Winter is starting to make its presence felt, and as a result, most turtles get ready to hibernate. But what about Snapping turtles, do they hibernate as well?
Snapping turtles will usually hibernate in the winter if the temperature gets cold enough, if the temperature doesn’t drop enough they will brumate instead. Pet Snapping turtles can hibernate, but they don’t usually do it since they live indoors where the temperature is warm.
Even as pets, turtles don’t lose the ability to hibernate. So it’s entirely possible for them to hibernate, even if they are kept as pets. But the decision if they will hibernate or not is up to you. For a turtle to hibernate some conditions have to be met, without them they won’t be able to do it. So let’s take a closer look at what those conditions are, what hibernation is and how Snapping turtles hibernate.
How Snapping Turtles Hibernate
Pet Snapping turtles can hibernate if the temperature gets very low. But you will have to provide a good place for them to do so. Most tanks are usually not a suitable place for them to hibernate.
In the wild, Snapping turtles will usually hibernate at the bottom of a lake or pond, covered in a pile of leaves, or in a hole in the ground.
They usually prefer to hibernate underwater, but if that option is not available they will try to find other suitable places that will protect them from the cold. After they find a suitable place they will stay there and hibernate until the winter has passed.
If you keep your pet turtles outside in a pond, or in an enclosure, you can let them outside during the winter and they will find a place to hibernate. If you don’t want to let them hibernate you can bring them inside, and keep them there until the winter passes.
If you have young Snapping turtles, under 3 years old, it’s better to keep them away from hibernation if possible. But if your turtle is older than that then you can let them hibernate without having to worry.
Here is a video of somebody digging out a snapping turtle that was hibernating:
If you want your turtle to hibernate during the winter you should read this article: How to Help Your Pet Turtle Hibernate, it contains information on everything that you have to do to help your turtle hibernate, general tips, and step by step guides.
Hibernation
Hibernation is a state in which animals enter during periods of cold weather. When they are in this state they have a reduced metabolic rate. That means that they use very little energy, don’t need to eat or drink, and are basically sleeping the whole time.
Animals hibernate during the winter because the cold weather doesn’t allow vegetation to grow, and makes a lot of the animals or insects that they would normally eat, less active. So it’s basically a way for them to take a break until things go back to normal.
Now let’s take a short look at what happens when a turtle enters a state of hibernation.
What Happens When a Turtle Hibernates
When the weather starts to get cold the metabolism of a turtle will automatically start to slow down. And as a result, their hearts will start to slow down, along with all other processes that happen in their bodies.
In general, the heart of a Snapping turtle beats between 40 and 45 times per minute, when they hibernate they will slow down to around 10 beats per minute. This should give you an idea of how much they slow down during hibernation.
As a result of this slowdown, they will need considerably less oxygen. Sometimes due to unfortunate situations, turtles don’t have access to oxygen at all, but because they are hibernating they are able to live without oxygen for up to 5 months.
The fact that turtles don’t need to generate heat to warm their bodies is very helpful for them because, unlike mammals that hibernate, turtles don’t need to use energy to warm their bodies. This means that they have to be very careful with the place where they choose to hibernate. So the fact that they are cold-blooded has its advantages and disadvantages when it comes to hibernation.
Turtles are able to do all those amazing things because they reduce their metabolic rate. But reducing the metabolic rate can also have some unpleasant side effects. One of the bad things that happen is that they have a hard time getting rid of the lactic acid that accumulates. Lactic acid is the same thing that gives us muscle soreness, so you can imagine how unpleasant it can be for the turtle to wake up after a long sleep with muscle cramps all over the body.
To neutralize the lactic acid turtles use magnesium and calcium that they’ve stored in their shells. If they didn’t do that the lactic acid build-up would be too big, and they wouldn’t be able to wake up from hibernation at all.
The calcium and magnesium that they used would have helped them grow, but because getting rid of the lactic acid was more important they had to use it for that. This is another bad side effect, turtles won’t be able to grow when they hibernate. And growing isn’t something superficial for turtles, it’s something that can save their life. The bigger they get the fewer predators will come after them.
But in the end, even if they don’t grow it was definitely worth it, because they managed to survive the winter.
One interesting thing that Snapping turtles do during the winter is that they gain the ability to breathe underwater. They are able to do this thanks to a gill-like structure called the cloaca.
The Cloaca
The cloaca is the posterior orifice that serves as the only opening for the digestive, reproductive and urinary tract.
The main way a turtle breaths it’s through its nose, all turtles have two small holes on their face that act as any normal nose would, when it comes to breathing, and of course they have two lungs where the air is transported. Until now there is nothing different in the way a turtle is breathing than the way you and I are breathing, they inhale air into their lungs and then they exhale it, but the way things work on the inside is completely different.
When you inhale air, you can observe that your chest becomes smaller and when you exhale it becomes bigger, this happens because you have flexible ribs, turtles on the other hand have a shell that is not flexible at all. Since turtles don’t have this flexibility they have no use for the lung and muscle setup that we and most mammals have. Instead, turtles have muscles that pull the body outwards, towards the openings of the shell, to allow it to inhale, and more muscles to squish the turtle’s guts against its lungs to make it exhale.
