Is Your Tortoise Ready To Hibernate?

Do’s

Give a full health check

Weigh in grams

Measure straight shell length

Compare weight to Jackson’s graph

Give regular warm baths

Stop feeding 2 – 4 weeks before hibernating

Don'ts

Hibernate if under weight

let tortoise hibernate in the garden

hibernate if ill, runny nose or any wounds

hibernate a female carrying eggs

leave everything to chance

When u can’t hibernate your tortoise, or your tortoise wakes up:

Use a vivarium to keep your tortoise warm during the autumn to keep hibernation time short

Over-winter your tortoise in a vivarium; this will mean he/she is awake and feeding all through the winter.

Essential if sick or underweight

Use a vivarium when your tortoise wakes up early, or in the spring before the weather is warm enough for the tortoise to go outside.

Use a vivarium for very young or small tortoises, which may only hibernate for 4 – 6 weeks depending on age and weight.

Breeding tortoises need to be hibernated in order to replicate natural conditions. If you are not breeding your tortoise, or are not comfortable with the hibernation process, then give the tortoise a winter cooling indoors in a vivarium, reduce food availability and leave it to stay awake for the winter. This will not jeopardise your tortoises health, but might reduce its life expectancy by approx 5%, i.e. a tortoise that would live to 100-years old, might only live to be 95-years old.

There are many species of tortoise kept as pets in the UK although not all of them can be hibernated.