check the hibernation spot frequently. If you see a turtle or tortoise out trying to bask on a rainy or cloudy day, it's indicative that something's wrong with the hibernation process. Bring the animal indoors for an examination to determine whether hibernation should be allowed to continue. Better to be safe than sorry!

Intimidated? You should be. Attention to detail makes the difference a successful hibernation and one that harms your animal. But you've got several good tools with which to work: a scale, a thermometer, a humidity gauge-and resources like your club and the internet.

[TheMercenary]

And this:

It has been revealed that, upon hypnosis resulting from the winter hibernation, the content of
glucose in the blood of mamals (Marmota menzberi Kaschk.) and reptiles( Testudo horsfieldi
Gray) has decreased whereas the components of the lipid exchange and the activity of the
enzyme alanin and aspartat transaminase have increased, the changes observed being more
pronounced in the tortoise than in marmote.
On a level of the intact organism in vitro, over the 30 fold and 100 fold decrease of gas oxygen
exchange takes place in marmots and tortoises, respectively upon the body temperature
decreases as low as 4-50C as a result of winter hibernation.
At a mitochondrial level, a decrease in the bioenergetic parameters by 4-6 times with a
prevailing inhibition of succinate oxidation was recorded in marmots and by 3 times in tortoises
in the state of hypobiosis, which witnesses deep restructuring of the enzymatic metabolic
characteristics of the tissue energetics under these conditions. More significant inhibition of the
respiratory activity in the mitochondria of the liver, kidney and heart against the other organs
was reported in ground squirrel when in the state of natural winter sleeping.
Upon the temperature drop in vitro by 37,25,160C the respiratory activity of the liver
mitochondria of active rodents was recorded to decrease to a significantly smaller degrees ( by 4
times ) than in those of the reptiles ( by 12 times ), thus witnessing a smaller temperature
dependence of the subcellular energetics of the warm blooded animals and the necessity of
functioning of special mechanism decreasing mitochondrial respiration in this group as
compared with the cold blooded animals while in hypobiosis.

http://kutuphane.taek.gov.tr/interne...ication-25.PDF

[Shawnee123]

"Frankie, stop standing there with the door open."
"But mommmmmmm, there's nothing to eat in here."

[TheMercenary]

Tortise soup?

[Sheldonrs]

I'm gonna name my pet tortoise Swanson.

[Timo]

ahaha, the tortoises are colour coded,
awsome

[Sheldonrs]

Originally Posted by Timo

ahaha, the tortoises are colour coded,
awsome

I thought they were BRRRRRRRR coded. :-)
Welcome Timo.