Burrow Collapse

[Tom]

Maggie, I think your idea of an air conditioned shed might work very well for Tank'sMom. Good suggestion. Can you link one of your Bob shed threads here?

Tank'sMom, do you think you could swing that? You can buy one of those ready made sheds. You'd have to insulate it, make a tortoise door, and hook up that AC unit. With the AC your tortoise should be fine above ground. You'd only have to keep the shed temps down in the low to mid 90's for it to work. This will also give him a warm place to sleep during the coming winter nights.

 

[ascott]

Tanks Mom....the suggestion about an above ground condo is a good one....be prepared for the tortoise to still have a strong drive to dig...this is sometimes deeply seeded in some tortoise...I still believe you will need to be a step more tenacious that him...lol...

 

[Abdulla6169]

Maybe you can find an insulate garage where you live? Id search everywhere, and pick the most insulated thing you can find. You can then add an ac & a heater.

 

[Robertchrisroph]

Hello and good day to all. love this, okay poor guy here, I would have to go to home depot and get 4x4 s and install a overhang, roof over were he digs so ground stays dry. Maybe you use it to, to stand under and stay dry. Lol. Glad tank is good

 

[Yvonne G]

I have never had a problem with Dudley digging a burrow (knock on wood). He has an insulated hiding place similar to a dog house, and it is placed in the shade so it stays a bit cooler inside than out in the sun. I hear him in their digging, but the floor is cement covered with a thick rubber horse stall mat, so he can't go anyplace. Sometimes he relaxes under a large bush that is in his pen, and he doesn't dig under there either.

My spidey sense tells me that if you were to build Tank an insulated shed of some kind, with a solid floor, he would be satisfied and wouldn't dig a burrow. But, the trick is, you have to place it in deep shade. Tall shade, not short shade - by that I mean shade with air space above the shed like what's under a tree, not a bush.

 

[Tank'sMom]

I hadn't heard that Tank got attacked by a dog...Seems to me almost all the bad stuff we warned you about has happened.... Bob doesn't dig and lives in a big shed, so I can't give you any burrow advice. Tom doesn't think a shed would work for Tank because of your daytime temps. It stays around 90 here for about a month. Most of the time it's either rain snow or mid 80's. When it's over 85 I turn on a small air conditioner in Bob's shed. But he mostly stays outside in his waterhole anyway....
BUT...briefly, if Tank was mine, I'd be penning him up and making a comfortable above ground living quarters. Contain him so he does not have access to dangerous digging places. Make something comfortable for him to live in and put a cheap air conditioner in it. I believe if he or tortoises in general are happy where they sleep they won't dig. I leave that air conditioner on all day when it's hot, but Bob rarely goes inside during the day. Does Tank have access to cool water during the day? Maybe if you dug him a wallow and put water in it he'd sit in that and not try to dig to cool off.
But, I keep tortoises differently than Tom does, and we all have the stuff that works for us. Bob's pen works for him and me...keep us posted, I love reading about somebody that causes more trouble than Bob has...

Lol. All kinds of trouble these days. So you missed the dog attack post? Yeah. That was fun. Not.
When you say put him an enclosed area where he can't dig, do you mean a floor?? I love that he lives the outdoor, natural life. I'm sure you mean a part time gig?
The shed was just an attempt to give him a space where he could feel safe and protected. Prior to all this he slept in a corner every night, completely exposed. I figured it was the least I could do.
Our temps have cooled off significantly. August is always the worst of it. No more temps above 100 til next summer, I hope. But it's the rainy season now.
We had to fill in the neighbors yard, thus completely cutting off the burrow. He sits in the hole now, under the shed. I'm kinda hoping that with the weather being better, he'll keep it that way. But he has been a digger even before the temps became dangerously high. And he ALWAYS had access to shade, shelters and water. He's just a digger.
For now, he's in a good spot. I'm hoping he'll stay there. At least for awhile!

 

[Tank'sMom]

Maggie, I think your idea of an air conditioned shed might work very well for Tank'sMom. Good suggestion. Can you link one of your Bob shed threads here?

Tank'sMom, do you think you could swing that? You can buy one of those ready made sheds. You'd have to insulate it, make a tortoise door, and hook up that AC unit. With the AC your tortoise should be fine above ground. You'd only have to keep the shed temps down in the low to mid 90's for it to work. This will also give him a warm place to sleep during the coming winter nights.

