Gophers and our CDTs

[ascott]

Skunks are carnivores...so can they bother the tort, yes...will they, that I do not know....and yes, they are a "little" cute...not too much, but a little...lol

 

[thatrebecca]

Hmm, good to know about the skunks. There have been some big raccoons in the neighborhood lately, too. I feel like my kiddos are pretty secure in the way we've built their burrows, but all this wildlife is making me skittish.

 

[ascott]

but all this wildlife is making me skittish.

lol....is there anyway you can simply close the entrance to where they sleep at night? And do it safely for the tort? I mean, I would not want you to close the entrance in a way that if it rained they would not be able to exit, you know what I mean--but close it in a way that meat eaters can not access the entrance??

---

I don't see where this is described....what type of night sleeping quarters are your torts in? A natural dug burrow by the torts or a human made hide?

 

[thatrebecca]

but all this wildlife is making me skittish.

lol....is there anyway you can simply close the entrance to where they sleep at night? And do it safely for the tort? I mean, I would not want you to close the entrance in a way that if it rained they would not be able to exit, you know what I mean--but close it in a way that meat eaters can not access the entrance??

---

I don't see where this is described....what type of night sleeping quarters are your torts in? A natural dug burrow by the torts or a human made hide?

---

Here are some pix of where they sleep. Now that you mention it, it would be easy to block off the entrances at night. Dunno why I didn't think of that. I can barely lift off the concrete paver roofs myself, so I know a critter won't be able to.

 

[Tom]

A raccoon could get under that paver with no problem. Just want you to know that.

How are they doing with the outside full time routine now that its hot every day and night? When does the whole yard become tortoise land?

 

[thatrebecca]

A raccoon could get under that paver with no problem. Just want you to know that.

Are California raccoons bionic? I truly can barely lift the paver. Most of the time I make hubby do it, cause it takes me two hands. And I lift weights and can do 100 pushups. I do know they can climb the 8-foot cement wall around our yard no problem. Wouldn't have believed it but I saw two of them climb over a neighbor's fence.

How are they doing with the outside full time routine now that its hot every day and night? When does the whole yard become tortoise land?

They're doing GREAT with the full-time outdoor routine, thanks for asking. The yawning they were doing when we first adopted them has stopped. They seem happiest when daytime temps climb into the 90s. I figure we've got about 8 more weeks of this loveliness before it's time to start coming in at night again. That sound about right to you?

Unfortunately, it's probably gonna be next spring before they can be in the yard unsupervised. We can't afford to take care of all the hazards this year-- a missing garage door, unfinished patio and unfenced jacuzzi being the remaining problems. I can't wait till we can let them have the run of the place!

 

[Tom]

Ahh, you've never tangled with a raccoon... When they are angry or determined to get at some food, they sometimes "seem" bionic, that's for sure.

If your tortoises have an adequate burrow, they can simply stay outside and hibernate the winter away. If you don't want them to hibernate, or are just afraid of the risks, you can hibernate them indoors in more controlled conditions, or keep them up in a warm indoor enclosure and put them out on our frequent warm winter days. Alternatively, you can build them a heated outdoor box and let them continue living outside full time. This works for some people, but it can be difficult to fight their natural instinct to hibernate sometimes. Some of them just try to hibernate and shut down even in a warm night box, because of the shorter days and cooler temps.

 

[thatrebecca]

If your tortoises have an adequate burrow, they can simply stay outside and hibernate the winter away. If you don't want them to hibernate, or are just afraid of the risks, you can hibernate them indoors in more controlled conditions, or keep them up in a warm indoor enclosure and put them out on our frequent warm winter days. Alternatively, you can build them a heated outdoor box and let them continue living outside full time. This works for some people, but it can be difficult to fight their natural instinct to hibernate sometimes. Some of them just try to hibernate and shut down even in a warm night box, because of the shorter days and cooler temps.

For winter, we're leaning toward heating our outdoor shed for them, and bringing them outside on warm days. I'm nervous about the whole darn thing -- as much cause I'm gonna miss them when they inevitably wind down for the season as anything else. I'm sure I'll have a million questions when we start tweaking the setup.

 

[thatrebecca]

The gophers are back! And apparently there's a whole family living down there. Unbeknownst to me, hubster and the gardener vetoed me and used poison. They think since the poison is buried underground in a section of the yard the torts don't go in, it poses no threat to the torts. I don't agree. Regardless, it didn't work and blackbox traps are being purchased as I type.

 

[AustinASU]

http://www.victorpest.com/store/mole-and-gopher-control/b0611-2 I use these, and they work the best out of all the traps. I highly recommend them.

 

[harris]

Raccoons are the devil's offspring.