Hello,

I am attempting my first hibernation for a 3 year old horsdield this winter. He was overwintered last year because he was undergoing worming. Scares the life out of me but i am going to try this year.

My main question is when does a tortoise stop being a juvernile and become an adult? i belive at 3 he is still a juvernile but wanted to check i'm following the correct prodecure.

Also I've read mixed articles on when to hibernate. Some say wind-down in Nov meaning the tort Barney's age would wake up in Jan? Others don't hibernate until Jan and wake up in March? Just wondering what experiences others have had.

thanks in advance!

Katherine

Hi Katherine,

Hibernation can be a worrying time, more for the owners then the torts. I did my first hibernation last year using the fridge method with my horsfield. My horsfield was aged at apx 6+ years and I followed the juvenile wind down. My tort decided when he wanted to start his wind down by refusing to eat and always wanting to dig down so I went along with him. A word of warning though, if you are going to use the fridge method don't make the same mistake as I did and leave it late to set up your fridge, make sure you do it a good few weeks before you actually need it. As I said earlier I've only had the experience of one hibernation so am certainly no expert but the guys on here are great and put up with a lot from me when I was panicing. Don't be afraid or feel silly in asking anything, no matter how small, they'll help you out as best they can. Hope this helps.

Winnie