It's that time of year again when spring returns to our favorite little friends at the Turtle Conservancy. The brumation periods for many species is coming to a close in Ojai. On warm days when the clouds roll away and the sun beams down, the majority of our terrestrial species like our Radiated Tortoise (Astrochelys radiata), Ploughshare Tortoise (Astrochelys yniphora), Burmese Mountain Tortoise (Manouria phayrei), Giant Galapagos Tortoise (Chelonoidis nigra), venture from their climate controlled indoor bunkers to bask, forage, and court, and mate..

This time of year also brings some cold and rainy days; mother nature is keeping us on our toes. With turtles and tortoises being ectotherms (cold blooded), exposure to cold and humid weather for species adapted to hot environments can lead to health issues including respiratory illness. On these days, we keep these sensitive species inside, particularly our Burmese Star Tortoises (Geochelone platynota) which are quite sensitive to cold and humidity. Although many of our turtles disfavor this cold rain, our vegetation at the center guzzles down all the water they can get in our short winters. This also brings an abundance of snails and worms for our keepers to collect, breed, and feed to our eager and hungry turtles.

Now, you may be wondering, what is this odd word…brumation? Brumation is the term used when reptiles enter a state of low activity or dormancy to conserve energy during low temperatures in their environment. Fun fact: hibernation is for mammals or endothermic animals, whereas brumation is the equivalent for reptiles and ectothermic animals. During this time, they live almost completely off stored fat and their slow metabolism. For our female turtles and tortoises especially, brumation is essential for reproductive health, though both sexes do benefit as it is important for hormonal cycles and their physiology. Which is why mating season comes right around the corner in spring. On the contrary, we have some species of tortoises and turtles, like our Impressed Tortoises, Red-footed Tortoise, and Eastern Box Turtles that aestivate. This is a behavior that some tortoises and turtles partake in when the climate becomes especially hot or dry and they also enter a state of dormancy to conserve their energy for cooler days with higher food availability.

Inside our subtropical and tropical greenhouses, we now shift the climate to mimic a wet season by watering enclosures frequently and cranking up humidifiers ro recreate the climate of southeast Asian forests. Our Geoemyda species are waking up, and the Impressed Tortoises (Manouria impressa) are starting to feed again. Soon, these turtles will be looking for mates. Impressed tortoises and Japanese black breasted leaf turtles are incredibly fragile and notoriously challenging to breed in captivity. Careful control of their environment to mimic natural weather cycles has been crucial in the Turtle Conservancy’s success in reproducing these elusive species.

Our team is looking forward to a warm summer where our turtles can roam happily through their beautiful, sunny, naturalistic habitats.

Would you like to meet some of our turtles? Check out the new Membership page on our website to learn more about visiting our Conservation Center!