Aestivation
A summer or dry-season dormancy to escape heat and drought, the warm-weather counterpart to brumation.
Where brumation is a response to cold, aestivation is a response to heat and dryness. Some tortoises, amphibians and other animals burrow down and go dormant through the hottest, driest part of the year, emerging when conditions ease.
It is far less relevant in a controlled indoor setup with stable temperatures and humidity, but it explains behaviour you may see in tortoises kept warm and dry, and it is part of understanding a species' natural cycle.
Related terms
baskr turns the fundamentals into practice, log temperature, humidity and weight and it scores each animal against species ideal ranges, flagging problems early.
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General husbandry guidance, not veterinary advice. Always confirm details for your species with an up-to-date care sheet, an experienced keeper or an exotics vet.