This is the first winter I have had my Desert Tortoise back from my mother. She kept her while I was at school. I have read that if a DT was sick at some point throughout the year then they should be kept awake during the winter. Does anyone have an opinion on this? My DT has always had respiratory issues of different levels. This year she was not so bad. She had a runny nose but no wheezing ever. About a week or a week and half ago she started hibernating however I just walked into my room to see her hanging out with the dogs. Haha. She had woken up and came out of her dog house. The temperature in the house nor in her dog house have changed, she simply woke up. However in regards to temp. For whatever reason my mother let her hibernate at a much much warmer temp than is suggested because she placed a heating pad under part of her house, even though her house is kept indoors. Should I continue the hibernating patterns she has had over the years or should I attempt to have her hibernate at colder temps, or should I keep her awake over the winter in an attempt to help her respiratory issues.