The cloaca works in a similar way to the lungs, when the turtle is inside the water the cloaca will act like a pump that will suck water inside and after it gathers all the oxygen from it, it will expel the water out, and then it will start over. Due to the way things are arranged on the inside of the turtle this process is less exhausting than normal breathing.
Under normal circumstances, turtles wouldn’t be able to rely just on the cloaca to stay underwater for long periods of time, but when they are hibernating the amount of oxygen that the cloaca can produce is enough for them to spend months underwater.
Now that you know the basics about turtle hibernation let’s return to Snapping turtles.
Snapping Turtles Brumation
Brumation is very similar to hibernation, but with one major difference. During hibernation, the turtles are asleep, while during brumation they are awake.
During brumation all processes in the body start to slow down, this includes their heart rate, the rate at which they breathe, etc. During brumation turtles also don’t eat food, or they eat very little food.
When turtles are brumating they do very little, they rarely bask, they don’t look for food or for water, they just walk around, or sometimes they just stay in the same place for hours without doing anything.
Not too much can be said about brumation, it’s just a state in which turtles go in when it’s cold outside, but not cold enough for them to hibernate. And when they are in this state they don’t do anything.
Turtles usually start brumating when the weather gets cold, but not cold enough for them to start hibernating. A lot of pet turtles brumate during the winter months, it is something very common.
When winter comes it’s normal for the temperature in a house to go down a little. Turtles take this as a sign that winter is coming, so they start preparing to hibernate. But since the temperature never goes down enough for them to hibernate, they stay in the brumation state.
You can also prevent your turtle from brumating by simply making sure that the temperatures in the room, and in the tank are high enough.
Final Thoughts
In short, Snapping turtles will usually hibernate in the winter if the temperatures drop enough, if the temperature doesn’t drop enough they will brumate instead. If we are talking about Pet Snapping turtles, they won’t usually hibernate or brumate during the winter, because the temperature in most homes isn’t low enough. But if you were to take your pet turtle outside and leave it there, it will end up hibernating or bruising.
If you own a Snapping turtle you should know that it’s not necessary for them to hibernate. Hibernation is just their natural response to the cold outside, and the lack of food. Hibernation doesn’t have any health benefits for a turtle. So there is no need to take your turtle outside to hibernate, but if you still want to do it you should read this guide: How to Help Your Pet Turtle Hibernate.
Related Questions
How long can a snapping turtle hold its breath? A snapping turtle can usually hold its breath underwater for around 30 to 50 minutes. The amount can vary from individual to individual.
How long can a snapping turtle live? Most snapping turtles live for about 50 years in captivity. In the wild, the number can vary dramatically depending on a lot of factors, but they usually live for 35 to 40 years.
How long do turtles hibernate? It all depends on the weather. If the bad weather lasts only for 3 months, then turtles will only hibernate for 3 month. If the bad weather lasts for 6 months, turtles will hibernate for 6 months.
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I want to put turtle crossing signs up AND also take them down at the appropriate time of year so that they don’t become ignored backdrop and it keeps the newness effect.
What months in northern Michigan do snapping turtles start heavily crossing roads in search of …whatever. Spring thaw, mating, egg hatches, searching for hibernation ponds.
One was hit on the road in the spring and I am not sure if I should wait till next spring for the sign to go up or if they will look for ponds and ditches in September or October.
Hello Cb. Snapping turtles mating season is usually from May to June, during this time you can expect the turtles to live their habitat and search for a place to lay their eggs.
They will also leave their habitats when the weather starts to get cold, so this part is mostly up to the weather, not necessarily the month. But the weather starts to get colder in October or November.
As for the signs, that sounds like a great idea, but make sure that you are allowed to do so.
Good luck.
I was kayaking and heard something hit The water near me, low and behold it was a Baby snapping turtle, I seen a hawk fly away and try to swoop again but missed. So I took the little guy home and he Just became part of The family. He’s only a few months old I’m guessing. Very Small. Has grown a bit and shed some scales. So what I’m gathering from above, it’s not good to let him hibernate at this young age. Is it ok if he still brumates? Our house stays around 68-70°F so I don’t think that’s to low. Thank you for this article and in advance for reading and possibly response!
It’s wonderful that you rescued the baby snapping turtle and are caring for it. While it’s not uncommon for adult snapping turtles to hibernate or brumate during the winter, the situation can be a bit different for a very young turtle, like the one you’ve found. Here are some considerations:
Age and Size: Baby snapping turtles are often less equipped to handle hibernation or brumation compared to adults. They may not have the necessary body fat and energy reserves to safely endure a period of dormancy.
Environmental Factors: You mentioned that your house’s temperature remains around 68-70°F, which is relatively warm for hibernation. It’s generally recommended to hibernate snapping turtles at temperatures closer to 40-50°F.
Feeding and Health: Ensure the turtle is eating well and maintaining good health. It’s crucial that it has the necessary energy reserves to endure any period of dormancy.
Given these factors and the turtle’s young age, it might be better to provide an active and monitored environment rather than attempting to hibernate it. As it grows and becomes more robust, you can consider hibernation in future years if you have an appropriate setup.
For now, continue to offer a suitable diet, maintain the appropriate temperature, and ensure a clean and safe habitat. Observing the turtle’s behavior and health will help you determine when it might be ready for hibernation in the future. Remember that rescued turtles may need special care, and it’s fantastic that you’ve taken on the responsibility of providing a safe and nurturing environment for this little one.