How do you hibernate turtles?

Letting a captive turtle go into hibernation can be very dangerous. I have heard of a person doing it, by putting the turtle in a deep pan of water and letting it sleep in a dark closet all winter, but this was a man who had had turtles all his life, and was therefore very experienced with them.

Really, the best thing to do is to avoid letting the turtle go into hibernation. This can be achieved by putting/hanging a UV heat lamp over the tank. The heat lamp simulates the summer sun, so the turtle goes through the winter without hibernating. This is definitely the safest course of action.

You can buy heat lamps at most pet stores, including Petco. You can even buy a timer for the lamp, so you don't have to be home to turn it on every morning and off every night.

I have included two links: one to the Petco page where you can buy Zoo Med Reptile Basking Spot Lamp Bulbs, and a lamp to put those bulbs in. The other is to a website called X10.com, where you can buy a timer.