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Turtle hibernation is an adaptive mechanism that allows them to survive in the face of seasonal temperature drops.
In contrast to mammals, in which hibernation is triggered by a lack of food, wintering in turtles occurs when the temperature drops. In addition, the seasonality of life is influenced by factors such as photoperiod, reproductive activity, amount of food, body size and individual biorhythms. In nature, the hibernation period can vary between populations of the same species living in different climatic zones, as well as between individuals of different sex and age.
Hibernation stages:
1. Drop in temperature reduces appetite
2. The turtle is looking for a sheltered place that allows it to avoid contact with the cold, which has moisture to prevent dehydration, while the oxygen content is not so important, since most reptiles tolerate the lack of it well
3. Fat stored in the liver and fat bodies is the main source of energy during and after hibernation. The metabolism slows down, so that even a small amount of energy meets the needs of the body during this period. The bulk of the fat is consumed when the turtle wakes up from hibernation in the spring.
4.Hibernation awakening is triggered by temperature rise. Photoperiod is irrelevant as many turtles hibernate underground.
Hibernation helps synchronize the reproductive cycles of breeding reptiles. A healthy turtle after hibernation should not lose more than 10% of its body weight in weight. This decrease is due to the loss of water, as well as a decrease in glycogen and fat stores.
Types of turtles that are characterized hibernation(for example, Trionyx spp.), dive to the bottom of the reservoir, where the water does not freeze, and breathe oxygen dissolved in water, receiving it through the skin.
The hibernation that occurs during the dry season helps reptiles conserve water. So, some turtles, when the reservoir of their habitat dries up, burrow into the ground and thus wait out adverse conditions.
What you need to know about hibernation of turtles?
If we are talking about the most common among domestic tortoises Central Asian turtles, it should be noted that for them (especially when kept on the floor) seasonality is characteristic - with the onset of autumn, their activity decreases and they can independently fall into a lethargic state. Most often, such a “hibernation” takes place at room temperature (or even under a battery). central heating) in low humidity conditions. This leads to the fact that the turtle loses a significant amount of water, which is fraught with the development of kidney failure.
Do turtles need hibernation?
A turtle kept in a terrarium that receives adequate UV, heat, and moisture will not hibernate. This housing option is the safest, because in order to properly organize the wintering for a reptile, you need to put in enough effort, as well as have the experience to determine whether the turtle is ready for wintering. Reptile breeders use hibernation as a mechanism to synchronize and stimulate sexual cycles, while other turtle owners do not need to do this at all.
How to bring a turtle out of hibernation?
They start with a gradual increase in temperature, so that it reaches room temperature within 5 days, after which they turn on additional heating and bathe the turtle in warm water. If everything went well, the animal will start eating in about a week. If this does not happen, there is a reason to sound the alarm and start treating the turtle.
Is there a safe hibernation for turtles?
Sometimes “overwintering” is recommended as a gentler way to maintain a natural biorhythm. To begin with, in the turtle’s terrarium, the soil is changed to one that better retains moisture (sawdust, moss, peat, dry leaves, etc.) with a layer of 10 cm. The temperature remains at room temperature. Heating and lighting are turned on for only two to three hours a day, then they are turned off completely, and after a couple of weeks they are turned on again for a couple of hours daily and they begin to offer food.
Hibernation of red-eared turtles
Red-eared turtles naturally do not need hibernation, although they can respond with a decrease in activity and appetite to a shortening of daylight hours.
If you are going to hibernate your pet at home and find out how red-eared turtles sleep, then you definitely need to know that they should not have any diseases, and preparing for hibernation in moral and physical terms has great value. After you enter the turtle into the desired state, you will have to constantly maintain a certain temperature and humidity regime. If you neglect at least one point, the pet may remain in hibernation forever.
However, as elsewhere, hibernation also has its advantages. She is a great helper in keeping active. thyroid gland, which in turn significantly increases the life of the turtle. It synchronizes sexual activity in males and follicular growth in females. It helps in maintaining hormonal status at normal levels and blocks excess growth.
In order for the hibernation of the red-eared turtles to be started painlessly and correctly, you need to know some of the subtleties of this process:
1. Before the hibernation of the red-eared turtles begins, in early winter or late autumn, it is necessary to properly fatten the turtle so that the amount of its fat is sufficient to feed throughout the sleep. She should drink no less than she eats.
2. You need to be completely sure that the health of the turtle is at the proper level. In order to check this, it is enough to consult a veterinarian, but in no case should you give supplements and various vitamins just before the start of wintering, as this may end badly.
