THE FIRST ANNUAL BRUMATION SHELL-EBRATION!
Join us every day on social media as we teach you about brumation, introduce you to our overwintering patients, and raise money to help the overwintering turtles that YOU helped save!
3 WAYS YOU CAN HELP RECOVERING TURTLES
What is brumation and why are we celebrating?!
Brumation is similar to hibernation. Instead of actually sleeping, the animal remains conscious, but in a state of dormancy. Their metabolism slows down including breathing and heart rate. Turtles, snakes, lizards, some salamanders and some frogs participate in this process until conditions are warm. Box turtles around Nashville will start brumating as early as late-September, and come out in May.
At Nashville Wildlife Conservation the start of brumation is (usually) the end of injured turtle season! Because some turtles require more time to heal, especially those with severe shell damage from summer lawnmowers and road collisions, they’ll be spending the winter with us.
We overwinter them because brumation puts extreme stress on an animal, and if they don’t have enough fat on them, or are compromised in any way, it could do more harm than good. That’s why we are raising awareness and donations for brumation week!
Three ways you can help wildlife survive the winter
Leave the leaves!
Leaves act as a warm blanket for wintering wildlife, protecting them from the wet and the cold. But if we rake them all up and take them away, what is your backyard habitat supposed to do? The options are to spend energy trying to find another safe place, or to freeze.
If you don’t like the way your yard looks with leaves all over, then rake them up into a couple of piles.
Brush Piles
Brush piles offer protection and shelter for birds, turtles, and small mammals. Since all of the leaves will have fallen off the trees, there are not many safe places out there- you can easily offer them one by having a small brush pile or 2 in your yard.
Keep the pile away from fences and bird feeders to discourage unwanted visitors.
Find Alternatives to Pesticides
Pesticides kill insects that animals depend on eating for survival. These pesticides can travel up the food chain, infect water, and harm non-target species, such as frogs (which can eat more than hundreds of thousands of insects in a lifetime!).
Instead opt to remove standing water (especially in the gutter), mow your yard (on the highest setting to prevent fatalities to wildlife!), and use plants that repel mosquitoes and unwanted insects.
WANT MORE HELPFUL TIPS? FOLLOW NWCC
LEARN MORE
The Secret to Turtle Hibernation
A Study of Eastern Box Turtles in the Winter
The Secrets of Wintering Wetland Wildlife
