Russian Tortoise Hibernation

Question
My daughter has a Russian Tortoise in a large tank in her bedroom.  He has never hibernated, I'm assuming because he is only a few years old.  A few days ago, however, he burrowed underneath and has not come out again to eat.  He usually eats every day so I am very worried about him! Should we just leave him alone?  I don't want to disturb him but I am wondering if we should check and see if he's ok.  It seems too early for him to hibernate, especially since we live in Southern California and it has been so warm.  It's barely starting to feel like fall.  I'm also not sure if we should continue to turn the heat lamp on everyday like we usually do.  I'd appreciate any help you have to offer.  Thanks!

Answer
Hi Julie,

A tortoise cannot hibernate at house temperatures.  Hibernation requires colder temperatures than you would find in a house.  At warmer (but still cooler than optimum) temperatures, their body metabolism won't go low enough to stave off a significant loss of body weight, and they can starve to death.  In any case, it's not a good idea to attempt hibernation unless you're absolutely sure you know what you're doing.  

It's unlikely that your tortoise is attempting hibernation.  There may be a problem with how you have him set up--lethargy is often due to temperatures being too warm or cool, dehydration, etc.
If you could post back with more specific information on how you have him set up, I can give you better advice.  I need to know where you got him (if a pet store tortoise, he's likely quite a bit older than what they might have told you--certainly an adult), how long you've had him, the size of the tank, substrate, type of basking/UVB lights, temperatures on warm and cool sides, and complete diet.  In addition, please let me know if he has an outdoor pen and has been outside all summer.  I'll try to post back as soon as I can.