* 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.
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To hibernate turtles outdoor, a pond 3 feet or deeper is generally recommended. The pond has to be deep enough so that it will not freeze through. If the pond freezes through, and the turtle with it, there is a good chance the turtle will not survive. There is some research going on about live freezing of fish and reptiles. It is known that baby painted turtles survive freezing in their first winter by producing anti-freeze in their bodies. The same mechanism has been found in several kinds of fish. However, turtles whose range does not extend north, in particular sliders, are not tolerant of freezing. Unless you want your turtle to become a scientific experiment, don't let it freeze in winter. Only hibernate a healthy, well-fed turtle. If the turtle is ill or very skinny, take it indoors for winter. There also has to be some mud at the bottom. Turtles dig into the dirt/mud/leaves at the bottom of bodies of water for hibernation. Also, the mud will protect them from freezing up to a point. It can also be too warm to hibernate your turtle outdoors. If the weather is too cold for the turtle to eat and move about much, but not cold enough for it to go into proper hibernation, it will use up too much energy and it will starve. The danger zone is around 50 Fahrenheit/10 Celsius. But watch your turtle. If it stops eating and doesn't move much for several weeks, but you won't get real winter where you live, take him inside until it gets warm again. Cool turtles are also less resistant to disease. The best way to decide whether to leave your turtle outside is to find out in which climate the turtle naturally occurs. Field guides usually include range information, and they are available at most libraries. Compare the turtle's natural habitat with your own yard. If there is an overlap, you can try outdoor hibernation. Also, make sure your turtle is the hibernating kind! Asian box turtles, for example do not hibernate and will die if left outdoors to freeze.
If you keep your turtles indoors and are not breeding, you do not need
to hibernate them.
* If your turtles live outside in the summer, you can take them in
in winter and need not hibernate them.
* Sliders can be kept outdoors all year in the southern states and will
hibernate on their own, provided the pond is deep enough and has a
thick mud bottom for the turtle to bury in.
* Turtles from tropical areas do not hibernate. They will die if you try.
* If you want to hibernate your turtles, refer to one of the books
listed below.
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.