Hibernation, I agree with you, and has nothing to do with being 3 or 4 or 5 or 6 years old, in the wild they mature later in age, and reproduce less, why conditions.
Why food availability.
Why inconsistencies that cause stress.
Its already been shown that small species can reproduce at 3-6 months old in captivity, that medium sized species can reproduce at 6-12 months of age, and large species can and do from 6-18 months in age, all in captivity.
I venture to guarrantee, when the species becomes a bit more common here they start reproducing younger and younger. You know at one time keepers and breeders thought that almost every reptile out there needed brumated to reproduce, just like anything else, a misunderstood survival adaptation being blamed for causing magic.

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