tortoise hibernation query

[learningtofly]

hello any other mner tortoise lovers out there? I have a niggle that just wont go away.

I have had a tortoise for years (hermans) and hibernated him for years without a problem, wound him down and he has slept well in the fridge (unless you count the year he woke up on New Years eve and we ended up overwintering him)

However 2 years ago we took in a 18 month old horsefield tortoise who we believe was not well loved or looked after well - when we obtained him he was malnurished and dehydrated and not used to being handled but 2 years on he remains very anxious and jumpy and still doesnt trust us.

This year I felt that really we should hibernate both torts but I have real doubts about the horsefield. He is still very defensive and anxious with handling and although still awake is very much closed off and wont repsond to bathing.

In theory he is ready to hibernate but my gut instinct is to overwinter him again (as I have done the last 2 years) It might sound daft but I dont feel he trusts me and (although it sounds really silly) I dont trust him to come through hibernation.

am I being silly? or should i run with my instincts?

Have you checked him on the Jackson scale weighing him and measuring carpi length. This is really essential before hibernating any tortoise to make sure they have enough reserves to survive hibernation. If he is above the line on the Jackson scale I would hibernate him as he is showing signs of wanting to hibernate.
I am a vet with an interest in tortoises.

Hi Lizcat.

Yes Ive done the Jackson ration and he is within normal range (will have to check my record for result as per TT recommendations did it in August!) but his shell is still a little mishapen from when we got him so this might skew the measurements slightly - tbh i was worried he wouldnt survive when we got him home initially as he was so dehydrated, mishapen and his beak was extremely overgrown for such a young tortoise.

From what I gather from my work colleague (who lived next door to the family I bought him from and who asked me to take him in) he lived in the shed with no UV, little food and no water for 12 monthshe was there. We think they got him within the first year of being hatched (delivered by refridgated van off the internet)

His shell has shown improvement as he grows with a better diet (weeds mainly) but (dont laugh!) he has remained really really jumpy. In that you cant move suddenley or talk loudly around him otherwise he instantly shrinks back into his shell.

He is totally different to my hermans who loves interaction and will get up in the middle of the night if he thinks he is missing out on something! I know they all have different personalities but I had hoped he would be more settled after 2 years with us.

Lizcat - Please don't take this the wrong way as I love to hear of more vets taking an interest in tortoises as they are few and far between still, but your advice is way off!!

The Jackson Ratio should never be used to assess a Russian/horsfieldii for healthy hibernation weight. They are a completely different shape to the species that it was designed for (T.hermanni, T.graeca graeca and T. (graeca) ibera) and if the graph is applied to T.horsfieldii it will result in a dangerously misleading result.

learningtofly - If your Russian is only "normal" on the Jackson Ratio, he is possibly quite considerably underweight still. A normal weight Russian tortoise will be considered overweight by Jackson Ratio, due to being more generally much more rounded (i.e. its carapace length being much closer to its width) than the other species I mentioned.

Trust your instincts in this matter. I wouldn't worry about hibernating him if he continues to be nervous/timid in the future, but 2 years is not long in a tortoises lifespan to recover from previous poor care. Give him another overwintering this year and hibernate him only if/when you feel totally confident that he is 100% healthy.