OVER-WINTERING OR NON-HIBERNATING

　　越冬和不冬眠

　　Sometimes, either for specific health reasons or because the animal is of a tropical variety, hibernation may not be possible. Where this is the case, the objective must be to keep the animal alert, feeding and in good general condition throughout the winter period. Provided that temperatures are adequate, and that both food and light are also available in sufficient quantity and quality, over-wintering tortoises is not particularly difficult. Suitable accommodation must be provided. Can we please stress that no matter how warm it is, an ordinary room in a house will not by itself keep a tortoise feeding and in good health. A very special combination of background heat, localized radiated heat, and high intensity illumination is absolutely essential. The tortoise requires this 'spot' or radiant heat source to thermoregulate properly and to maintain its own body temperature (when measured in the cloaca) at around 2-3 癈 above that of the surrounding area (it does this by heat absorption, rather like a dark colored stone absorbs a great deal of heat from the sun). You cannot keep a tortoise feeding adequately by background heat alone, so please do not try. At night the tortoise can be removed from its daytime accommodation and placed in a warm box situated next to a radiator to sleep. Again, it is important not to let it get too cold, certainly never below about 45 癋. In the morning replace it in its heated area for the day. Tortoises need approximately l4 hours of adequate heat and light per day in order to feed properly and remain in good health. Your task, as owner, is to provide them with an artificial summer.

　　有时，由于动物的健康原因或是产于热带的动物，冬眠对于它来说可能不是很必要。当这种情况发生时，我们就必须使它保持清醒，不能让它冬眠，喂它食物而且为它提供好的条件让它渡过冬天。为它提供合适的温度，食物和光照也要保证充足的数量和质量，这样龟越冬就不特别难了。必须为它提供合适的食宿条件，我们强调无论有多么暖和，单凭家里的一间普通的房间是不能养好龟的。在局部安装一个特殊的隐蔽的联合供暖设备，向外辐射热量，高而较强烈的照明是绝对基本的要求。龟依靠这种点状辐射的热源来调节和维持自身的体温（测量肛门温度），保持在高于它周围的地区在2-3度的温度（通过热的吸收，很象一块黑色的石头能吸收更多的热）在加热的背景下，你不能让龟保持充分吃饱，所以你也不要这么试了。晚上你可以把龟龟从白天的住处拿出来放到一个温暖的盒子里，放到冰箱边上让他们睡觉。不要让他们冻到。不要让温度低于15度。早上再把他们放回加热的地方。陆龟需要一天14小时的太阳照射来获得足够的热量，吃适当的食物维持身体的健康。你作为一个饲养者的任务是提供他们人造阳光。

　　You can help your tortoise considerably by providing a dietary vitamin and mineral supplement such as "Vionate", or "Herptivite" (Rep-Cal) regularly, this is particularly important when overwintering, as it contains vitamin D3 which is usually synthesized from sunlight. Vionate and Herptivite are excellent all round products which are particularly well suited to reptiles. It is obtainable through some pet shops, veterinary surgeons, or from the address on the back page
Hatchling tortoises should definitely be given Herptivite on a regular basis, not so much for its vitamin content as for its mineral ingredients. Additional calcium is also required, to reach a correct Ca:P ratio of around 6 parts calcium to 1 part phosphorous. These minerals are essential to proper bone and shell development. Avoid all foods which have a strongly negative Ca:P balance such as peas or beans, cabbage, spinach, bok choy, or chard. Hatchlings can be hibernated if their health and weight is good. A hibernation of about 6 to l0 weeks is satisfactory. Extended hibernations should never be attempted.

　　你可以考虑有规律的给你的龟直接的维生素和矿物质的补充，像“Vionate”或“Herptivite”(Rep-Cal)，对越冬的龟尤其重要，比如维生素D3，通常是阳光照射后体内合成的。Vionate 和Herptivite是市面上最好的尤其适合爬行动物的产品。在宠物商店，兽医，网上都可以买到。刚孵化出的龟，必须定期提供Herptivite，其中的维生素含量没有矿物质含量高。附加钙也是需要的，确保达到合适的钙磷比例差不多6：1。这些矿物质是骨骼和壳发育所必须的。避免那些钙磷比例过低的食物，比如：豆类，甘蓝，菠菜，驱虫苋，甜菜。幼龟如果健康，体重达标，是可以冬眠的。冬眠期6～10周是比较理想的。不要尝试长期的冬眠。

