Building a new burrow

[KristySmile]

We are building a new burrow for our little guy. I recently learned about checking temps and with our crazy weather this summer his
regular burrow is much too hot. He has a hide that he likes so I have made a few modifications to keep him cool while we work on the
new burrow. My husband thinks I am crazy, so it has been interesting around here.

Anyway... we followed some directions for a cinderblock burrow and dug about 8 inches down... but now I am afraid that it is too low and
if it ever rains it will flood out. So I am thinking of adding a second layer of cinder blocks to build it up. Then I will back fill the inside a bit
and the opening should be above ground level.

We are pretty set on the cinderblock, but do you see any thing that I need to consider before moving forward on the second layer? Here is a video
I found of a guy who did a second layer on his burrow..

He lives about an hour away from us so has a similar climate. He reports that it is working well.
We did not do the pavers underneath though. And I'm sure we will not be going backwards to put them under the cinderblocks. I can put them on the
floor before I backfill though.

Thank you for your thoughts and guidance. ps.. we have a desert tortoise and live in the Phoenix AZ area.

 

[SinLA]

@Tom

 

[Tom]

We are building a new burrow for our little guy. I recently learned about checking temps and with our crazy weather this summer his
regular burrow is much too hot. He has a hide that he likes so I have made a few modifications to keep him cool while we work on the
new burrow. My husband thinks I am crazy, so it has been interesting around here.

Anyway... we followed some directions for a cinderblock burrow and dug about 8 inches down... but now I am afraid that it is too low and
if it ever rains it will flood out. So I am thinking of adding a second layer of cinder blocks to build it up. Then I will back fill the inside a bit
and the opening should be above ground level.

We are pretty set on the cinderblock, but do you see any thing that I need to consider before moving forward on the second layer? Here is a video
I found of a guy who did a second layer on his burrow..

He lives about an hour away from us so has a similar climate. He reports that it is working well.
We did not do the pavers underneath though. And I'm sure we will not be going backwards to put them under the cinderblocks. I can put them on the
floor before I backfill though.

Thank you for your thoughts and guidance. ps.. we have a desert tortoise and live in the Phoenix AZ area.

Before I begin, please understand that no other species has more wrong and incorrect care info than DTs. It is terrible. Almost everything you read will be wrong for them.

For reference, please refer to this thread for the correct care info, and brumation info:

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

About your burrow. Above ground simply isn't going to work. They need to get underground. The hotter it is, the deeper then need to go. Ground temps in your part of the world are around 80 all summer. That is ideal. They can come out and bask and eat early in the day, and then retire underground for the heat of the day. Sometimes, they come back up again in the evening.

It is best to start a hole with a shovel and let the tortoise take over and dig it itself. They know how to do this better than we do. Burrows dug by the tortoise will be the perfect size and depth, oriented correctly and the dirt mounded up around the entrance to prevent flooding too. Just catch them above ground in fall and make them start using the insulated night house to prepare for brumation.

If you insist on making your own burrow, as I sometimes have too, then get away from cinder blocks and pavers. These are much too abrasive and will ruin the shell and make the feet bleed in time. You need plywood, or something that won't damage the areas of the shell that contact the walls. You also need to get it at least two or three feet deep, with a long tunnel to get to it. You need a long tunnel because it can't be too steep. I made a 4x4x2 two foot box for a bunch of sulcatas. You could go much smaller for a single DT. I dug a 4x4 foot hole three feet deep and a long channel for the tunnel. I made an access hatch that had an insulated door at the surface above ground, and another insulated door on the top of the box. Where the entrance tunnel breaks the surface, make a little hut over it to keep rain out or use an umbrella there. Do put a bottom on this, or the tortoise will dig to China and fill the underground box with dirt.

You can cover an above ground burrow with 5 feet of dirt and it will still be too hot because the 100+ degree heat will just flow right into the door. Its just physics. It is cooler underground.

 

[KristySmile]

Before I begin, please understand that no other species has more wrong and incorrect care info than DTs. It is terrible. Almost everything you read will be wrong for them.

For reference, please refer to this thread for the correct care info, and brumation info:

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

About your burrow. Above ground simply isn't going to work. They need to get underground. The hotter it is, the deeper then need to go. Ground temps in your part of the world are around 80 all summer. That is ideal. They can come out and bask and eat early in the day, and then retire underground for the heat of the day. Sometimes, they come back up again in the evening.

It is best to start a hole with a shovel and let the tortoise take over and dig it itself. They know how to do this better than we do. Burrows dug by the tortoise will be the perfect size and depth, oriented correctly and the dirt mounded up around the entrance to prevent flooding too. Just catch them above ground in fall and make them start using the insulated night house to prepare for brumation.

If you insist on making your own burrow, as I sometimes have too, then get away from cinder blocks and pavers. These are much too abrasive and will ruin the shell and make the feet bleed in time. You need plywood, or something that won't damage the areas of the shell that contact the walls. You also need to get it at least two or three feet deep, with a long tunnel to get to it. You need a long tunnel because it can't be too steep. I made a 4x4x2 two foot box for a bunch of sulcatas. You could go much smaller for a single DT. I dug a 4x4 foot hole three feet deep and a long channel for the tunnel. I made an access hatch that had an insulated door at the surface above ground, and another insulated door on the top of the box. Where the entrance tunnel breaks the surface, make a little hut over it to keep rain out or use an umbrella there. Do put a bottom on this, or the tortoise will dig to China and fill the underground box with dirt.

You can cover an above ground burrow with 5 feet of dirt and it will still be too hot because the 100+ degree heat will just flow right into the door. Its just physics. It is cooler underground.

Thank you Tom! Our guys is funny.. he might come out in the morning, and but whenever I check on him before work he is sleeping. He loves to come out in the evening and comes to our sliding door looking for me if I am not outside soon enough. He will have a snack and sometimes soaks in his water.. then he likes to walk around before going back into his cool spot.

He is not much of a digger at all. Has never dug deeper than whatever burrow we make for him. I don't think my hubby will help me do another dig. He is already finished with my obsessing. I can line the cinderblocks with some wood to help protect his shell.... and I can keep watch over the temps. His current hide never goes above 85-degrees on a 117-118 degree day... i check it every hour on the weekends. So I am pretty confident about keeping him cool. My biggest worry is an underground burrow getting water in it... with the entrance being at the natural level of our yard. So I was thinking to build it up higher and then backfill the front, to make a soft down grade to the cooler area in the back. I am concerned if I do a second layer of block, how can I secure it so it does not fall inward. Outward will be covered with clay soil. Maybe I can do a wooden box like yours at the end to support the second layer of cinderblock and also provide a softer snuggle area. I hope this will be okay considering the limitations... what do you think?

He has been with us for long time and we had some changes to the yard that causes me to keep a closer watch over him since then. I have been learning a lot over the last couple of years for sure. Reading on this forum has been so helpful!