Hibernation.


I hibernate my tortoises in the fridge on december the 1st every year but they must be
prepared properly or they will die. They need to be wound down for 4 weeks, see
 instructions below. my tortoises are placed in tuperware tubs with lids but holes drilled
in the lids for air, And digital thermometer probes placed in each box with the readout
placed on top of the fridge.
Any tortoises under 2 years old I do not hibernate.
( This is my own choice as in the wild they would hibernate from
 birth but i am not that brave, LOL)


FOOD SHOULD NOT BE OFFERED DURING THE WIND-DOWN PERIOD.
Wind-down Guide for Adult/Sub-Adult Tortoises
It is recommended that a record of weights is maintained for reference purposes for
future hibernations.
A minimum of 4 full weeks of wind-down is required to ensure that an adult tortoise is
adequately prepared for hibernation.

Week 1 No Food
Provide the tortoise with light and heat for 12 hours, as normal. The tortoise needs to
have a certain amount of heat to enable it to digest the food already in its stomach.
Bathe the tortoise on a daily basis in lukewarm water, preferably in the vicinity of a
heat source, to maintain temperatures and to encourage drinking. During this first
week the tortoise may seem hungry but DO NOT give in!
If the tortoise starts to eat the substrate, change it for something inedible e.g. a towel,
until the tortoise begins to slow down.
Week 2 No Food
Begin to turn on the heating/ lighting later and off earlier, reducing the tortoise’s
‘sunshine’ to approximately 8 hours. Continue to bathe daily/every other day. The
tortoise will have slowed down significantly by the end of this period and will be
spending much of its time hiding away. It is important at this stage to monitor how
often the tortoise is producing faeces.
If it is regularly producing faeces, then week 2 can be extended for up to another 2
weeks.
Failure to provide sufficient heating and lighting (as outlined above) will inhibit the
digestive system and prevent the digestion of food in the stomach in the latter
periods of wind-down.
Week 3 No Food
Bathe the tortoise every other day in lukewarm water, gradually reducing the heating
and lighting from 8 to 4 hours.
Week 4 No Food
This is the time when the tortoise needs to be cooled right down to prepare it to go
into hibernation. Turn off the background heating or place the tortoise in a cool frostfree
room. Give the tortoise its final bath two days before the end of the week,
making sure the tortoise is thoroughly dried. Providing it doesn’t pass faeces during
the final bath, continue without heating/lighting for a further two days in a frost-free
unheated room/outbuilding to cool the tortoise down completely, and aim to keep the
temperature at no higher than 10C (50F). Place the tortoise into its hibernation area
(box or fridge) on the last day of the week.
Thanks to TPG.