Is my turtle hibernating?

[sixpack_ey]

I have a 10 year old RES that I adopted last spring. A week ago, she burried herself in the land side of her tank and hasn't came out since. I had noticed that in the last month or so her eating has slowed down. Should I dig her up to see if she is okay, or just let her do her thing? Before I got her, she spent her first 9 years in a 12 inch by 18 inch plastic tub on top of a refrigerator, so she never had a chance to hibernate before. But, my house never gets below 72 degrees, and the tank is warmer than that, with the basking light and the heater in the water so I don't know why she would go into hibernation voluntarily. What do you think??

[beckdg]

sounds like she might have been stressed for 10 winters... idk, many things can cause that behavior... if she showed no signs of issues prior then i'd assume she'll be active and hungry in a couple months... i wouldn't worry if only feeding and hiding are the issues.

[kyryah]

The problem with her trying to hibernate is that the temperatures are much too high. Her metabolism will not slow properly, and she could very easily starve.

After ten winters of not hibernating, she really shouldn't just suddenly start trying without the physiological trigger of dropping temperatures and light.

I would NOT leave her there. I would wake her up gently every 1-2 days and try to get her to eat. If she isn't better soon, take her to a qualified reptile veterinarian.

It is not necessary for a turtle to hibernate. Most keepers only use hibernation as a tool to induce breeding behaviors.

Kristina

[sixpack_ey]

I never would have induced hibernation. She just disapeared on me. I know this sounds crazy, but I tried to dig her up yesterday to check on her, and I cannot find her in her tank. It is escape proof (see photo) so I don't know what to think.

[seritchey]

She's on the left :P

Did you dig around in the WHOLE tank? Thats a little weird...invisible turtle

[sixpack_ey]

Well, pretty much. There aren't that many plants on the land anymore. I dug around most of the land, except the very back corners. The dirt on those parts is perfectly flat though, I can tell it hasn't been dug through by her.

[kyryah]

I would systematically begin removing all of the tank decor until you find her.

I have seen RES escape from tanks, they can climb quite well actually, lol.

Good luck.

Just a suggestion too, she is a pretty big turtle for so little water. The depth should be no less than 1 1/2 times the width of the turtle. In water that shallow, if she flips she won't be able to flip back and will drown. If you find her and she is okay, I suggest getting a floating dock or building an above tank basking area (which I have done for as little as $7 in a half an hour's time and can help you with) so that the tank can be filled more toward the top.


Kristina

[froggsong]

Kyryah is our resident turtle expert, so make sure you get as much advice from her as possible!

[beckdg]

yes yes... i agree!

[kyryah]

Thanks guys

Kristina