Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am trying to find a small tortoise that does not have to hibernate, to have as a pet.

Can anyone tell me if Herman's Tortoise, Greek Tortoise, Russian Tortoise or Marginated Tortoises have to hibernate?

Also, what size to they get to?

Any other recommendations are welcome.

Greeks, Russians, and hermanns all hibernate. Don't know about the other. You don't have to hibernate but it can lead to health problems in the long run and you tortoise will be healthier.

Like the other person said. Greeks, Russians and Hermanns all hibernate. They dont HAVE to but it might be better for their health in the long run. It hasnt been proven (if Im wrong please dont hesitate to say something) so no one really knows yet. I wouldnt hibernate any tortoise without feeling secure about it. It is very risky and most torts wouldnt make it out of hibernation the next spring. I have had mine for 4 years (Russians) and none have hibernated. They some what did one year but not fully. Until you feel VERY comfortable with it and do MAJOR reaserch on it then I wouldnt do it.

There are as many people that believe that hibernation is a necessity as not. I personally believe it is not. Hibernation is a survival mechanism and is not a requirement. All of the temperate zone species will live a long and happy life regardless if they are hibernated or not.
If your tortoise is inclined to hibernate, by all means, try to accomodate it but on the other hand, if it is not, I don't think the issue should be forced and I don't believe any harm will come to it.
Ed

At the minimum, a few years not hibernating seems to have no effect on the animals. This means you have some time to make up your mind and learn before you take the leap into hibernating should you choose to do so. I will tell you that in my experience and that of some others, in BOX turtles, hibernation keeps breeding regular and lack of it tends to send them into unreliable breeding, but only for species or specimens from areas which have real hibernation (not florida box turtles, basically, or gulf coasts). There doesn't seem to be any other real effect that I have heard of. If you are not breeding them, (if this even applies to hermann's/russian's/greeks) then there's no reason other than personal preference.

It is a risky proposition for some people it seems. I have found that hibernating my animals in a climate not too different than what they would naturally have and letting them choose how to do it in a large pen with a variety of options has worked well. By similar climate I use winter rainfall volumes and number of days below 40F on average. By different areas I mean in some spots I have dug down and mixxed in sandy soil to make it easy, in others I have piled mulch, etc. They do not all choose the same spots and I have yet to lose a box turtle in hibernation. I do not know if any of those tortoise species would handle hibernating with rain levels comparable to what I have in NC, however.

Obviously we shoudl all avoid buying wild caught torts, but I've been thinking about this a bit lately.

A wild tort will of course be hibernating on his own each year. Could breaking the hibernation cycle be more problematic towards wild specimens then captive bred animals?

Obviously we shoudl all avoid buying wild caught torts, but I've been thinking about this a bit lately.

A wild tort will of course be hibernating on his own each year. Could breaking the hibernation cycle be more problematic towards wild specimens then captive bred animals?

Obviously we shoudl all avoid buying wild caught torts, but I've been thinking about this a bit lately.

A wild tort will of course be hibernating on his own each year. Could breaking the hibernation cycle be more problematic towards wild specimens then captive bred animals?