turtles depend on the sun's heat to maintain their normal body temperature. In temperate climates, during winter the sun is not able to provide sufficient heat to support the normal activities of the body: these reptiles respond to these adverse conditions with lethargy, a state of latent life.
During hibernation their body temperature drops significantly, and adversely affect all physiological processes. Heart rate and breathing are reduced greatly, the digestive system is unable to function, and the immune system is much less efficient.
hibernation is induced in turtles of our climate from the decrease in daytime temperature and daylight hours. The natural behavior in response to these stimuli is the decreased activity, and especially in the suspension power, to empty the bowel in preparation for the winter sleep. Hibernation has
a beneficial effect on health and metabolism of turtles, and is particularly important for reproduction, because it stimulates and synchronizes the reproductive cycle.
turtles that come from places where the temperature remains mild winter but do not hibernate in the summer (a period of inactivity that allows you to escape the temperature is too high, passed in holes dug in the ground). For these animals hibernate in winter can be fatal and should be avoided. Preparing for hibernation
Only animals in good physical condition with adequate fat reserves accumulated during the hot season, should be left hibernate. The animals sick, debilitated or underweight should not be allowed to go into hibernation, but should be kept warm throughout the winter in a terrarium, very well equipped so that they can be fed and / or treated.
intake of food must be stopped 3-4 weeks before hibernation in animals of medium size, proportionately less than in smaller ones. No reptile should be allowed to hibernate if you have recently eaten, the food inside the digestive tract is not absorbed during hibernation and can go rot.
As a result you may experience an absorption of toxins or a fatal septicemia. The decaying food debris in the mouth can cause a severe stomatitis, and infection can spread to the middle ear.
In contrast, with regard to water, must be left available, plenty of animals who are preparing for hibernation. It 's very useful to regularly measure the weight and length of the turtles to see if the growth or the accumulation of fat reserves are adequate.
Before the beginning of hibernation is necessary to examine with care the health of the reptile, performing the same tests recommended before purchasing. If a turtle goes into hibernation without having a proper weight, or if you have symptoms of illness, most likely not be able to survive the winter.
summary, it must allow each turtle to go into hibernation only if:
· it has undergone an appropriate period of fasting to empty their digestive tracts
· it has an optimal body weight
· is in perfect health
Also, do not let it hibernate if a turtle you're not quite sure of the species belong. Talk to an expert for any precise identification. In
shops are selling many tropical species, which should never be hibernated. Tortoises hibernate can be left outdoors or indoors. Each of the two systems has advantages and disadvantages. If well organized, the second choice is the best because is safer for the animal.
ideal environmental conditions of hibernation
The ambient temperature at which the reptile is exposed during hibernation is essential for the success of the same lethargy, and needs to be about 5 ° C. At this temperature, the turtle is safe, fast asleep, the consumption of his body stores is minimal and is safe from the danger of freezing.
Temperatures below 2 ° C can be potentially dangerous, and below zero can cause injuries to eyes or brain, causing irreversible damage even for short exposures, because of the freezing of tissues.
These problems are generally in hibernating animals left outdoors without adequate protection.
In contrast, over 11 ° C animals tend to become active. One of the main mistakes made in the management of turtles in hibernation and leave them to an intermediate temperature between the optimum (18-25 ° C) and hibernation (5 ° C). In these conditions, the metabolism continues, albeit at a slower pace, but the animal is not eating, consuming its energy reserves at a rate too high. The first
reptile consumes its fat reserves, and when these are exhausted using the muscles and internal organs. It follows that the turtle ends up dying of starvation, or wakes up from hibernation in a state of severe depletion of body reserves.
To check the temperature can be used for economic greenhouse thermometers, preferably with an indication of the maximum and minimum temperature. The duration of hibernation under natural conditions depends on the climate and latitude.
Other factors should be taken into account in the case of animals in captivity are the size, age, fat reserves, the state of health. If an animal is not in good physical condition does not pose any problems to skip hibernation for a year. If necessary you can also shorten the artificial hibernation or avoided entirely. A brief period of hibernation is definitely safer in case of very young animals or in perfect physical condition.
The total duration of hibernation, but shall not exceed 20 weeks, which in our climate is not usually a problem. It is estimated that for every month of hibernation a tortoise loses about 1% of their body weight.
If, for example, a turtle, weighing 1500 g at the beginning of hibernation after four months of lethargy should lose 15 x 4 = 60 grams, weighing 1440 g at the end of hibernation.
hibernating turtles indoors should be subject to frequent inspections, that does not mean no harm for the animal and even allows you to detect problems in time, in which case you break the winter hibernation, the animal is warm. Some would advise you to stop
hibernation if it is noted that the animal has urinated. In fact, the urine stored in the bladder is a reservoir water, which if lost may predispose to problems with dehydration.
According to some authors should wake turtles every 2-4 weeks (depending on size, smaller ones more frequently), heat and leave to soak in warm water at 24 ° C, to allow the animals to drink. This will avoid the problems associated with dehydration. During the bath to examine the animal, which should open their eyes within a couple of hours. If the turtle is healthy, it dries and is committed to hibernate. If you notice signs of illness or some kind of hibernation is interrupted and held the reptile terrarium in a warm, very well equipped.
Hibernation indoors
The recommended method to wintering turtles in artificial conditions is to use two containers, one inside the other place.
The inner container must be large enough to slightly greater than those of the turtle. Can be represented by a box of cardboard or polystyrene with small openings for air flow, which is filled with material insulation such as straw, dry leaves or pieces of paper.
This container is placed inside a larger one, and the space between the two is filled with other insulating material.