3. Two or three weeks before the start of wintering, the turtle must be stopped feeding, this is done so that all the food she eats is completely digested. For small individuals, this period is slightly less, one to two weeks.
4. Approximately ten days before the hibernation of the red-eared turtles is planned, it is necessary to begin to reduce the temperature of the terrarium to about 10-12 degrees Celsius, reduce its duration and increase the humidity level to the point that is necessary during the cooling period. In order for the turtle not to get sick with a cold, you should lower the temperature level as smoothly as possible.
5. The place that will be chosen for wintering should have an approximate temperature of 7-12 ° C, the ideal option would be 8 degrees, it should also not let in light and have excellent ventilation. It can be a box filled with peat or moss to a thickness of 30 centimeters. Peat should be covered with hay or dry leaves. The main thing is that the substrate in which the turtle spends the winter is moist, but it should not be allowed to get wet.
6. If he does not open his eyes, then hibernation has begun and will last approximately 10 to 12 weeks. The maximum hibernation period can reach up to 4 months.
7. In order for red-eared turtles to hibernate properly, it is necessary to check its condition.
8. In the event that at a temperature of 10-11 ° C the turtle began to move and show general activity, it is necessary to stop wintering.
9. In order for the turtle to come out of hibernation correctly, you need to start a gradual increase in temperature, bringing it to the usual level for a week, and then bathe the turtle in slightly warmed water.
In the event that you do not want your four-legged pet to hibernate, you need to work a little. You need to raise the temperature in the terrarium to 28 degrees and bathe your turtle as often as possible. It may happen that she will refuse food, in which case the best option is to go to the vet, as he will give a vitamin injection that will stabilize her.
If you have a red-eared turtle, this article will help you handle it properly during hibernation.
Newly brought turtles especially susceptible to colds in cold, rainy summers, it is better not to let them out into the garden in such weather. Otherwise, they lose their appetite, and this should be avoided at all costs. One of the main tasks facing the owner of a turtle is to maintain a good appetite for her before hibernation.
Hibernation. turtles in wild nature hibernate when the temperature drops below a certain level and it becomes difficult to get food. This behavior is typical not only for turtles, but also for many other animals, from snakes to squirrels. All the vital processes of the animal are slowed down almost to zero, and it becomes completely inert. In the American ground squirrel, for example, the pulse drops from three hundred beats per minute to five.
Hibernation time varies depending on different years depending on the weather. If it is very warm, the turtle can remain active until mid-October, and in other years it hibernates as early as early September. They lose interest in food, become less mobile, except for attempts to burrow into the ground in their pen.
In the wild, turtles completely burrow into the ground and remain there until the spring sun warms them.
Winter container. When the turtle looks ready for hibernation, provided it is healthy and large enough in size and weight, it should be placed in a cardboard box with thinly cut paper shavings to burrow into. Then this box is placed in another, larger box or box, and the gaps between the walls are stuffed with peat, newspapers or pieces of foam for the purpose of thermal insulation.
Winter storage. Having tightened the top of the container with a net, it is removed for the winter in a cool place where there is no sub-zero temperature. It is important to keep the temperature as constant as possible, as sudden warming can wake up the turtle and create new problems. An unheated room, where there are no central heating radiators, is very suitable for this purpose. The ideal temperature for a sleeping turtle is 5-10 C.
After the turtle has fallen asleep, it should be left alone, looking into the box once a week is enough to make sure that the turtle has not been woken up by a brief rise in temperature. With the onset of spring, turtles usually wake up and can be taken out into the garden for a while when the sun is shining and the weather is warm.
After hibernation. For several weeks after emerging from hibernation, turtles need careful care. As always, cold and rain are contraindicated for them. You should offer them a variety of food to choose from to whet their appetite.
Immediately after waking up, the turtle appears lethargic and may not eat for several days. Many drink willingly at this time to compensate for the loss of fluid during hibernation, and water should always be readily available to them. A soluble multivitamin preparation can be mixed into the drinking water to stimulate the appetite of a debilitated animal.
If the turtle has difficulty opening its eyes, they should be gently wiped with damp cotton. Another way is to immerse the turtle in a shallow vessel, where it will probably wash both its eyes and nose.
The growth and maturation of the turtle. The growth rate of young turtles can be very different. Some gain weight quickly, while others, while seemingly healthy, grow more slowly. AT two years old the turtle weighs approximately 230 g.
It is impossible to determine the age of a turtle from the growth rings on its shell. Observations of young turtles have shown that these rings appear when the turtle is not yet a year old. If a turtle's growth rate is artificially accelerated by a high protein diet, its shell can become deformed from smooth to bumpy. Turtles grow most of their lives, becoming adults in their eighth year - this applies to European species. In very old specimens, the shell becomes especially smooth, like in newborns, and the annual rings turn pale.
