African Sulcata hybernation

Question
Hello Mark,
What a wonderful site this is.  I have a 30 pound African Sulcata named Franklin.  He lives in the yard in the summer time and in an enclosure the past winters.  He is now too large for his winter enclosure, therefore, I would like to hybernate him.  My question is: How do I hybernate him?  I have a large area in my basement but I am not sure what the temperature gets to in the winter time.  Should I put him in a large box?  i look forward to your answer, thank you.  Kati

Answer
I REALLY hate to tell you this, but you have discovered "The Curse of the Sulcata". Sulcatas CANNOT be hibernated- they never hibernate in the wild and cannot be taught how to do so.

Many keepers love their sulcatas until they hit some size, then discover problems they never imagined when it was smaller- size, weight, strength, appetite, etc. all slowly become bigger and bigger issues with this giant species- the third largest in the world.

Another aspect of the Curse is that few rescue or adoption agencies can afford to take them- they don't have the resources either.

Other options? Some keepers build greenhouses that include heaters for plants and their sulcatas in colder climates. Some people transform an entire room or basement into a winter quarters (they things take a LOT of room indoors, and it is tough to offer enough heat for them). One enterprising guy rigged up a special cart to move his 100 pound tortoise around on between summer and winter homes.

You can try some of the turtle forums (http://www.austinsturtlepage) or Sulcata sites (http://www.sulcata-station.org) for any other advice or to verify that they cannot be hibernated.