Im intrested in getting a tortoise is their a species which dosent have to hibernate ?

Question

Im intrested in getting a tortoise is their a species which dosent have to hibernate ?

Answer 1

most turtles and tortoise's do not need to hibernate.  Its a condition brought on by cool or cold weather.  If given a warm environment, most will do fine.

Answer 2

I think they all need to hibernate unless they're a kind that needs to be kept in a viv. I think horsefield tortoises are the easiest to look after, though I wouldn't swear on it as I'm no torty expert! You can have a star though, as I want a torty :-)

Answer 3

sulcatas,red foots and leopards are what you need to go for if you dont want a hibernating species.But remember that they tend to be a bit more expensive and the sulcatas will grow very,very big so you need to make sure you can provide the correct diet for them all year round (in winter this can be very expensive with sulcatas) and also provide them with the room that they will need.In winter they need to be kept indoors so also keep that in mind.

If you do go for a species that does hibernate then whatever you do please make sure that you do this.People on here who dont hibernate only do so because they dont know how to do it correctly and safely and are scared to do so.With the info thats avaliable these days theres no excuse not to.They hibernate in the wild and its what they need to do.

All hibernating species like most of the Mediterranean group are biologically programmed for an annual hibernation period. It ensures that tortoises are not continually eating for 365 days a year and so encourages slow natural growth.

To artificially keep tortoises awake all year would increase the food intake to at least double the safe amount, this would lead to abnormal growth and cause metabolic bone disease, leading to lumpy shells, spinal deformities etc.

It would also put an immense strain on the animal's renal system as urate production would be extremely increased, this leading to kidney or bladder stones and eventual death. There is also a phenomenon of supressed breeding performance of animals which aren't hibernated, in particular sperm count is considerably reduced.

Therefore, if you want healthy tortoises make sure you hibernate them and hibernate them correctly !

NB. All the above advice is strictly for Mediterranean hibernating species, not for any other species of tortoise.

Its not just for reproduction reasons and peolple who say this are just showing their complete lack of knowledge.

Answer 4

I have sulcatas, red foots and leopard tortoises, none of these hibernate. I think Russians do.

You should do a lot of reaserch before getting any tortoise.

They are all kept different and some get very large.

Sulcatas up over 100 pounds and can take out a chain link fence.

Here are some sites to help you.

red foot

http://tortoiseyard.com/

this has many care sheets on one page

http://www.turtlerescues.org/care_sheets...

good luck

Answer 5

if you buy a horsefield (Russian) and keep it in a viv or tortoise table they will not hibernate providing you are giving them enough warmth and uv light

Answer 6

you don't have to hibernate any tortoise if you have the set up inside for the winter months, but hibernating does help them get in a good condition to breed, tortoises usually hibernate inthe winter and when they awake they start breding, it has been said that hibernating tortoises helps them live longer, but if you want a tortoise that does not hibernate at all you need to be looking at the african varaties such as the leopard, sulcata also known as the african spurthigh, the red or yellow footed tortoise, but these tortoises are a harder tortoise to keep so you do need to research them first to see if you can provide the space they need the spur thigh and leopard do get quite big so you will need to have a lot of space, if you are looking for an easy tortoise to care for i would sugest a russian (also known as the horsefield) no tortoise should be allowed to hibernate untill they are over 5 years of age here is a site that will show you the different types of tortoise   http://www.tortoisetrust.org/    and it also explains how to hibernate a tortoise, and give you the pros and cons of hibernation, you will be able to see which tortoise best suits you and what you expect from a tortoise here is another good site http://www.tortoises-turtles.com/tortois... hopefully you will be able to look at the different types of tortoises and their care and it will help you decide which tortoise is best for you, best of luck hope you find a tortoise you are happy with

Answer 7

Tropical tortoise species such as red/yellow footed tortoises don't hibernate. Leopards and sulcatas dont hibernate but do grow very large. Make sure you do plenty of research as they will be very expensive to keep all year round.

http://www.tortoisetrust.org/backidx.htm...