Wolfgang's Newspaper Column

Q: In the last few years our tortoises have hibernated in a box in our garage, but I have recently heard that they can also be hibernated in the fridge. Is this true ?

A: Yes, refrigerator hibernation has the advantage of providing your tortoises with a very stable temperature and very little exposure to light or predators. However, there are a fair amount of important points to follow to ensure that your tortoises are hibernating safely. The Tortoise Trust has produced a very helpful article on this subject, which you can access on

http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/Refrigerator.htm . Please make sure those refrigerators which are or which have been used for tortoises, should not be used for food for human consumption, as tortoises are known to carry a range of potentially harmful bacteria for humans including salmonellas.