what tortoises hibernate? and also can you buy tortoises in december?

i would like to buy a hurman tortoise, or maybe a russian. but dunno which one is the easiest to care for, which hibernates and if you can buy them whenever..

tortoises hibernate? lol. but uhm yeah yo udefinitly should be able to buy them year round. im positive because there is a pet store in the mall by me and i see them year round. every year for the past like 5 years i see them there. in bunches so. goodluck tho man.i reccomend going to the pet store and asking their professional opinions an buying which type of tortoise. some may eat different things, sleep differently, may swim, etc? goodluck man i hope u get a sick turtle! not literally...but awesome i mean hahaha

Hibernating species should be in hibernation for up to 3 months between November and March in the northern hemisphere, so should not be available. Mediterranean Tortoises.Testudo Horsfieldii; Horsfield Tortoise (Russian). Most northerly ranging tortoise in the wild.Testudo Hermannii; Hermann Tortoise. Smallest Mediterranean species. Testudo Graeca Graeca; Mediterranean Spur Thigh Tortoise. Testudo Marginata; Marginated Tortoise. Largest of the Mediterranean species.They are all hibernating species and are strictly herbivorous. They should be fed on weeds, weeds and more weeds. Dandelion, hawks beard, hawk bits, hedge mustard, prickly Ox tongue, greater plantain, clover, dead nettle, chicory, chickweed, sow thistle, vetch and common mallow are among the weeds which should constitute their entire diet. A little fruit, such as a small strawberry, can be given as a treat once every week or two. DO NOT give them root vegetables, legumes, excessive salad leaves, brassicas (kale, cabbage, sprouts, broccoli etc. These are high in oxalic acid, which prevents the absorption of much needed calcium.), spinach and, on no account, ever give them animal protein such as dog/cat food.... IT CAUSES SHELL DEFORMITY AND CAN KILL. You will also need a calcium and vitamin supplement.Do not keep Mediterranean tortoises in a tub, tank or vivarium. They must be kept on a tortoise table (see this example http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/Tortoisetable.htm ) during the colder months, but are far better off out in the garden in natural sunlight, weather permitting. But beware, the Horsfield & Marginated are accomplished diggers, so ensure your garden is tortoise proof or you make a tortoise proof enclosure. While on the tortoise table you must supply a basking lamp and UV lamp or a combined lamp, such as the 'Megaray'. These lamps need to be on for 12 to 14 hours per day. The temperatures on the table should be 28 – 30 deg C under the basking lamps and 20 deg C at the cooler end of the table.Substrate for the table should be screened and sterilized top soil. This can be mixed with play sand to a ratio of 70% soil – 30% sand. For the Horsfield and Marginated tortoise the substrate should be deep enough for the tortoise to completely bury itself. You should also provide rough stone slabs under the basking lamps and at the feeding point (which should be at the cool end of the table.A water dish is required at all times. It should be wide enough for your tortoise to sit in and deep enough to allow a water level which comes to roughly where the tortoise’s plastron (underside of shell) meets the carapace (upper part of shell).Make your table as interesting as possible with undulating substrate, rocks, slabs and plants.You can download a comprehensive care sheet from the Tortoise Trust here; http://www.tortoisetrust.org/Downloads/T… then decide whether you are able and capable of looking after a tortoise properly.Another thing I must relate to you is this from my previous posts:PLEASE, PLEASE find a reputable local breeder, or better still, get your tortoise from a re-homing service.Sadly it is often the case that tortoises bought from pet shops are imported from former eastern bloc nations and claimed as 'captive bred' or 'farmed'. The truth of the matter is they are usually illegal wild caught Hermann, Spur Thigh, Marginated tortoises. Sadly, the Horsfield (Russian) is not yet protected by CITES, but at the rate they are being poached, they soon will be. They will not be examined by a vet nor have their stools checked for parasites.PLEASE also DO NOT buy from internet dealers, apart from the fact that they too source from the same dubious supply lines as many pet shops, consider also that the tortoise will be stuffed in a box with little air and no food or water, to wallow in its own excrement for 2-3 days bumping around in the back of a van along with many other boxes of ‘who-knows-what’.A vast number of these tortoises will die from stress and/or abominable treatment by the poachers and dealers. As few as 1 in 10 will actually make it as far as a pet shop and many of these will die within their first year in captivity.See http://tortoise-protection-group.org.ukThis is not a problem confined to the UK or Europe, it is a worldwide problem.While I understand and sympathise with people who buy from a pet shop, in the belief that they are freeing a poor unfortunate animal from 'Hell on Earth', your purchase serves only to fuel the trade. For the one tortoise you buy, perhaps another 9 will die for the pet shop to replace their stock.ALWAYS check that a pet shop bought animal is certified as being bred in captivity in your own country, not an import.PUT AN END TO THE DEMISE OF THE WILD POPULATION AND THE MISERY OF THE TORTOISES POACHED FOR THE PET TRADE.