Based on the book Al David "Turtles as a new pet" - Galina Nikolaeva
Very often, the owners have to watch that their pet, until recently vigorous and active, becomes sleepy and lethargic. And often - ceases to give any signs of life. Is this a sign of a serious animal illness? Or is it a natural and regular process - hibernation?
Do red-eared turtles hibernate in winter, suspended animation
In order to answer the question "Do red-eared turtles sleep in winter", let's try to find out under what conditions red-eared turtles live in nature. As a rule, their habitat is water bodies, covered with an ice crust in winter. Harsh conditions really force the animal to burrow headlong into the mud, where they spend the entire cold season. However, this is not necessary when the animal is in a warm climate. What happens in the apartment conditions?
Most often, when the animal is indoors, with the onset of October (when the daylight hours are really significantly reduced), the animals show vivid manifestations of hibernation. These include increased sleep duration, lethargy and drowsiness. However, to say that the state of the animal can be equated with suspended animation is wrong. This can be avoided by maintaining a constant temperature regime.
How to help a turtle hibernate
If you want the animal to hibernate, take the maximum time to prepare the animal for it. Then an event will occur - a red-eared tortoise: suspended animation. Gradually lower the temperature of the water in the aquarium to a temperature that is most characteristic of the area where your turtle lives. Preparation should take from a week to ten days. To do this, you can replace incandescent lamps with less powerful ones or equip a special aquarium with wet sand for hibernation, where the animal can burrow.
In the next two months, after the onset of hibernation, be sure to check its condition and move it to more familiar conditions when it wakes up.
Feed the animal should be 5 or 7 days after waking up. Raising the temperature of the water in the aquarium should also be done gradually.
The nature and characteristics of hibernation are individual for each animal. And so the need for it, as well as its absence, will easily betray the behavior of your turtle. Be attentive to your pet and you will easily understand what he needs for a full life in modern apartments.
Red-eared turtles are found in nature different types and sizes. They are successfully kept in captivity in aquaterrariums. However, hibernation red-eared turtle in a home environment is a certain difficulty for its owners.
Turtle owners have legitimate questions, hibernation related:
How necessary is hibernation for the red-eared turtle at home?
Why do turtles hibernate?
How to hibernate a red-eared turtle?
What effect does the hibernation of the red-eared turtle have on its reproductive functions?
How long is the winter sleep of a water turtle?
Hibernation of domestic red-eared turtles
Most captive turtles do not need to hibernate provided they are maintained. stable temperature in the aquarium. These cold-blooded animals will hibernate if the air temperature is too high or too low.
But some individuals, for example, recently caught in nature, are strenuously trying to settle down for the winter, regardless of the conditions of detention, and then they need help with this. organize hibernation red-eared turtles especially recommended if the owner wants to receive from them next year offspring.
Arrangement of hibernation of the red-eared tortoise
The main signs of preparation for hibernation in the red-eared turtle are drastic reduction in activity and frequent yawning. The animal hides in the corner of the aquaterrarium and sits there motionless for a long time. In this case, start preparing your pet for a long sleep. But before you start arranging a wintering place, consult with your veterinarian if this behavior is not.
If everything is in order with the health of the turtle, two months before the start of hibernation increase the amount of food offered to her and the number of daily meals. Before hibernation Pond slider should stock up on everything you need nutrients, since during sleep she can lose up to half of her previous weight.
All last week animal before hibernation can't feed in general, and a day before a long sleep, bathe the turtle several times - this will help it completely empty the intestines.
In the room where the turtle sleeps, the air temperature should be maintained within the range of 1 to 6 ° C. Cold basement- the optimal room for hibernation of this cold-blooded animal. The turtle should be accustomed to such a thermal regime gradually, as a sharp drop in temperature can lead to hypothermia and even death of a pet.
Another important requirement is the constant maintenance high humidity air. A mixture of moss and leaves would be the ideal substrate for the red-eared slider to overwinter. By passing moisture well and not retaining it, such a substrate will provide your pet with a comfortable sleep, the average duration of which is from 3 to 5 months.
Bringing the turtle out of hibernation
Bringing the red-eared turtle out of hibernation gradually. First you need to slightly increase the air temperature in the room, and then bathe the turtle in warm water. It is very difficult for a turtle to immediately adapt to the usual conditions of life. Therefore, the first 2-3 days after leaving hibernation, her should not be fed, very carefully moving on to the usual diet for the animal.
