Hibernation?

[mother]

Hi this is Joey
She's been In our family for over 70 years and has lived in my mothers garden. She hibernates herself, by buried herself into the soil.
She's been given to me now, and lives in my garden.
She's now buried herself in my garden, only today and I hope she's settled down for the winter.
She's stopped feeding the past month or so, so. Guess she's ready.
My question is, should I leave her where she is, as this is what she's done for the past 70 years, or should I put her in a box in the shed?
I've heard about the fridge method, but am not comfortable doing that.
Any tips or suggestions would be welcomed.
Oh, we're in the UK.
Thank you

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome to the forum!

If the spot Joey has chosen doesn't flood, then it would probably be ok to leave her there. Just pile up a whole lot of garden trash (leaves, grass, hay, etc) over the spot.

Wow! 70 years! This is great and so wonderful to keep such a creature in the family for such a length of time.

 

[Tom]

Something has been working well for the last 70 years. Any change in that routine could be fatal. Or it could be helpful, if the right things are done.

Its very difficult for us to say from afar.

Are you in the same general area as where she has been living? Is your yard similar to her old yard? How long has she been with you?

The main dangers to worry about where you are would be flooding and freezing. Protect her from these things, and I think you will be okay. Its very difficult to get specific with sparse details over the internet.

 

[mother]

She's now happily dug herself just under the surface of the earth. I've covered her up with leaves me bark, so she should be good for the next few months.
There's no chance of flooding, so one thing less to worry about.
I'm checking her daily but am happy that she's now hibernated.
Last year, whilst she was at my mothers she was dug up by a fox twice and left upside down. Thats when she was given to us in February. We kept her indoors for several months in a Tortoise Table under heat lamps, but she was so upset not to be outside. As it warmed up, we put her in the garden and she's seemed to do much better. Keeping her indoors seemed cruel as she's spent all of her life in the garden.
Fingers crossed it's not a harsh winter.