How old should box turtles be before hibernation?

[negrtalk]

I have 4 year-old 3T box turtles and am about to take ownership of an eastern that's the same age. My 3Ts spent their first winter indoors, but I'd like eventually for them to brumate outside like their mother does. I live in Central Texas, and the winters are mostly down to about 30° as the lows. However, we usually get one decent freeze per year (usually down to about 15° or so) for less than a week. How old do they need to be to be able to stand the cold?

 

[Tom]

I have 4 year-old 3T box turtles and am about to take ownership of an eastern that's the same age. My 3Ts spent their first winter indoors, but I'd like eventually for them to brumate outside like their mother does. I live in Central Texas, and the winters are mostly down to about 30° as the lows. However, we usually get one decent freeze per year (usually down to about 15° or so) for less than a week. How old do they need to be to be able to stand the cold?

Their age has nothing to do with how well they can withstand the cold.

I brumate all reptiles that would brumate in the wild their first year and every year. It needs to be done indoors in controlled conditions. Leaving any of them outside subject to the cruel whims of mother nature is a good way to kill them. More here:

Tom's Brumation Thread

Every fall we get bombarded here on the forum with all sorts of questions and problems regarding hibernation and tortoises "slowing down" for winter. The purpose of this thread is to talk about all aspects of this subject, to dispel some of the myths and mysteries, and give a "how to" list of...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[negrtalk]

Thanks for this, Tom. I'll give it a read. I appreciate the insight however.

 

[Tom]

Thanks for this, Tom. I'll give it a read. I appreciate the insight however.

Questions are welcome.

 

[negrtalk]

Thanks. Does your advice change if we're talking about a native species (3T box in this case)? I've always let my adult 3T brumate, and now I see why she's always done so at the highest point in the enclosure.