hello everyone i i got a question i have a sulcata that adopted about 3 yrs ago they told me it might be 20 years old n since i had it roams free in my back yard and it would sleep enside a shed i have in back yard them i made a turtle house with a heat lamp n it would then stay there for the 3 yrs i had it it never dug a whole now is diggin holes i covered most of them but there one were it dug and is in there is about 4-5 ft in and it looks like its going more deeper dount kno if thats normal And should i wory about it digging way to deep and how deep do they go in ?
Help (20 yr old sulcata is digging)
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The digging is perfectly normal but depending on your soil maybe a problem if it caves I on him what kind of soil do you have ie sandy or clay based
It is normal, but would be safer if you could get him to stop. The shed that he was using, probably needs to be made bigger. This may be why he doesn't use it any more. Improve the shed and keep covering up,the holes, it would be safer for him this way.
Where in the world do you live? What is the weather like in the winter minths?
SoCal.
I have a 110lb sulcata and he has never offered to start digging. His shelter provides him with what he needs - cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Fix your tortoise's shelter and he'll be happy to stay in there instead of digging a burrow. The shelter needs to be in the shade and big enough that he can turn around in it, with a cover over the door that he can feel brush his back when he enters.
This is always a tricky situation when hosting a speciesof tortoise that by Iits make up burrows. Perhaps the tort is disatisfied with the hut you have set up, perhaps the tort just realized a strong desire to do what comes naturally and set to task the construct of a perfect fit home..there is really no way to know for certain what sparked the excavation. ? But do understand that when a burrowing tort sets its mind on this ..there is a battle of who will get their way..human or tortoise. I do not host this species, but I do host a smaller species of digger and I can tell you that there are both pros and cons to the natural dug burrow in a captive tortoise yard. Temperature control can not be matched between nature and man when dealing with a tortoise..nor can perfect humidity be matched either..we humans can offer up our best comprable huts and sometimes the tort will put up with it..also for whatever reason we also don't know. Each tort is its own decider. I would decide which human you are, are you one that will be diligent to weather patterns so as to kjow what steps you can try in order to facilitate as safe of surrounding during wet weather? Will those steps actually benefit the burrow protection while the tort rests inside during poor weather? Or are you one betterl left to have to do nothing and would rather set up a shed and assure as many needs are met as possible and continue to back fill any dig attempts..either works but no one can truly say one is better than the other. The burrow provides security, both physically as well health wise..a burrow not only offers a perfect fit but also provides a balance of humidity that is as important as uv rays are..as important as temp regulation and likely lots of other factors a shed or man made structure simply can not match. Location of dig site is also a factor..it wiuld be nice if all burrowing species would do it right where we would like..but that too is not always the case..so keep in mind that you are hosting a large burrowing species who can choose to either dig a burrow that goes in 10 feet or 30 feet..so underground wiring..plumbing..irrigation are all things you will want to keep in mind from a topographic point..and if the tort has picked a jutually acceptable location then to allow the tort to dig or not to dig will ultimately be the humans call..just my thought on the subject.
Thank you Yvonne.
Yvonne-how do you keep it cool in the summer?
Your tortoise is digging to escape the heat we've been having. An above ground box cannot stay cool enough if the outside temps are too hot, even if its in the shade. In the sun, the box will be even hotter.
I let my sulcatas burrow during the summer. Its better for them. In early fall, I close off the burrow and start making them use their night houses again.
Heat lamps are no good for this application. They need it dark in there and the heat lamps tend to slow burn the tops of their carapaces. THere are better ways to heat them. Here are some examples:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/my-best-night-box-design-yet.66867/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/another-night-box-thread.88966/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/sulcata-burrows.50846/
I have but one request of you: Please type your questions and responses in plain English with proper punctuation. It makes it much more enjoyable and simple to help you.
I let my sulcatas burrow during the summer. Its better for them. In early fall, I close off the burrow and start making them use their night houses again.
Heat lamps are no good for this application. They need it dark in there and the heat lamps tend to slow burn the tops of their carapaces. THere are better ways to heat them. Here are some examples:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/my-best-night-box-design-yet.66867/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/another-night-box-thread.88966/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/sulcata-burrows.50846/
I have but one request of you: Please type your questions and responses in plain English with proper punctuation. It makes it much more enjoyable and simple to help you.
Ok kool guys thanx for all the info right now it doug like 3 ft down n it stays i noticed it does come out n eat then it goes in there it does get realy hot here so i kno now y is in there most of the time there but is getting a little cooler at night now so should i leave it there or cover it when it comes out i been covering it with a plywood so the cold doent go in is that a good idea ?
If the weather is still ok then I would not cover it...what will you plan for the winter months?
Thank you for posting this! I've had Charlie for 16 years. Ten years ago, Charlie dug his first burrow. Even though we have had to fill them in eventually, I've always been relieved when he had a burrow. I felt he was instinctively doing what he needed to do. I didn't even know how important humidity was during most of that time, and it turns out he was getting it by virtue of the burrow. Now I really wish he would start another one, in the ideal place I've chosen for him, of course.
If I had smaller tortoises, I would definitely be happy if they dug burrows. With a large sulcata, a burrow can get very big and eventually end up under some structure, so that is something to consider. We had to fill in Charlie's most recent burrow because we didn't want our house to collapse.
Why is it important that he can feel the door brush his back? I'm planning on using car mats to make a door for Charlie so it will brush his back, but I've seen other shelters with wooden doors that the owners open and close.
well since ive had her , in the winter time it would go in the garage. It has is spot in the garrage were it would sleep and in the morning when the sun comes up, ill open the garage and it goes out. So i would kno around wat time it would wana go in and out that way i could open or close garrage
She goes in the garage in the winter, not the shed or the "turtle house" with the heat lamp? I'm a little confused.
What is your plan when days come when the sun does not warm enough to warm the tortoise? I mean, I am curious as to what set up you have for the winter months that will allow the tortoise to continue to remain warm on the cold days? There are some parts of California that don't ever really get too cold...in which case it would like need little effort on your part to provide perhaps a warming type area in the garage...do you do that now for winter, or do you have plans for that in winter?
I absolutely love love love pictures of tortoise...do you think it would be alright if we get a peek at your tort?
When i first had her it would go in the shed and sleep there for a whole year. then it moved to my garage For the past 2 years and during summer and spring it gets really hot here so I build it a house with a heat lamp and it would stay outside during those seasons. When it starts getting cold it would leave the turtle house n move in to the garage so that's how is been doing it these two years. My garage stay warm during the cold seasons so it eats enside I open the garage and walks outside for a while then it goes back enside the garage I would also put a heat lamp enside the garage the last week is just been diggings pretty sure it was cause of the heat
