The appetite will decrease and the turtle will be less active. If the animal is healthy, it will have fat reserves and should easily survive through hibernation if it has eaten well during the warm months. An alternate method of artificial hibernation is to place the turtle in a cool, dry protected area such as a garage or storeroom. An insulated box like a Styrofoam ice chest packed with shredded paper or straw and covered with several layers of blankets or newspapers generally provides adequate protection. If the turtle is kept too warm it will not achieve metabolic hibernation, and thus will use stored fat reserves too quickly.
Dehydration is a significant risk during hibernation.
Hibernating turtles should be kept in the dark, and quietly checked every week or two to see that no health problems are developing. This can be achieved by placing a light above the enclosure and installing a thermometer inside. A 75 watt reflector flood lamp works well for this purpose. Provide food according to the active feeding schedule and provide fresh water daily. Frequent exposure to sunlight is beneficial to turtles in rehabilitation and will usually stimulate their appetite.