hermann tortoise

i am interested in buying a hermann tortoise (which will be my first tortoise) and was wondering if i needed to hibernate him? I tried to find an answer on google but they seem to be very in different.

You'll find different opinions on here too. Do you have to hibernate him? Nope. Should you? That's the question which is debatable.

Hi Victoria

You don't have to hibernate them, but I think you should.

It depends on where you live.
In some countries you have to hibernate them. In many others you should (in my opinion).

Victoria, I can't see where you live, at least not on the phone app. Location can make a big difference. Also how you house your tortoise matters.

I hibernate but my Russian is wild caught. She's going to hibernate whatever I do simply because she's been doing most or all of her life. I just make sure she's in a safe place to do it.

This is the first time I've seen the majority of people in a thread recommend hibernation. I'm curious if you all could elaborate on *why* hibernation is particularly beneficial. I've heard it recommended particularly for the health and success of breeding Hermann's; however, if an animal is kept strictly as a pet, hibernation recommendations seem to be more variable. I'd love to hear your thoughts!

FLGirl41 said:

This is the first time I've seen the majority of people in a thread recommend hibernation. I'm curious if you all could elaborate on *why* hibernation is particularly beneficial. I've heard it recommended particularly for the health and success of breeding Hermann's; however, if an animal is kept strictly as a pet, hibernation recommendations seem to be more variable. I'd love to hear your thoughts!

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Yeah, I'm curious about it too. I personally think that it depends on where you live and how you house your tortoise.

There is no proven benefit to hibernating a tortoise in captivity. In the wild, tortoises that hibernate live in environments that have major seasonal changes where temperatures, light duration & light intensity are diminished. Along with these conditions comes a partial or total lack of food. Basically areas that have long, true winters. Tortoise species that inhabit those types of environments have evolved to survive long, cold periods by hibernating. Hibernation is simply a method of survival. It serves no other purpose.
In captivity the tortoise's environment and all aspects of it's survival are controlled 100% by the keeper. There is absolutely no reason to expose a tortoise to those wild adversities in captivity. Take away the reasons to hibernate, what then is the need to hibernate?
In the wild tortoises face death if they do not hibernate. But even when hibernating they are at risk of problems that can develop during hibernation. They have no control over their environment or immediate surroundings. When hibernated in captivity, even though the environmental risks may not be present, that doesn't necessarily mean that problems may not develop. Because the keeper is 100% in control of the tortoise's environment and surroundings, those problems are most often the result of keeper inexperience or error.
The bottom line is that every time a tortoise hibernates, whether in the wild or in captivity, things can go wrong.

GBtortoises said:

In the wild, tortoises that hibernate live in environments that have major seasonal changes where temperatures, light duration & light intensity are diminished. Along with these conditions comes a partial or total lack of food. Basically areas that have long, true winters. Tortoise species that inhabit those types of environments have evolved to survive long, cold periods by hibernating. Hibernation is simply a method of survival. It serves no other purpose.

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I don't see it this way. As simply a response to outside stimuli and nothing else. These animals have evolved for millions of years to adapt, survive and thrive in their given environments. They are programmed both mentally and physically to change their behavior based on the environmental changes you illuminated. When these environmental changes do not occur, many of these tortoise still persist in their attempt to hibernate. Doesn't matter how much the keeper fights it. They "know" its time to go to sleep. You can warm the temps up, keep the lights on longer, add lights, pull them out of their resting place daily, etc… and many of them will still persist. I know you've experienced this.

For you to say that it is only an environmental response begs a question: If we can make a temperate species of tortoise not hibernate by simply maintaining summer-like conditions all year long, can we make a tropical species, like a sulcata hibernate all winter long in the frozen north by simply manipulating its environmental parameters? If hibernation is purely a response to environmental conditions, and has nothing to do with where an animal evolved to live and what conditions they evolved to deal with, then why couldn't a tropical tortoise dig in under the snow and just wait out the bad environmental conditions?

So it's bad NOT to hibernate? I love my little guy to death. Not seeing him for months while he is hibernating will kill me emotionally. I like to see him eat, poop and play in his enclosure daily.

I don't hibernate him but do keep night time cool temps and usual day time lights and food. He's growing and is happy (I think).

Will his long term health suffer if I don't hibernate him? Any long term Testudo Hermanni keepers out there with experience not hibernating them?

Souptugo said:

So it's bad NOT to hibernate? I love my little guy to death. Not seeing him for months while he is hibernating will kill me emotionally. I like to see him eat, poop and play in his enclosure daily.

I don't hibernate him but do keep night time cool temps and usual day time lights and food. He's growing and is happy (I think).

Will his long term health suffer if I don't hibernate him? Any long term Testudo Hermanni keepers out there with experience not hibernating them?

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It is neither good or bad. Tom and GB are having a debate about what the impetus for hibernation is. There are no dangers to not hibernating. Tom was saying that sometimes certain tortoises will go into a hibernation no matter what. This can be solved by a very short artificial hibernation. There can be dangers with hibernating, especially for inexperienced keepers. If you have had success keeping your tortoise awake throughout winter, there is no problem in continuing. Also no problem if you decide to hibernate. Just do plenty of research and ask lots of questions.

I'm absolutely sure that natural sunlight is better for them than dessicating heat lamps, fresh weeds are healthier than imported lettuce and lots of exercise in a big outside enclosure lets them grow stronger than sitting in a small vivarium.
I don't want to force such an unhealthy lifestyle upon my torts, so I have to let them rest for a few months since we have cold winters in Middle Europe.

