They will need to stock up on food before the hibernation process and will not need to urinate or defecate. Even though they are meeting all their energy requirements by metabolizing fats, they do not lose muscle in the process. They seem to be able to use urea (a nitrogen-rich waste product in the blood) to make new protein. Grizzly bears and black bears generally do not eat, drink, defecate, or urinate during hibernation. Once hibernating, bears do not eat, drink, urinate or defecate. When bears enter hibernation, their temperature does drop, but remains above 88°F (31°C). They do this by eating berries, which are rich in carbohydrates. Bears appear to maintain their muscle mass and tone during the three to four month hibernation period. It’s sad, but it’s all part of nature and the survival of the fittest bear. If bear hibernation has become an issue of debate today, it’s because of the fact that they do not drop their core body temperature like squirrels or other rodents do. Although black bears are said to hibernate without eating, drinking, urinating, or defecating, most bears in northern regions remain in dens so long that they develop extra large fecal plugs. 'During hibernation, bears can lose 1/4 to … Some bears gain as much as 30 pounds per week when they are preparing to hibernate. This is aided by a fecal plug which stops up their colon and is released when they wake. Bears become hyperphagic, meaning they eat to store fat that will then be used as energy. They use up to 4,000 kcal per day, mainly body fat, and do not eat, drink, urinate, or defecate. They will change position while in the den, they may awaken and move about, and they … Smithsonian reports that sometimes, polar bears also eat other polar bears. Which bears hibernate? Bears need to get rid of waste before they hibernate so they are not interrupted with the urge to eliminate while they are sleeping. They can eat most of the same foods in captivity that they would find in the wild, as well as added vegetables and fruits. Before hibernating, bears need to store energy that will sustain them. And bears should absolutely not be kept as pets. Waste products are produced, however, instead of disposing of their metabolic waste, bears … You should never feed a bear in the wild. By the sixth or seventh month in the den, most of these bears defecate—usually near the den entrance. In captivity, bears can eat multiple smaller meals per day, and they can be given more in the months before they go into hibernation. Bears live off of a layer of fat built up during the summer and fall months prior to hibernation. Stage 1 — Hibernation of study bears in close dens is continuous dormancy with distinct decreases in heart rate and metabolic rate. Smokey and his brother, Bandit, will not hibernate as bears do in the wold. 4. In general, grizzlies won’t turn down any sort of opportunity to eat. 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