advice please (hibernation and indoor tortoise)

[loubielou76]

I have a 13 year old male tortoise who lives indoors and has lighting so never hibernates. Due to work commitments i feel like he is cooped up virtually all summer as i daren't leave him outdoors in the sunshine while im not at home so was unfortunately have decided to re-home him which is sad but best for him i feel. Would he be able to go to a home that would like to start hibernating him or is it too late now to start that considering he has never hibernated?

 

[T33's Torts]

RE: advice please

So you're rehoming him? What species is he? Where are you located? How large is he?

 

[mattgrizzlybear]

RE: advice please

If he has a proper enclosure that is big enough, he should be okay. Maybe letting him out on the weekends on a nice day would be enough. An outdoor pen is a possibility.

 

[Yvonne G]

RE: advice please

Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

If you really want to keep the tortoise, I see no reason why you shouldn't. There are ways around your problem other than re-homing him.

Rather than putting the tortoise out into the whole garden while you're not home, you can make some sort of 'pen' that has a locked, covered top on it. We have many examples of these type pens in our enclosure section. Then on the week-ends, when you're home, you can let him out of the pen into the garden.

Tortoises don't need to hibernate in order to live happy, healthy lives. They only hibernate because the weather is too cold for them to survive awake...so if you're keeping him warm and indoors, he's quite ok.

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

advice please

Hello and welcome to the TFO from AZ . Yvonne as alway is great . Hope you will hear her out . And have a great tort day