Tortoises buried by gophers.

[judytortoise]

I have 3 adult tortoises, all registered with Calif Fish & Game Dept. that are in hibernation in the same hole this year. We have noticed a gopher or mole has tunneled their way to the hole pushing the dirt to the outside of their hole. I was wondering if we should dig the tortoises up, I don't know if they can breathe being buried. We have never had gophers until now. Please anyone I would appreciate any suggestions, I imagine their tortoise hole is far back as it has been one of their hibernation spots for many years now.

 

[Tom]

I have 3 adult tortoises, all registered with Calif Fish & Game Dept. that are in hibernation in the same hole this year. We have noticed a gopher or mole has tunneled their way to the hole pushing the dirt to the outside of their hole. I was wondering if we should dig the tortoises up, I don't know if they can breathe being buried. We have never had gophers until now. Please anyone I would appreciate any suggestions, I imagine their tortoise hole is far back as it has been one of their hibernation spots for many years now.

I would dig them up and move them to a suitably set, tested, and monitored fridge for the remainder of hibernation. This is one of the many reasons why they should never be hibernated outside.

In this thread I explain safe outdoor housing that addresses the problems in and out of hibernation with our local weather here in SoCal.

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[judytortoise]

I would dig them up and move them to a suitably set, tested, and monitored fridge for the remainder of hibernation. This is one of the many reasons why they should never be hibernated outside.

In this thread I explain safe outdoor housing that addresses the problems in and out of hibernation with our local weather here in SoCal.

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

Thank you.