Hibernating Turtles
===================

Copyright by Valerie Haecky. This document may be freely 
distributed for non-profit use, provided this notice is
included.

Actually, I wasn't going to provide any information on this, because I
have not hibernated any turtles myself. However, I get a lot of questions,
so here are a few hints. Refer a good book, or talk to someone who has
hibernated his/her turtles, if you have more questions.

* If you are not breeding your turtles, they need not hibernate.
* If you keep your turtles indoors, do not hibernate them.
* Never, ever hibernate a turtle that is too skinny or even the slightest sick.
* Hibernation does not mean "freezing." In general, a turtle will not 
  survive freezing. (There are a few exceptions. Baby painted turtles are known
  to stay in their nest for their first winter, and they survive freezing because
  they have anti-freeze in their blood.)

* Water turtles: you basically need a pond that is deep enough so it does not
  freeze all the way down, and some nice mud and debris at the bottom. When it
  gets cold, your turtle will dig itself into the mud or debris, stop eating,
  and go into hibernation until it gets warm again. It is possible for a turtle
  to come up on warm days in spring, only to disappear again for a cold-spell.

* Box turtles: If the turtle lives in a natural outdoor environment, provide 
  a shelter, a nice pile of leaves and debris for the turtle to use for 
  shelter. They like compost piles, and some turtles will even do some digging
  to hid. (Some tortoises burrow seriously.)
  When it gets cool, the turtle will stop eating, find shelter, and go into
  hibernation. On warm days, the turtle will come out.