Originally Posted by incrisis

I was told by my vet and local reptile shop owner not to hibernate until they are about 4 or 5 years old, there was no mention of size weight though
I do think it is down to personal choice/confidence, as Ed said there is no evidence to suggest that not hibernating harms them in the short or long term.
The only thing that I have seen is that when they come out of hibernation it is the trigger for mating.