Hibernating two adult Herman tortoises for the first time

by Jeannette
(North Yorkshire, England)

Hi,

We have 3 tortoises. One is an 8 year old that has been hibernated regularly with no problems.

Last year we acquired two adult tortoises. We are a little unsure of their ages be we reckon one is around 15 years and the other 12 years old +? For the first year we did not hibernate them because we were told they had to settle into their new home.

We are at the stage were we have starved all three gradually starting on the 17th November.(This question was sent on the 30th November.)We are bathing all three regularly and we are encouraging them to have a drink. At the moment they are not drinking much at all.We don`t know whether this is a reaction to being starved for the first time? We were told by the previous owners that they never hibernated them at all but they were vague regarding how long they had owned them.

Because we know it is always best to hibernate your tortoise as we have with the 8 year old it is a bit unnerving hibernating these two adults for the first time.

After searching the internet for articles we can`t find any information regarding hibernating adults for the first time. Have you any tips or recommendations that you can supply us with? Both adults are healthy but because it is highly likely they have never hibernated will it harm them?