I have a fairly large (for the breed) Tortoise, Darwin, who has lived outside for a few years, and just hibernated briefly each winter.
This year, as we approached hibernation time, he caught a cold. With tortoises this can easily go to respiratory issues and pneumonia, and it can do for them.
So in vet’s advice, I brought him in and built him an indoor playpen, sleeping zone terrarium thing, with specialist lamps and lovely reptile soil and rocks and a shrubbery etc., but in comparison to my garden it’s very small.
He is also going to miss hibernating this year, as he has to be 100% fit for that, and he has to stay indoors. This also means he may never hibernate again.

No idea why, but I get the feeling he’s a bit glum. It got me thinking about whether I could release him (no, not just into the Nottinghamshire countryside!) - i love animals and have always been unhappy with caged or contained things that shouldn’t be.

He’s a Russian, or Horsefield’s type, so central Asian naturally. I wondered if I could re-patriate him somehow..... or what to do. It’s a long old flight but wondered if I could combine it with a holiday somewhere :)
He’s actually my young Son’s, so would need to sound him out first - but it’s either that or build something outside with a heatlamp installed and get him roaming again.

Anyway, I’m rambling, more for clarifying my own thoughts really.
Any tortoise specialist here??


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