If a turtle slows down and reacts slowly, it means it is going to hibernate.

Hibernation behavior is an instinctive behavior in which most reptiles adopt deep hibernation in order to cope with unfavorable living environments, reduce the body's metabolic rate, and exchange the lowest consumption for the longest survival time.

At this time, the activity and feeding behavior of the turtle will slowly decrease; as the temperature drops to 15°C-10°C, the thyroid value will plummet, and most turtles will become anorexic; when When the temperature continues to drop to 10°C-5°C, the turtle will begin to enter a dormant state; when the temperature is below 5°C, the turtle will enter deep dormancy.

Deep dormancy has certain risks. In nature, all turtles are relatively safe in a temperature environment of 8°C-45°C. When the ambient temperature continues to be below 3°C or even lower , a large number of individuals will die, and only particularly healthy and strong individuals may survive.

During hibernation, metabolic energy mainly comes from glycogen and fat stored in the body. Especially for artificially fed turtles, after hibernation consumption, liver glycogen can be maintained within a reasonable range, thereby reducing the risk of fatty liver disease. Don’t laugh, fatty liver is one of the main causes of death for quick commercial turtles in many farms.

Although hibernation is a natural instinct of these turtles, it does not mean that it is necessary for healthy growth. The actual experience of a large number of turtle farms in Guangdong and Hainan has proven that the growth rate and reproduction frequency of turtles that do not hibernate are higher than those of naturally hibernating turtles in Hunan, Hubei and other places.

Reference for the above content: Baidu Encyclopedia-Turtle.