chosen2030 said:
I live in Arizona and would like to get a smaller tortoise that could live outside most of the year, friendly, and is active most of the year (doesn't or minimally hibernates/estivates/brumates). Any suggestions? I have been considering Russian, Hermann's, Greek or Chaco/Argentine.
There are those who have had Russians for years that do not hibernate them. In fact, hibernation can be risky if not done right, and if even if not hibernating them "hurts" them, it doesn't kill them... One of the "pro" hibernating points made is that it helps regulate their schedules (i.e., their mating season starts when they come out of hibernation), but if you don't plan to mate them then that's not a factor. That being said a couple of successful breeders do not hibernate their torts regularly and have had no problems with breeding the torts.
I experimented with hibernation last winter and because of the temperatures down here in Texas could only pull it off for a few weeks. I move further south this past fall and probably couldn't have done it for more than a week at best, so I didn't hibernate any of my three RT's.
I don't know how the other torts deal with not hibernating, but many will tell you it's not required for RT's.