[Stefan-A]

Well, they say that it's not necessary to hibernate them, but it increases the chances of them mating. I didn't hibernate mine (T.s.parietalis), but I did shut off the lights and heating for over a month in the fall when they stopped eating, and they mated.

Then again, parietalis are different. They can apparently be stimulated to mate by significantly lowering the temperature for a day or two.