New tortoise owner, worried about hibernation

[Dreofsunshine]

I inherited a 40 year old DT last month. He is 19 pounds and about 13-14 inches across. Any suggestions on hibernation? I am new at this and have no idea what would be best for this guy. We live in Southeastern AZ. Winters are generally fairly mild, but it can get very cold some nights. I'm worried about him freezing and I'm also worried on the other hand of him waking early because it warms up quite a bit during the day.

 

[Yvonne G]

Just make sure where he wants to hibernate stays dry. Mine live outside 24/7, so they more or less do their own thing. They stop eating on their own, even though I continue to offer food. They just come out and sit in the sun, then go back into the shelter.

Their shelter is on a cement pad, raised a bit from the earth around it, then I fill the shelter with dried leaves and garden trash. The whole thing is under a mulberry tree, in deep shade. It's water proof. Once they've gone into the shelter and no longer come out, I block the door, then pile up leaves all over the whole thing for extra insulation. This helps to steady the temperature inside the shelter. Even on warm days, it stays cool enough inside that they don't wake up and want out. And on the coldest nights, it doesn't freeze inside the shelter.

 

[Dreofsunshine]

That's very helpful, thank you!!