The physical placement of the burrow itself should be one that is in a non flood zone/area...and the important thing that I have found is that the torts here that have natural dug burrows all have openings/the mouth of the burrow facing NorthEast...each of the three have here some variation of the NE ....two are certainly pointed more North but all three are North East....I am in Apple Valley so that positioning may vary a bit where you are....and if the entrance is shaded for the am heat up time...then the tort is missing the charge from the sun...so by the time he is led out by natural pull to function for the day....the sun is likely then too hot....so he just stays...they are a patient sort....but this can go on for too long and could possibly create an undesirable situation for the torts mental well being....just sharing what comes to mind...
Haus is the one here that has the most North facing one and he is always the last one up and about and the location he selected was when the temps were over 110 here for a couple of weeks...the location is near the house and has am shading and evening shading, this is a horrible location for winter as the roof line is near and will flood the hole, which will not be a prob since they brumate indoors....the Old Man has his pointing more East with a touch North...he is up first and moves in and out of the burrow the most....likely because the sun shines into the burrow the longest and most direct in the am, he also has an above ground hide that has the opening facing completely south, he uses the hide during the day before it gets crazy hot...then retreats to his burrow after high noon has passed ...Ghamara has his burrow North with an ever so slight east pointing....this is the tort that most recently was ripped from the desert, by a stupid broad....and he is the one that still displays the most wild behaviors....so I think he is onto something (lol)....the last guy here just does not have a desire to burrow....but he is the most tenacious, outgoing, aggressive and very outwardly male tortoise....so go figure....
Next year in the spring I will be setting a new space for Haus out on a higher part of the property....and it will be a smaller space but a more desirable spot for watering and letting the natural desert vegetation come up....so will see where then he selects to dig a new burrow...there he will not have any structures to have to contend with for unnatural water movement....
Good luck and let us know what comes of your placement....I also believe that if you use the big blue barrels as the dome for the burrow ....your tortoise will enjoy it...I use them here and they do appear much more comfortable than when I had done the square type structures...I have a plan next spring to take the two halves of the barrels and join them together to make a crazy long one....then kinda sink that entire piece down into the earth a bit...so the dome is not so prominent ...they seem to really enjoy that low down snugged in fit....well, good luck and enjoy...also, keep some of that dirt to do a gradual burm/slope to the entrance...that will make a difference as to how much water can be captured and funneled down into the hide...oh, and keep in mind of where you place the hide at...some will begin to dig down below that and so you don't want to have to go through all of the work and the tort become use to his home only to have to dig it up and back fill it in....
Haus is the one here that has the most North facing one and he is always the last one up and about and the location he selected was when the temps were over 110 here for a couple of weeks...the location is near the house and has am shading and evening shading, this is a horrible location for winter as the roof line is near and will flood the hole, which will not be a prob since they brumate indoors....the Old Man has his pointing more East with a touch North...he is up first and moves in and out of the burrow the most....likely because the sun shines into the burrow the longest and most direct in the am, he also has an above ground hide that has the opening facing completely south, he uses the hide during the day before it gets crazy hot...then retreats to his burrow after high noon has passed ...Ghamara has his burrow North with an ever so slight east pointing....this is the tort that most recently was ripped from the desert, by a stupid broad....and he is the one that still displays the most wild behaviors....so I think he is onto something (lol)....the last guy here just does not have a desire to burrow....but he is the most tenacious, outgoing, aggressive and very outwardly male tortoise....so go figure....
Next year in the spring I will be setting a new space for Haus out on a higher part of the property....and it will be a smaller space but a more desirable spot for watering and letting the natural desert vegetation come up....so will see where then he selects to dig a new burrow...there he will not have any structures to have to contend with for unnatural water movement....
Good luck and let us know what comes of your placement....I also believe that if you use the big blue barrels as the dome for the burrow ....your tortoise will enjoy it...I use them here and they do appear much more comfortable than when I had done the square type structures...I have a plan next spring to take the two halves of the barrels and join them together to make a crazy long one....then kinda sink that entire piece down into the earth a bit...so the dome is not so prominent ...they seem to really enjoy that low down snugged in fit....well, good luck and enjoy...also, keep some of that dirt to do a gradual burm/slope to the entrance...that will make a difference as to how much water can be captured and funneled down into the hide...oh, and keep in mind of where you place the hide at...some will begin to dig down below that and so you don't want to have to go through all of the work and the tort become use to his home only to have to dig it up and back fill it in....
