Hibernating a tortoise which hasn’t hibernated before

[Anayiskaz]

I am getting a tortoise soon but have gotten a bit confused as the owners have said they don’t hibernate it and keep it inside in the winter. We are renting and not allowed to do this. We were told we could still hibernate it but I’m worried as it has never hibernated before. Will it be alright?
(For reference the tortoise is a horse field tortoise of 6 years.)

 

[Tom]

I am getting a tortoise soon but have gotten a bit confused as the owners have said they don’t hibernate it and keep it inside in the winter. We are renting and not allowed to do this. We were told we could still hibernate it but I’m worried as it has never hibernated before. Will it be alright?
(For reference the tortoise is a horse field tortoise of 6 years.)

It cannot hibernate outside. The weather and conditions are too unpredictable. It must be done inside in a temperature controlled environment that stays around 39 degrees F.

Here are two threads that should help you tremendously:

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

Looking for an RT Hibernation "Mentor"

In this thread, @Tom mentioned seeking out a "mentor" who has experience in successfully hibernating Russian tortoises. So I am looking for you! Or any ideas of potential helpful peeps... Thanks! :) A little background: My boyfriend and I are interested in hibernating Steve, our male Russian...

tortoiseforum.org