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I want to get a tortoise someday, maybe a Russian Tortoise. But that day is a long way off. But it's never to early to start researching! I know most people on here don't hibernate their RES, but alot of tortoise websites talk about hiberantion. But I just cannot get comfortable with the idea of sticking my pet in a mini-fridge! So I just wondered, how many of you here who have tortoises and boxies hibernate them, and how many don't? what are the pros and cons? I never plan on breeding tortoises, so thats not an issue for me. Personally, I rather keep my tortoise nice and warm and awake in my house all year long (with outings in the yard in the warm months of course )

If you hibernate them they will grow less quickly. But if you do they will live longer. I personally wouldn't hibernate them.

There are certain species of torts that cannot hibernate. The only one that comes to mind right now is the sulcata, but there are others.

I don't hibernate my boxie because I'm just too scared that something would go wrong and he wouldn't wake up. If anything ever happened to him I'd be devastated.

Hibernation is supposed to be good for breeding, etc. It supposedly lets them live longer, but if mine lives 75 years rather than 100 I won't lose any sleep. It's certainly not something that you must do.

You guys are giving me one less reason not to get a tortoise! haha. Pretty soon I will have myself convince it is a good idea! It's a good thing I have such an indulgent husband! At first the kept telling me I was nuts and that I shouldn't get one, but he kept asking me where I would put a tortoise and if I was planning on letting it run all over the house with the dogs! Then I realized he thought ALL tortoises were huge. He was picturing me trying to keep a Galapagos Tortoise in the house or something!!! Now that he knows that the species I want is 6-8 in, he's alot more open to the idea!

imderanged wrote:You guys are giving me one less reason not to get a tortoise! haha. Pretty soon I will have myself convince it is a good idea! It's a good thing I have such an indulgent husband! At first the kept telling me I was nuts and that I shouldn't get one, but he kept asking me where I would put a tortoise and if I was planning on letting it run all over the house with the dogs! Then I realized he thought ALL tortoises were huge. He was picturing me trying to keep a Galapagos Tortoise in the house or something!!! Now that he knows that the species I want is 6-8 in, he's alot more open to the idea!

Ha! If my parent knew RES got up to 12 inches they would have never bought one!

I subscribe to the Tortoise Trust list and there are tons of mail regarding torts waking up in fridges. If it's a turt/tort that I am close to, it would not be something I would try in artificial or natural situation.

Oh and Cherryhead Redfoot Torts stay small and don't hibernate. But they require TONS of humidity.

Take-One wrote:Oh and Cherryhead Redfoot Torts stay small and don't hibernate. But they require TONS of humidity.

Not exactly. They get up to 18-20" in length.
I know people say cherryheads are smaller than the normal kind, but all the adult cherryheads I have seen are just as big as the normal kind.

Tenodera wrote:

Take-One wrote:Oh and Cherryhead Redfoot Torts stay small and don't hibernate. But they require TONS of humidity.

Not exactly. They get up to 18-20" in length.
I know people say cherryheads are smaller than the normal kind, but all the adult cherryheads I have seen are just as big as the normal kind.

Everybody that has adult ones that I talked to had theres in 9-12 inches

Hm...

i was thinking about getting a russian tort. in fact i still am and i had the same thoughts about hibernating. someone i know who had one for several years and he said that she naturaly slows down durring parts of the year but he's never acctualy tried to hibernate her. *shrug* i just dont feel comfortable about leaving still living things in the fridge. i'd still love to own one especially since i met my first one in petco. they are beautiful but i think i'm going to try and find a breeder if there are any around

I dont think ill hibernate mine, for at least another year or two when im off to marine corps boot camp. so my mom doesnt have to complain about taking care of my turts, now my res. idk wat ima do bout them i guess shell just have to try to throw a few veggies in there daily.