Todd Green, age 7, of High Point, North Carolina, for his question:
Do freshwater turtles hibernate?
A pet turtle may wish to hibernate through the worst of the winter. Or he may wish to stay up and around all through the year. Naturally he cannot discuss his plans. So come fall, his owner watches for signs. If the gentle little creature seems as alert as usual, plan to tend him and feed him through the winter. If he seems more lazy than usual, he may be getting ready to hibernate. In this case his owner does a few things to make him comfortable.
Freshwater turtles cannot abide the cold. They are cold blooded animals that get their only warmth from the air, the ground and the water around them. In cold weather, their blood cannot get enough warmth to keep circulating. Then the chilly turtles hibernate until:. spring returns. Turtles cannot stand too much heat either. In desert regions, they often sink into a deep sleep during the hottest part of the summer. This hot weather hibernation is called estivation.
Huge turtles live in the oceans, usually in the warm and fairly warm seas. There is no reason for them to hibernate in winter or estivate in summer. Dozens of smaller turtles live in lands that have hot summers and cold winters. Most of these keep busy all summer and hibernate through the winter. Same live where the winters stay fairly mild and the summers are scorching hot. These may stay busy all winter and estivate a few weeks in the summer. Whatever they do depends on the weather.
Freshwater turtles never travel very far from home. Those that live where winters get very cold start preparing ahead. In the fall they eat extra meals and store the food as fat. As the days get shorter and cooler, they search for a suitable place to take a long nap. This may be a muddy pocket beside a turtle's favorite pond or stream. The entrance may be above or below the water level.
As a hibernating turtle sinks into his deep sleep, his heartbeat slows down and he hardly breathes. He soon becomes quite unconscious and nothing bothers him at all. His pond may be covered with ice, the earth around him may freeze. But the harsh weather does him no harm. He may stay asleep for several months. When the spring warmth reaches his hide away, his blood starts flowing again. He wakes up and crawls forth to find his biggest breakfast of the year.
In North Carolina, most of the freshwater turtles hibernate for at least a few weeks. A pet turtle may be kept indoors, where warm weather lasts all year. Perhaps he will not hibernate at all. But he may if his box is kept outdoors on a patio. If he seems restless and extra hungry, he needs extra helpings of food. He also may need a thicker dirt floor with an extra pile of pebbles. When he digs himself out of sight, it is only fair to leave him quietly alone until he has finished his hibernation. Then be ready to serve him his big breakfast.