Hermanns hibernation

Question
QUESTION: I have researched into hibernation for my hermanns tortoise, but i am still not confident in doing it. I have only owned the tortoise since may this year and so this is the first time I've had to think about it. I will not be able to do it from the 20th -27th October as I will be away and the tortoise will have to be cared for by someone else, although if it needs to be done during this time it can be arranged. The tortoise i have is a 2006 hermanns. I really need to know how and when to start putting it into hibernation. Thanks, Sarah

ANSWER: Hibernating a tortoise is a tricky, risky thing to do. You have to weight the pros and cons, do your research, flip your coins, rethink your plan...

In MY mind, hibernating a very young tortoise is not worth the risk. I might do it for a 3 or 4 year old, but I personally would not do it for a 1 or 2 year old. I know there are many experts who would disagree, however, and I am not going to try hard to change their minds.

A great site you can try, if you have not already seen it, is http://www.tortoisetrust.org

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QUESTION: Thank you very much. So hibernating isn't necessary for a young tortoise? And I will not be affecting its health in anyway if i put it off for a while longer? I just need to make sure i do the right thing. As you have raised Hermann, have you done this before?  Thank you ever so much for your help.

Answer
Hermann's come from an area where some hibernate, some barely hibernate, and some almost never hibernate.

In captivity, they seem to breed better if they hibernate, and some keepers strongly feel that thir animals are healthier and live longer if they hibernate them- but this last part has not really been researched.

As far as I can find, and in my experience, keeping a young tortoise at summer-like conditions all year is fine.

Just FYI- some keepers do a short 'cool down' for 2-4 weeks that is sort of a mini-hibernation. You let the days shorten (and usually use dimmer bulbs or settings) and temps drop a bit- 70F at night in the hiding places, maybe as low as 65F in some parts of the habitat. In a proper cooling, the tortoise should slow down, maybe stop eating, hide/sleep a lot, and have fewer bowel movements.

The theory is that by doing cool downs, you sort of 'train' the tortoise to do a true hibernation when it is time.

I like the idea of a cool down... and would probably start doing it for a tortoise that was about 3-4 years old, then phase into a hibernation at about 5-6 years old if I was going to breed them.

However... again- first tortoise, young animal? I would keep it awake and active all year until it got older and you got more comfortable.

Good luck!