Itis nice to hear a story like this with a happy ending. You probably learned just how precious she is to your family.

It is odd for her to be so off on her hibernation schedule after 40 odd years. Did you have an abnormally dry spring this year? That might keep a turtle down longer than normal.

Whether or not to allow her to hibernate should be up to her health and weight. If she eats very well, gains weight and you have a vet check her health to be sure she is in peak condition-and all checks out- then by all means let her hibernate again. But if you are concerned, learn now how to keep her up all winter and set up her winter home now so you can fine tune it.

You have been given a second chance to insure her safety from both a bad hibernation/loss and theft-so you might want to consider how to lessen the chances of losing her by building up her preferred hibernation spots with a deep layer ofleaf mulch and putting locks on your gates-or even hibernating her in a small refrigerator.
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Tess Cook
www.boxturtlesite.info

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