Digging

[krissy2288]

So i just saw my tort digging in her hide for the first time..its not deep enough so i have decided to get some new soil, what is the best type...in your opinion, i only need a little bit so i was thinking of getting it from a petstore not home depot, cuz they sell it in to large of amounts.

 

[Laura]

mine try to dig but the bottom is solid. If you allow them to dig they might dig too deep down and get into trouble and not survive.
Depending on your heat source you may not want them digging ...

 

[Kristina]

I have not heard of a tort digging too deep and not surviving... are we talking indoor or outdoor here? Can you please elaborate the circumstances that would cause a tort to die from digging in it's hide box?

Sulcatas dig very extensive burrows in the wild, usually having several within their territory, and I know that many captive animals do also.

Thanks,
Kristina

 

[Millerlite]

Digging is good, even if its warm in the enclosure tortoises will dig just because its nature. My sulcatas usually just fall asleep with there head out and stuff, but every now and then they will try and dig.

I also never heard of one digging and dying but, i've seen/heard weirder stuff.

 

[jobeanator]

yeah my sulcatas make a attempt to dig but they usually get too tired in the process lol. my enclosures inside and i have to put more substrate in there for them to dig

 

[krissy2288]

well i have my tort in a tararium so shes just digging at glass so its pretty dumb...but i put more dirt in there and shes fine now.

 

[Kristina]

It isn't dumb... it is instinct. She is trying to get somewhere secure so that she can hide. This is why tortoises do not do so well in glass aquaria... They do not feel secure and they stress immensly.

Sulcatas have an inborn instinct to dig. Saying that a tort is dumb for trying to dig at glass is humanizing and doesn't make any sense. She is trying to do what her ancestors have done for millions of years.

In the wild Sulcatas spend a large amount of time in their burrows. It is how they survive in such a hot and arid climate. You can't change millions of years of evolution.

Kristina

 

[Maggie Cummings]

The habit of digging is instinct I believe. Bob goes into his sleeping box every night at the same time. Then he puts his face in the corner and digs. He does that every night for about 15 minutes before he goes to sleep. Tony did exactly the same thing, and my sister tells me her Dudley does it too. Neither Bob nor Tony have ever dug a burrow so the digging in the sleeping box has to be some sort of an instinct thing...

 

[Kristina]

Both of mine do the exact same thing, dig before sleeping

 

[krissy2288]

i didn't meen dumb like stupid i ment like funny looking sry. but ya it was the first time i have seen her do it in a year so i was kinda confused.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Krissy...also tortoises don't understand the concept of glass. She she thinks she can go into the room that she can see thru the glass. There are several good reasons for not keeping tortoises in aquariums and that's one of them. They expend a lot of exercise and anxiety trying to dig thru the glass. You should take a sheet of newspaper or any paper actually and wrap it around the bottom quarter of the tank so she can't see out. Another reason for not keeping tortoises in aquariums is that the tall sides make it hard to control the flow of air and heat. It's hard to make a cool side and a hot side and they need both. Another reason for not keeping tortoises in aquariums is they are made for fish...and terrariums are made for plants. You should get either an old bookcase and take out the shelves thus making a tort table or get a Rubbermaid sweater box, or Christmas tree storage box. I vote for the bookcase. They really do make great tort tables and they are cheap. Go to Goodwill and get one. Then line it with a shower curtain liner and fill it with substrate and viola!!! A tort table...

 

[krissy2288]

the reason i actually don't use a tortoise table is because my house is really cold, the average temperature is in the high 50's so i think it would be really hard to keep warm and the power go's out alot in winter so i just used a tararium and i have the heat lamp on one side and the other side has a screen over it so the other side has a lower temp. i know that tortoise tabels are better but im not gonna switch to that untill she gets a little bigger...she is pretty small rite now so it will probably be a year or so.

 

[jobeanator]

i love the idea of the bookcase idea. thats what i plan on doing for my sulcatas!! how should you keep the shower curtain liner in the bookcase? staple it?

 

[Kristina]

Stapling would work, but make sure that you use heavy duty enough staples that they can't rip them out of the wood. Sulcatas are such mooses!

Kristina

 

[PinkElite]

I'm not picturing the bookcase concept. sounds interesting.
Bump use to burrow a lot, I put a rock house in the habitat and he stopped digging and went in there.
I just got a new substrate. it was off at first but now I think he will enjoy it, and hopefully start burrowing again so he can get that moisture.

 

[Millerlite]

Bookcase concept is the easiest way to go, You dont have to build anything, just keep the shelves out of the bookcase and put it on its back. Only think you need to do is put a liner in it or a sealant.

What i also used for my greeks was an old crate used by a company, It was perfect it was like 8foot by 3 foot.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

PinkElite... You take all the shelves out and lay the bookcase on it's back. Then you staple a shower curtain liner all around it add substrate and there it is...instant tort table...Can you imagine it now?

 

[tortoisenerd]

We built a tortoise table out of wood boards, sealed it, and stapled in shower pan liner from the home improvement store. It's very thick so I doubt it could ever be ripper (it's hard to cut with scissors even). Use a staple gun ($15). Home Depot sells board that they will cut to your specs so you can build a custom box. All we needed was a hammer and finishing nails. We put metal support brackets in for extra strength (needed a drill for that). Trevor has his custom box on top of a cabinet in our dining room (I built it to exactly fit on top).