In this way if the turtle move around, always remains in the first container, the center of an isolated environment, and not likely to get close to the walls where the temperature may be too cold. The room where you put the two boxes (a basement or a garage) must have temperature throughout the winter period not exceeding 10 ° C and never falls below zero. E 'turtles can hibernate in a controlled environment using the cold: in this way is ensured a constant temperature. Periodically it is necessary to ensure a change of air, because we do not create a shortage of oxygen. This may be the safest way to make the young turtles hibernate in the first year of life.
Hibernation outdoor (natural)
these reptiles will find themselves so completely empty the digestive system, which is the ideal condition to face the winter sleep.
When the weather reaches a critical point, the turtle began to dig into the ground and basement. In its natural state this behavior turns out to be quite safe, because even with the most extreme outdoor temperatures, already a few inches deep frost does not penetrate into the ground.
The risks of this method are somewhat linked to attack by predators, especially mice and rats, and the risk that the point at which the turtle is being inundated by water in case of very intense rainfall.
Another drawback may be represented by an excessively mild winter temperature, which brings the temperature of the reptile above 10 ° C. In this case the metabolism is too rapid and can lead to excessive consumption of the body reserves.
It 'obvious that you intend to bury a turtle pool is much more difficult if not impossible, to be inspected regularly. Anyway, if you have turtles that regularly hibernate outdoors for you and this system has worked, there is no reason to change.
A good compromise between the two systems, the natural and the hibernating indoors, is to let the turtles go into hibernation spontaneously in a special hut built outside.
Again using a thermometer can verify that the environmental conditions are adeguate.Se during the period of hibernation, the turtle, following a mild day, you should wake up and go outside, absolutely no power on . With the return of cold weather the food could not be digested and cause serious problems. Instead, it is very useful to give her a bath to allow it to drink.
Hibernation in the American box-turtles (Terrapene spp.)
This can be achieved using a mixture of leaves, bark and soil moist.
R. Klingenberg suggests testing the turtle every 2-3 weeks. Occurs if the soil is sufficiently moist, and allowed to soak for 1-2 hours to allow it to drink, after which it puts in its place. The maximum period of hibernation should be three to four months.
Hibernation in hatchlings
It 's a natural condition for the turtles go into hibernation a few weeks after birth, and if you are healthy there is no reason not to replicate in captivity this situation.
E ', however, required extra precautions, because of their small size and their delicacy. The environmental conditions of hibernation should be checked even more carefully, and the duration can be reduced to 6-8 weeks.
To avoid sudden changes in temperature, you can use a large container full of earth, in which the young take refuge. The mass of material that surrounds them defend them from any sudden temperature changes. The first year you can possibly avoid the lethargy, but by next winter it is preferable that animals are subject to a rate of physiological life.
Lethargy of water turtle
The freshwater turtle can be made to go into hibernation, but this is not absolutely necessary for their health.
Hibernation instead is essential if you want to play them, to stimulate reproductive activity.
If you are in a terrarium inside, the temperature is gradually lowered over several weeks to 4 ° C. During this period of preparation should not be fed, to give way to empty their digestive system.
The terrarium should be placed in a cold room, the temperature must be carefully monitored using a thermometer that registers the maximum and minimum temperature. The hibernation period can be 6-12 weeks, depending on the size and physical condition.
For young turtles should be shorter.
Even in this case is very important to remember that if the temperature drops below 10 ° C the body reserves are used up too quickly, because the metabolism is slowed down sufficiently.
If the temperature drops below 4 ° C can cause damage from freezing, and if the temperature drops below zero death can occur within hours.
The surface should not be left to freeze for more than two weeks.
Even for turtles is the rule to keep in a heated terrarium animals, for health reasons, are unable to deal with the lethargy.
Awakening
If hibernation was held outdoors in the spring the turtle feels the increase in temperature. Above 10 ° C average temperature of its metabolism begins to reactivate, and goes outside.
the temperature gap between his underground shelter and the surface heated by the sun is sharp, and so must be even when you finish the hibernating indoors.
's useless, even harmful if not, proceed to a gradual heating. When the period of hibernation is over you remove the turtle from its container and heats the sun.
During hibernation, the turtle is living using his body reserves, but because of the extremely slow metabolism, weight loss should be rather limited, not exceeding 10%. Will be a valuable data you have recorded the weight of the reptile before lethargy, for comparison with the awakening, in order to verify that there were no problems with that.
It should then proceed to an accurate control of the whole animal, similar to that performed prior to hibernation. The first necessity that the turtle when they wake up together with the warmth of the sun, is that you can drink to rehydrate and expel accumulated toxins from the system failure.
The best way to bring these reptiles to drink is to place them in a container of warm water. The water level must slightly exceed the plastron, to avoid drowning. Within a couple of hours, the turtle would have to drink and urinate, after which it can be removed from the water.
Most animal begins to eat within a week of waking, initially seem to prefer rich food such as fruits and tomatoes, but within a few days should provide a more balanced diet.
If the supply is not the case should be resumed as soon as possible seek the assistance of a competent veterinarian: This condition, called post-hibernation anorexia, it becomes all the more serious the more we delay the measures to combat it.
options for treatment success are much greater if you are working quickly to diagnose the cause and cure. In the days following
wake up, if the animal is fed normally and resumed its activities without any problems, you just have to check that the environmental conditions are suitable for light and temperature.
If the days are gray and cold, you can expect that the turtles do not nurture, then it is preferable to provide artificial light and heat.
should also consider whether to provide shelter during the evening and night.
At the end of hibernation if the environmental conditions provided were not best to be found different diseases.
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