Hi
I have decided to hibernate my tortoise, named Pastie  for the very first time, around mid December   and will be using a fridge to ensure a stable environment. Age and sex is unknown as was bought from a pet shop. The vet gave him the all clear and says his weight to length ratio is spot on, these being@400g and length 116mm.
A hibernation time of 4 to 6 weeks was recommended by the vet and as its Pasties first time I am veering more to the 4 to 5 week period. I am just struggling a little in deciding which fridge and thermometer to purchase as there is such a vast range to choose from. Obviously both these items need to be reliable and accurate as the tortoises life depends on them working properly.

As Pastie is a horsfield and quite small I wont need a very large fridge now or in the future as you all know they don't get all that big when fully grown. I have looked at Amazon, Argos and Currys and from what I have read people seem to favour fridges made by Husky. However I would prefer one with a solid door rather than the glass variety.

On Amazon
Husky HY192 Mini Fridge/Drinks Chiller - Black £118 Has Glass Door
Husky HUS-HM72 Budweiser 45.8 Litre Branded Mini Fridge, £99 in sale
Husky HM4 Mini Fridge/Drinks Cooler - Stella Artois, £104

These are probably larger than what I need, but from what I have read the smaller beer fridges are not really suitable? Or are they?

Choosing a good quality digital thermometer also seems to be a mine field. Good/bad contradicting reviews make it very hard to make a decision. Quite simply I want a max min thermometer with an audible alarm. Again amazon has a lot of options, this one seemed good except the probe wire is quite thick.

ETI fridge or freezer digital alarm thermometer £9.36

A couple of other sites that specialise are :
http://www.thermometersdirect.co.uk/digital-thermometer-thermometers-range.html
https://www.thermometerspecialist.co.uk/

Any advice and recommendations on a suitable fridge and thermometer would be most welcome.
thanks Darren.

Hello,

Hi Tom

YesI have read about the Jackson ratio not applying to Horsfields. Robin Bone was the vet who checked Pastie over and he is well regarded in the tortoise world so hopefully I can trust his judgement :)

I have read the hibernation guide which is very good and detailed and have read many other guides too. I always believe in doing research on a subject. However I failed to find any recent recommendations for a fridge or thermometer so was hoping for a bit of feedback on here. Call me over cautious, but I just want to be certain I have reliable equipment.
cheers Darren.

You referred to a lgh/wt ratio - hence my comment.