The first thing you need to know about tortoise hibernation is whether or not your tortoise will hibernate. Most of the tortoises from North America, Europe, and Asia will hibernate, and most from the tropical and sub-tropical areas will not hibernate. However, there are exceptions to this, so you need to be sure that you know whether or not your tortoise needs to hibernate.Once you’ve figured out that your tortoise is one that does need to hibernate, you need to know when to allow or not allow your tortoise to go into hibernation. Because hibernation means that the tortoise’s body slows down and there is no food or water intake for several months, it is important to realize that allowing your tortoise to go into hibernation after a serious infection or illness could actually kill your tortoise. It is also not good for a tortoise to hibernate if they are less than two years old.
There are signs to look for when a tortoise is ready to go into hibernation. They begin to slow down, eat less, and hide more. This should happen in the fall, as the daylight hours are reduced and the temperature begins to drop. When you see that your tortoise is beginning to prepare for hibernation and he or she is healthy enough to do that, you need to be prepared to help your tortoise through this process.
The first thing you should do is prepare a box for your tortoise to hibernate in for the winter. The box only needs to be big enough and filled with enough bedding for the tortoise to bury him or herself in. You also need to have a place to put this box once your tortoise is fully ready to go into hibernation. It must be in a cool area where the temperature stays below 60 degrees (15.5 C) but above freezing.
Once you’ve got a place prepared, you need to prepare your tortoise for hibernation. Two weeks before putting your tortoise into hibernation, stop feeding him or her. This is important because any food left in the stomach will rot during hibernation, and could kill your tortoise, or cause some very serious health problems. You should continue to leave out fresh water, however. You can also begin to change the lighting for your tortoise so that there is more darkness than light.
When your tortoise is completely ready to go into hibernation, you may put them in the prepared box, and place the box where it will be safe. During tortoise hibernation, it is important to check on your tortoise to check for problems, but it is equally important not to disturb your tortoise so much that he or she wakes up from hibernation.