Hibernation
I find myself having the same anxiety this time of year that I had last time of year: should I or should I not hibernate Rex?
My own vet is opposed to hibernation. He thinks it's too risky (some turtles don't live through hibernation) and that it is better to keep the turtle warm during the winter. Some other people (I've never heard a vet say this, but that doesn't mean no vets think it) think that hibernation is important for turtles' long term health. I know of at least one vet who says he has seen box turtles live long, healthy lives with what he calls the "endless summer" approach and have no ill effects.
Especially in our region, hibernation is iffy: it does not stay cold all winter, so turtles sometimes go into an in-between state that can be fatal. All the more reason to NOT hibernate Rex. I do not want to take a chance on losing him.
But I still agonize: what if the naysayers are right and hibernation is important for a turtle's health? I won't know until it's too late to correct.
Right now it's not quite cold enough for me to start taking precautions to warm Rex, but it's getting there. I plan to greenhouse him this winter if necessary; last winter was really mild and so it wasn't necessary to greenhouse him; we just brought him inside on cold nights/days instead. I am not sure how I am going to greenhouse Al this year. I need to buy new greenhouse plastic if i am going to greenhouse both turtles this year, because the lawn guys threw mine away.
I am thinking that I might cover just the north end of the pond- the bits north of the skippy. That way it won't get too hot, like it did in the past, but it can retain some heat.
I wish I could build a heated house for Rex, like this one. That would be really neat.
My own vet is opposed to hibernation. He thinks it's too risky (some turtles don't live through hibernation) and that it is better to keep the turtle warm during the winter. Some other people (I've never heard a vet say this, but that doesn't mean no vets think it) think that hibernation is important for turtles' long term health. I know of at least one vet who says he has seen box turtles live long, healthy lives with what he calls the "endless summer" approach and have no ill effects.
Especially in our region, hibernation is iffy: it does not stay cold all winter, so turtles sometimes go into an in-between state that can be fatal. All the more reason to NOT hibernate Rex. I do not want to take a chance on losing him.
But I still agonize: what if the naysayers are right and hibernation is important for a turtle's health? I won't know until it's too late to correct.
Right now it's not quite cold enough for me to start taking precautions to warm Rex, but it's getting there. I plan to greenhouse him this winter if necessary; last winter was really mild and so it wasn't necessary to greenhouse him; we just brought him inside on cold nights/days instead. I am not sure how I am going to greenhouse Al this year. I need to buy new greenhouse plastic if i am going to greenhouse both turtles this year, because the lawn guys threw mine away.
I am thinking that I might cover just the north end of the pond- the bits north of the skippy. That way it won't get too hot, like it did in the past, but it can retain some heat.
I wish I could build a heated house for Rex, like this one. That would be really neat.