Trying to hibernate??
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My 6 month old diamondback is going through some trouble. He refuses to eat and is very lethargic. I took him to the vet in fear that something serious was wrong. They told me that he was trying to hibernate, but can’t because of the tank he is in. She suggested that I buy a litter box, fill it with dirt and leaves, and allow Harvey to hibernate. I was under the impression however, that these turtles don’t hibernate in captivity. Was I wrong or is something else ailing poor Harvey??
Lets just say that he does want to hibernate (which is highly unlikely for captive animals), it definitely woudl not be in the ground. DBT hibernate in water. But I woudl not encourage this behavior especially is you think that your animal may be ill. Try warming him/her up and increasing the amout of light exposure. Julie lsilv1ca@… wrote:
Harvey shouldn’t have the desire to hibernate unless there’s been a dramatic drop in his ambient temperature that is similar to natural weather conditions. Not sure whether you have a heater in his tank or not, but room temperature is usually in the high 60s to low 70s and should not be low enough to stimulate hibernation in a diamondback. Terps don’t usually hibernate in captivity because of the controlled environment that is usually provided. Whether or not he hibernates is up to you and how you monitor his environment. Julie is right on about terps hibernating in water – take her advice on warming him up. If you have reason to think that Harvey is sick, please go to http://www.arav.org and find a qualified vet near you – time is of essence here. All the best. Chun Tail Moderator
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