PROBLEMS AFTER HIBERNATION OF TORTOISES
Introduction
Now that Mediterranean tortoises are rare in the wild and hard to come by
in captivity, the problems of hibernating these reptiles properly are acknowledged
as being important. This was not always the case, of course, but when tortoises
were plentiful people did not bother to take their tortoises to the veterinarian
before or after hibernation. Today things are very different and you should
be on the lookout for problems occurring after hibernation, especially those
in a cold climate.
Anorexia
After hibernation, especially if it is prolonged, a major problem is post-hibernational
anorexia. The reason for failure to eat after waking from the winter may be
pathological (a disease process) physiological the animal taking time to eat
even though healthy) or environmental (spring still too cold to encourage a
return to feeding).
Thus we can divide post-hibernational anorexia (PHA) into complicated (or
pathological) or uncomplicated (i.e. physiological or environmental). Your veterinary
surgeon will need to take a full history of your tortoise before, during and
after hibernation and perform a full clinical examination. If no other obvious
abnormalities are noted your tortoise has uncomplicated PHA. It will probably
be lighter in weight than would be expected from its shell length. A blood sample
will probably show too low sugar and higher-than-normal urea. Urea is a product
of breakdown of proteins and is normally excreted in the urine but can build
up over the period of hibernation to dangerously high levels.
Your tortoise may be dehydrated, this being the reason for its high blood
urea. These changes are remedied by giving fluid by mouth to flush the urea
out through the kidneys, making the animal urinate and starting to feed him
either normally or via stomach tube. Improving husbandry to provide optimal
conditions with ensuring adequate fluid and energy input, solve the majority
of problems in uncomplicated PHA.
In complicated or pathological PHA the anorexia is only one feature of a more
serious disease, perhaps a bacterial infection. In fact the two most common
conditions accompanying PHA are necrotic stomatitis (mouth rot) and runny nose
syndrome (upper respiratory tract infection). Both of these need local and systemic
antibiotic therapy, although the latter probably has a viral cause as well as
the bacteria which enter as secondary players.
Freeze damage
The other common problem after hibernation is related to freeze-damage. A
tortoise hibernated in temperatures below 2°C will experience some degree of
tissue damage from the low temperatures and below 0°C ice crystal form in the
eye and the brain. This leads to cataract formation, damage to the retina at
the back of the eye and permanent nerve damage. Blindness from these changes
results in failure to see food and eat adequately, giving another cause for
failure to eat, the problem of so much ill health after hibernation.
Avoid these problems by managing your tortoise's hibernation, keeping it shorter
than it would be naturally in cold long winters and ensuring that your tortoise
is not subjected to extremely low temperatures.
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