But I also feel that hibernation is a natural part of their biorhythm. They wake up in spring healthy and refreshed and have a growth spurt until they nearly stop growing in late summer even though the days are still long and hot and they are still eating and active. They know it's time to start preparing for winter.
Messing with the body clock can't be good, neither for humans nor animals.

For you to say that it is only an environmental response begs a question: If we can make a temperate species of tortoise not hibernate by simply maintaining summer-like conditions all year long, can we make a tropical species, like a sulcata hibernate all winter long in the frozen north by simply manipulating its environmental parameters? If hibernation is purely a response to environmental conditions, and has nothing to do with where an animal evolved to live and what conditions they evolved to deal with, then why couldn't a tropical tortoise dig in under the snow and just wait out the bad environmental conditions?

Your not making a temperate climate species "not hibernate" by not exposing it to the environmental conditions that cause it to hibernate. Without being exposed to the conditions that stimulate the tortoise to hibernate it doesn't. It's really that simple. No, you cannot make a Sulcata or any other species that has not evolved to hibernate do so that I am aware of unless you can be there for hundreds of thousands, maybe millions of years to condition it to adapt. That is how evolution works, it doesn't happen overnight, or in a single animals live time.
It has everything to do with where the animal has evolved to live. That is exactly why a tropical tortoise cannot dig under the snow and wait out the bad environmental conditions. Honestly, that's a ridiculous question. Tropical and Arid species of tortoise obviously don't have these environmental concerns so they have not had the need to have evolved to cope with those conditions

"I'm absolutely sure that natural sunlight is better for them than dessicating heat lamps, fresh weeds are healthier than imported lettuce and lots of exercise in a big outside enclosure lets them grow stronger than sitting in a small vivarium.
I don't want to force such an unhealthy lifestyle upon my torts, so I have to let them rest for a few months since we have cold winters in Middle Europe."

I absolutely agree 100% with your first statement. That is why all of my tortoises are outdoors throughout the spring, summer and fall 24/7. But come late fall they're all moved indoors and the majority of them are kept active and awake because it is safer for them than hibernating. Anyone that knows me also knows that many of my adult tortoise are actually hibernated. But not to give them a "rest", which is not what you're actually doing which I will address below, and not because it's the natural thing to do. Extremely little about keeping a tortoise in captive conditions even remotely resembles it's natural state.

By no means is a tortoise getting a "rest" when they are hibernating! It's actually a hardship and one that is very taxing on them. I am not going to go into the long explanation of hibernation, what is necessary to lead up to it and what needs to happen once a tortoise awakes. Basically, every time a tortoise hibernates, whether in the wild or in captivity, there are many things that can go wrong.

So rather than to continue I would just say to people - don't assume that you "have to" hibernate your tortoise because they come from an area where they would do so in nature. Before considering doing so do a lot of research on the conditions and hardships of hibernation. The environmental conditions of the species that you are keeping (especially month by month annual temperatures) to know how long they would hibernate. Then seek the advice of experienced keepers who have hibernated tortoises in captivity successfully for several years.

This is an interesting topic and I actually hadn't given it much thought as to my tort until I read this thread. I live in Maine where the summers are relatively short and the winters are long, cold, and brutal. I'm working on Hermie's (4.5mo old Hermanns) outdoor summer chalet. During the summer my husband is going to build her a large closed enclosure for the house. Will she instinctively know the seasons are changing and hibernate even in the house?

Greta16 said:

This is an interesting topic and I actually hadn't given it much thought as to my tort until I read this thread. I live in Maine where the summers are relatively short and the winters are long, cold, and brutal. I'm working on Hermie's (4.5mo old Hermanns) outdoor summer chalet. During the summer my husband is going to build her a large closed enclosure for the house. Will she instinctively know the seasons are changing and hibernate even in the house?

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Just depends. Some tortoises slow down and "demand" to hibernate. They will slow down and stop eating. Seems like a short hibernation of six weeks solves any issue though. And then others barely change. I've never seen a big change in behavior with mine.

GBtortoises said:

By no means is a tortoise getting a "rest" when they are hibernating! It's actually a hardship and one that is very taxing on them. I am not going to go into the long explanation of hibernation, what is necessary to lead up to it and what needs to happen once a tortoise awakes. Basically, every time a tortoise hibernates, whether in the wild or in captivity, there are many things that can go wrong.

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It might be a hardship, but I don't see why it should be avoided, hardships can make one stronger. My vets even recommend to hibernate tortoises that are underweight, not eating or growing well,...

In my area many people are keeping Hermanns. Sometimes I take a stroll through the neighbourhood and ask random people, I always meet some.
You can find a few stories online, but I've never actually met someone whose tortoise was harmed by hibernation (ok, there was an idiot who forgot them outside at -20 degree ). On the other hand I've seen many tortoises that got sick or died because of wrong husbandry during winter.
I expect it might be more difficult in other parts of the world, but in my climate hibernation of Hermanns is MUCH safer than to keep them awake, especially for beginners.

So I guess it's a wait and see kind of thing..

victoria nagel said:

i am interested in buying a hermann tortoise (which will be my first tortoise) and was wondering if i needed to hibernate him? I tried to find an answer on google but they seem to be very in different.

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Hello & welcome! I have 2 Hermann's tortoises, whose ages are unknown but they're both adults. I'm their 4th or 5th guardian, from what I've been able to accertain. I'm not sure if they were ever hibernated. I have not tried and neither did my friend who had them before me. They are heathy and active all winter long, indoors.