do all box turtles have to hybernate?

[sara]

I was just wondering if all box turtles hybernate? I see many diffrent species, does it hurt to not let them hybernate?

 

[Terry Allan Hall]

No tortoise or box turtle have to hibernate in captivity...many are allowed to stay awake year-round and live long, happy/healthy lives. Just keep their temps at the normal range and run the lights as if emulating summer light cycles (around here, about 6:30am t'il about 8:30 pm).

Now, some feel hibernation is important if you're planning to breed them, but others dispute that. Possibly hibernating makes for more frequent breedings/bigger egg clutches, but that's disputed by others, as well. I've never hibernated any of my tortoises or my daughter's box turtles and both the box turtles and the Russian tortoises mated and laid eggs at the usual times and the eggs hatched at the usual intervals (in neither case did we incubate them, just let Nature take it's course).

Hope this is of some help.

 

[sara]

No tortoise or box turtle have to hibernate in captivity...many are allowed to stay awake year-round and live long, happy/healthy lives. Just keep their temps at the normal range and run the lights as if emulating summer light cycles (around here, about 6:30am t'il about 8:30 pm).

Now, some feel hibernation is important if you're planning to breed them, but others dispute that. Possibly hibernating makes for more frequent breedings/bigger egg clutches, but that's disputed by others, as well. I've never hibernated any of my tortoises or my daughter's box turtles and both the box turtles and the Russian tortoises mated and laid eggs at the usual times and the eggs hatched at the usual intervals (in neither case did we incubate them, just let Nature take it's course).

Hope this is of some help.

I found that to be very helpful thank you. When i was a kid we had a CDT. she lived in the back yard and did her own thing, every winter she would hybernate on her own. best and easiest pet we ever had. Had her for countless years.
I just wasnt so sure about boxies. are russians in the box family? how big do they get?

 

[terryo]

I absolutely agree with everything Terry Said. I have many friends who don't hibernate their boxies. I've never incubated eggs either, and have found lots of babies through the years, in the Spring or Summer, in the garden. Now, the only one I have to take in, besides the one's that are too young to stay outside, is my Ornate. She doesn't do well in the cold.

 

[Terry Allan Hall]

No tortoise or box turtle have to hibernate in captivity...many are allowed to stay awake year-round and live long, happy/healthy lives. Just keep their temps at the normal range and run the lights as if emulating summer light cycles (around here, about 6:30am t'il about 8:30 pm).

Now, some feel hibernation is important if you're planning to breed them, but others dispute that. Possibly hibernating makes for more frequent breedings/bigger egg clutches, but that's disputed by others, as well. I've never hibernated any of my tortoises or my daughter's box turtles and both the box turtles and the Russian tortoises mated and laid eggs at the usual times and the eggs hatched at the usual intervals (in neither case did we incubate them, just let Nature take it's course).

Hope this is of some help.

I found that to be very helpful thank you. When i was a kid we had a CDT. she lived in the back yard and did her own thing, every winter she would hybernate on her own. best and easiest pet we ever had. Had her for countless years.
I just wasnt so sure about boxies. are russians in the box family? how big do they get?

Russians are members of the Testudo family, along w/ the Greek, Hermann's and Marginated tortoises...they're a little smaller (males up to 6", on average, females sometimes up to 10") than many other Testudos.

Box Turtles really aren't tortoises, per se, but live very much like tortoises, but are more inclined to eat meat than many true tortoises.

Either make great pets.