Incorrect hibernation management is a leading cause of tortoise welfare problems and death, requiring owner education about species-specific requirements.
Tortoises that enter hibernation underweight or with health conditions die slowly during hibernation as reserves are exhausted. Hibernation at incorrect temperatures causes thermal stress, cell damage from freezing, or excessive metabolism depleting reserves. Waking tortoises repeatedly during hibernation wastes critical fat stores. Tortoises that do not wake naturally from hibernation by late March are often moribund. Owners frequently underestimate the complexity of tortoise hibernation management and the consequences of poor practice for what may be a 50-100 year companion animal.