ornate box turtle hibernation

Question
QUESTION: I took your earlier advise and continued to feed George, my ornate, plenty of meal worms, regular worms, zucchini (which she generally didn't eat) and added cantaloupe (which she loved) to bulk her up. It appears that she has now started hibernating since she has been completely buried under the wood chips under a low bush for 4 days which she has never done before.  It's still in the 70's here (Albuquerque) so not that cold but cooler than it has been. I was surprised she started so early. My concern is I fed her 2 meal worms & some chicken the day before she dug under. I'm worried that she didn't digest the food before she started hibernating. Should I get her out & try to put her in warm water to see if she will defecate? She generally doesn't like it when I put her in the water (although she goes in on her own frequently without defecating) & I'm reluctant to disturb her since she has settled in a great, safe hibernating place that I want her to stay in. Any suggestions? Am I obsessing?

ANSWER: Hi Cathy,

Since ornates are native to your area, I wouldn't worry too much.  Let her do what nature intended.  My guess is that she's not buried permanently yet, and will probably be up and down for a while.  It takes some time to clear the gut out completely (2-4 weeks), and since it's still fairly warm, it's unlikely she'll stay down for long.  I wouldn't offer her any more food at this point, though, because she's obviously winding down and needs to move that food out.  If she continues to stay buried with no sign that she's coming out for short periods (it would most likely be in the morning after the sun has warmed the area where she's buried), post back and we'll figure out the next step.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: You called it, she came out today and was out from noon until about 5:00P and then went back to the same hibernating place and dug in! I put her in the water and she sat in it for awhile but didn't poop. She moved kind of slow at the beginning then was back to her normal speed. I'm delighted she went to the safe place she was in before so it looks like that will be her home for the winter. Thanks for the help. It seems like she is doing what she is supposed to, yeay!!!!

Answer
Lol, well, I'm glad I was right!  My tortoises will do the same thing this time of year--dig in, come out, dig in again.  Just don't feed her any more--if she's still hungry, she can scrounge a little for herself.  When you know she's dug in for good (probably early November), I'd add some leaf litter or straw to her pile, just to make sure it's insulated enough.  Other than that, she should be good for the winter.  Do me a favor and post again when she's up in the spring, would you?  I'd like to hear how she's doing.