what age do they hibernate

[anjani919]

My desert tort is 8 months old. Will he/she have to hibernate this year? I read before that they shouldn't until they were about two. But I wasn't sure if I should believe that . I would appreciate any advice thanks!

 

[Joanne]

I have read the same as you. However, the man who bred my tortoise hibernated him straight away. I guess it just depends on if you want to, and if the tortoise is up to weight... there is some sort of chart you should look at to see if they weigh enough.

This is a pretty good reference, although they don't specifically mention desert tortoises...
http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/safer.html

 

[JoesMum]

No tortoise HAS to hibernate. Some species MUST NOT hibernate.

ONLY IF your tort is a hibernating species, and I don't know (sorry), then it should only be hibernated if:
- it is 100% healthy
- you can keep it at a stable temperature around 5C and never going below 0C or above 10C
- you check its weight and health regularly through hibernation
- you soak, soak and soak your tort again when it comes out of hibernation to rehydrate it

A short hibernation of two weeks is plenty for a first attempt. Most people do not hibernate their torts until they are four or five years old at the earliest as the risks are high.

 

[anjani919]

Thanks for this info guys. My lil guy is a CDT. It's my first so I'm still learning.

 

[ascott]

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-38255.html

This link is a good source of opinions and some beneficial info that is good reading, if your tort were in the wild, the tort would brumate from the first winter in lived through....I believe if you have a species that includes brumation as part of its natural life cycle, they you should become educated in the process of supporting a successful brumation....again, that is just my belief and practice----

 

[Laura]

in the wild they would not have a choice.. they hibernate every year... in captivity we have the choice to have them do so or not..

 

[Tom]

My desert tort is 8 months old. Will he/she have to hibernate this year? I read before that they shouldn't until they were about two. But I wasn't sure if I should believe that . I would appreciate any advice thanks!

You can if you want to, but you don't "have" to. Be absolutely sure you know HOW to do it, before even considering it. I recommend doing it indoors in safe conditions. Many of them die when people attempt to hibernate them "naturally" outdoors in a back yard. A back yard is not "natural" and mother nature loves to throw those curve balls at us.

 

[anjani919]

Thanks everyone for the opinions. Lots to think about.

 

[wildchild6771]

My little girl was 1 1/2 year old when she first hibernated. I tried to force her awake by buying her expensive heat lamps, but she would have none of that. She parked herself in the corner of her box and slept, slept and slept. I let her hibernate indoors and she was completely fine. Didn't do anything fancy. Just left her in her box, kept the room shut from the rest of the house and didn't turn on the heater.