- Refrigerated drawer means it’s time to chill
- Safe stylish shell-ter fits in with the furniture
- Chic solution solves climate change conundrum
Hibernate or don’t hibernate? Believe it or not, that’s the dilemma most tortoise owners stress over every autumn, with warmer temperatures adding complications.
With winters getting milder, normal ways to hibernate a pet tortoise — in a cardboard box or natural burrows — are riskier than ever for the reclusive reptiles.
Climate change nudged many owners to turn to the fridge, but with dangers of freezing or suffocating, keeping the creatures safe calls for constant checking.
Lula, an inventive temperature-controlled drawer monitored with an app, offers a drawer-some solution to ease the minds of the UK's 900,000 tortoise owners.
Creator and ‘tortoise parent’ of Tallula, a spur-thighed tortoise, is 22-year-old Georgia Garman, who hatched the idea for the Made in Brunel Design Showcase 2024 at London’s Oxo Tower. Hosted by Brunel University London, it features final-year projects from design students, including Georgia, who’s about to finish her BSc in Product Design.
“The product wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for my tortoise Tallula, Lula for short, hence the name,” explained Georgia, from Horsham in West Sussex.
“I came up with the concept last winter when I was deciding whether or not to hibernate Lula and the best solution for her wellbeing, as well as my peace of mind. I quickly realised there are no products on the market which help with tortoise hibernation, so any method I chose would have to be homemade.”
Luxe-looking Lula couples cooling technology with furniture design. The refrigerated drawer regulates the inside temperature to 3–6 degrees Celsius and the integrated smart app notifies the owner if any factors leave optimum levels. It comes with a comprehensive user guide on ‘How to Hibernate’ your tortoise for stylish worry-free hibernation.
“There was loads of misleading and conflicting information online about the best practices for hibernation, which made the entire process even more complicated,” Georgia said.
“If Lula was put into market, owners would have far greater peace of mind,” added Georgia, who hopes to develop the product further.
Catch Georgia displaying Lula at the New Designers exhibition at London’s Business Design Centre from 3–6 July. See her design Instagram @georgiagarman.design
Reported by:
Hayley Jarvis,
Media Relations
+44 (0)1895 268176
hayley.jarvis@brunel.ac.uk