Age for natural hibernation?

[Pat]

Hi - having read Stells thread that her 2 had dug down themselves, I was wondering at what age they are safely able to do this as it seems so much more natural?

I have 2 hermanns who will be a year old in July and will soon be making them a new outdoor enclosure and wondered if I should include a pit for them to dig down. If it will be a couple of years though before they can use it - I probably wont bother as will hopefully have moved house by then!

Thanks

Pat

[16 shells]

I set up my Herman's enclosure with 2 glass covered area's with dig in pit's, hopeing they would choose this method, but they hit the hut end of November, and was tabled for a month then boxed, in Hibernation. Stells may come on with the answer's.

[Pussygalore]

I know with natural hibernation the tort can dig down as deep as 18inch so you'd need that depth of diggable soil, it would also have to be in a well drained or rain/flood protected area and I'd imagine that extra protection might be needed in really bad weather. If you think about the natural terrain where you'd find torts I doubt they get the amount of rain that we do or the length of winters as us. I think natural hibernation is not something to be taken lightley, those I know who use it have done so in greenhouses but these can be affected temp wise by any warm spells. I tried it with my adults last year using the greenhouse and they never settled, they would come out at the slightest temp rise and when the temps did drop they went far lower than I liked, I ended up boxing them.