　　This is perhaps an appropriate point to remark on vitamin injections. Unless the tortoise is suffering from a specific vitamin deficiency disease, injections are not recommended, and often cause potentially fatal damage. Certainly we do not approve of 'routine' vitamin injections before hibernation. If a tortoise is truly vitamin-deficient at this point - and this is extremely unlikely if it has been given a reasonable diet - then do not hibernate it. Injections will not cure the problem. Far better to build up vitamin and mineral stores gradually by providing a well balanced diet. Genuine cases of acute vitamin deficiency in tortoises are actually quite rare; it is usually only found in those which have been subjected to an extremely poor diet over a very long period or where the tortoise is otherwise ill. We suggest, therefore, that you do not have your tortoise injected with vitamins, which it almost certainly does not need. Vitamin injections in any case do not help tortoises to survive hibernation. This is accomplished by good husbandry alone. One final point. Dehydration is a particular problem of over-wintering, and should be avoided by providing your tortoise with a daily opportunity to drink. For details on how tortoises can best be encouraged to drink see the next section.

　　如果龟龟患有严重的维生素营养缺乏症，可以考虑维生素注射，注射是不被推荐的，这通常会造成潜在的致命伤害。当然，我们不会赞成给冬眠的龟龟都进行维生素注射。如果你的龟龟真的缺乏维生素到这个地步（如果给龟龟正常的饮食，这种情况是绝对不可能的）就要不让龟龟冬眠了。注射是不能解决问题的。最好的逐渐提升龟龟维生素和矿物质储藏的方法是提供高质量的食物。实际情况，严重的维生素缺乏现象是非常少见的，只有在龟龟长期遭受恶劣的饮食或者得了其他的疾病时才可能出现。因此，我们建议不要注射维生素，这几乎是不需要的。维生素注射在任何情况下对龟龟冬眠是没有帮助的。只有通过良好的管理才能实现。最后一点是冬眠时的脱水，可以通过让你的龟龟喝水来避免，后边的章节介绍了如果最好的让你的龟龟去喝水。

　　（评：平时一贯的正常饮食很重要。）

　　WAKING UP (苏醒)

　　As the average mean ambient temperature begins to approach the critical l0 癈 or 50 癋 point, a tortoise's metabolism will begin to reactivate in readiness for waking. Certain complex chemical and biological processes are initiated as the animal prepares to emerge into the spring sunshine. Upon first emerging from hibernation a tortoise is depleted in strength, has a low White Blood Cell (WBC) count, and is very vulnerable to infection. Unless it receives adequate quantities of heat and light it will simply 'not get going properly', and instead of starting to regain weight and strength lost during hibernation, may well refuse to eat, and begin to decline. This condition in its most serious form is known as POST HIBERNATION ANOREXIA, and has been the subject of some intense veterinary research over the past few years. How to deal with it is discussed in the next section. Hopefully you will have followed our previous instructions, and your tortoise will emerge in good condition. As the temperature rises listen carefully to the hibernating box - you should begin to hear the first sounds of movement.
At this point, rather than follow tradition and wait for your tortoise to emerge from its hibernating box itself, you should remove the hibernating box from its winter quarters and warm it up by placing it near a heater, and allow it to warm gradually. After a few hours remove the tortoise from its box and place it in a warm, bright environment. Repeat the pre-hibernation health checks, then offer the tortoise a drink as soon as it is fully awake. Provided the temperature is correct, this should only take a matter of an hour or two.

　　普遍认为，环境温度接近10摄氏度的时候，冬眠的龟龟的新陈代谢会恢复活动，准备醒来。作为平均值，环境温度接近10摄氏度的时候，冬眠的龟龟的新陈代谢会恢复活动，准备醒来。明显的化学和生物变化都会发生。因为冬眠的动物正准备去享受春天的阳光。首先，从冬眠中醒来，龟龟已经耗尽自己的力量，白血球含量很低,很容易收到传染病的侵害。除非接受适量的光和热(这一点很容易被忽视，而缺乏)，龟龟不但不会回复体重和冬眠时消耗的力量，相反会据食,变得更加衰弱。这种情况下龟龟出现的比较严重的表现被叫作“POST HIBERNATION ANOREXIA”，近些年来一直都是兽医们研究的热点问题。下一章节将具体讨论如何处理这些问题。希望你会遵照我们先前的指导，你的龟处于一个很好的状态，温度上升的时候，小心听你的冬眠的箱龟，你会听到龟龟移动的声音，发现他们已经醒来了。这里要强调的是，不要按照传统等龟龟自己从冬眠箱中爬出来，你需要把冬眠的龟龟的冬眠箱从冬眠环境中转移到一个加热器附近，让它逐渐加热。几个小时以后，把龟龟从冬眠箱中取出，放到温暖，明亮的环境中。重复进行冬眠前龟龟的做的“预冬眠检查”，等龟龟完全醒了，马上给他们喝水。如果温度正确的话，龟龟醒来的只需要大约1～2小时。

　　(评：冬眠那么漫长，醒来却是那么短的一件事。）

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