We know that searching for Jobs can make you want to crawl into bed and hibernate for 6 months like some lucky animals. With this in mind, we thought that this week we’d talk a bit about those household pets that do hibernate, as a little distraction. Some household pets, such as turtles, tortoises, bearded dragons and hamsters, naturally hibernate in the winter months. In order to provide the best care for them during this time, it’s wise to seek veterinary advice from a local practice, but here are some basic starting points to consider.
Tortoises and turtles are cold-blooded and their hibernation is also referred to as ‘brumation’. Although household turtles and tortoises don’t need to hibernate to survive, many will still do so, and it can increase the chances of successful breeding. It’s best to carry out further research, but generally speaking, the farther from the equator that a species originates, the more likely it is to hibernate. Species from tropical habitats might not hibernate at all. It’s important to be vigilant in the time leading up to hibernation, to ensure that the animal isn’t starved or left too cold by accident – it may just be sleeping and not engaging in full hibernation! It’s also very important for a vet to check the animal’s health before it begins brumation. During hibernation, an animal’s immune system slows down significantly and even a very minor affliction will develop profoundly during this period of sleep and could be fatal to a hibernating pet, during or
shortly after this period. Some signs of illness could be low body weight, swollen eyes or ears and cuts/abscesses. A change in habits, too, may indicate sickness, such as naturally aquatic turtles remaining out or their water or a frequent opening and closing of the mouth that indicates trouble breathing.
Good pre-hibernation veterinary advice includes a diet rich in vitamin A for up to 16 weeks prior to the hibernating months, during which levels of vitamin A will be seriously depleted. Foods with a high vitamin A content include squashes, carrots, kale, broccoli and orange fruits such as peaches. For meat-eating turtles, fish and baby mice can provide a vitamin A boost. Another key thing to learn is how a particular animal should hibernate. Veterinary advice will usually
recommend that indoor turtles and tortoises are kept indoors and active during the winter, and that outdoor-dwelling turtles and tortoises should also be brought inside for the winter, if their natural outdoor habitat might become unsafe. Aquatic turtles are able to brumate outdoors as long as their enclosure is secure and the water to which they have access doesn’t freeze. Terrestrial and semiaquatic turtles and tortoises can hibernate indoors or outdoors. If kept outdoors, they will instinctively respond to changes in the temperature and length of sunlight, and will know when and how to prepare for brumation. If they are used to being indoors, however, these changes will need to be simulated.
The length of time for which most turtles and tortoises will hibernate is 2-4 months. Some species in can hibernate for up to 6 months, though that length of time is not required. It is always best to consult a local vet for recommendations specific to each species.
If searching for a job in the veterinary industry is making you feel like hibernating through the winter, don’t worry, we’ve got it covered. You can easily search for veterinary jobs right here.