I could definitely do that! What would I use for flooring?

 

[Tank'sMom]

Tanks Mom....the suggestion about an above ground condo is a good one....be prepared for the tortoise to still have a strong drive to dig...this is sometimes deeply seeded in some tortoise...I still believe you will need to be a step more tenacious that him...lol...

I have that feeling too. I'm definitely willing to try a shed. That was something I was planning anyway for winter time. Might be tough to convince him to use it. Lock him in for awhile?
But, even with that, it's likely he'll still dig. :/ Even before the burrow, he would constantly dig in random areas. But, maybe it will satisfy him enough to not build another burrow?

 

[Tank'sMom]

My spidey sense tells me that if you were to build Tank an insulated shed of some kind, with a solid floor, he would be satisfied and wouldn't dig a burrow. But, the trick is, you have to place it in deep shade. Tall shade, not short shade - by that I mean shade with air space above the shed like what's under a tree, not a bush.

So you mean under a tree or something? That can be done. Not sure I quite understand the "air space" above...
You mean so that the tree kinda covers the shed?

 

[Yvonne G]

No. I mean shade under something up high, like a tree, not a bush that's down low on the shed. You want a lot of air space between the top of the shed and the originator of the shade.

 

[Tank'sMom]

So I've spent all afternoon looking at sheds online. To get ideas. Now I have questions.
Maybe you guys who have them can help me out?
What size would be recommended for him? He's 120 lbs and roughly 33" across the carapace.
What is best for flooring?
What's the best material for the outer shell? We can add insulation if needed.
AND what's the best way to go about getting him in it? Preferably, eventually, by choice.
I plan to get this going this week. I need to get him out of the rain as it is. I can tell he's not enjoying the never ending mud and I suspect it's causing him some skin issues. :/

 

[MichiganFrog]

If the shed has a window, and you know someone who's handy with tools, you can purchase an exhaust fan with a thermostat at any major hardware store. Also, if you can insulate the shed in the walls, floors and ceiling, the temperatures and humidity can be easily controlled. Of course, this can be a major undertaking if you want to do it right. My wife and I are just finishing our tortoise shed, and we're in the process of having tile installed now. It's taken us over a year to get everything ready, but it's turned out to be a very nice shed, and our torts really love it. I'll post some pictures of it when it's all done.

 

[RV's mom]

RV's beautiful burrow was having ceiling drop issues, we filled it in before it could collapse on her. She wasn't happy with us, no sir indeed not.
She kept trying to dig, we sunk 1 foot pavers to block her access. She tried to dig under the lemon tree. Same thing. Blocked it and sunk pavers.
She's dug a few other areas, but these are half hearted attempts. I agree with Maggie ~ go about making Tank as comfortable and happy as you can above ground. RV seems to have given up digging.

having said that, I'll probably walk out tomorrow and find her 6 foot down and still digging.

 

[Tank'sMom]

Oh yes. I fully intend to make it air conditioned and heated. My husband is a Construction Superintendent (and side mechanic) so I can get him to help me deck it out. With insulation and heating/cooling. Our climate is very mild, other than about 2 months of unbearable heat in the summer and 2 months of pretty cold in the winter. And of course this rain. "Hurricane Season"... technically ends in November but we get good amounts of Tropical Storms for a couple months around now.
My best bet to get my hubby's help (he's a busy guy, lol) is to get a shed and have him help with the fixing up.
That's why I'm interested in size and substance right now. And anything else anyone can tell me to get this going!

 

[Tank'sMom]

No. I mean shade under something up high, like a tree, not a bush that's down low on the shed. You want a lot of air space between the top of the shed and the originator of the shade.

I'm really curious..... can't help asking why?

 

[Tank'sMom]

I'm really curious..... can't help asking why?

Got 2 spots in mind. Which one is better?

 

[Abdulla6169]

An idea popped up in my mind:
Building the shed 1-2 below feet ground level and filling it with dirt.
This would create a more "natural" substrate. You could also grow a few weeds in there if you'd like (by using grow lights maybe?)... I know, I know, very expensive. But if you have enough money and time, why not?

 

[Abdulla6169]

An idea popped up in my mind:
Building the shed 1-2 below feet ground level and filling it with dirt.
This would create a more "natural" substrate. You could also grow a few weeds in there if you'd like (by using grow lights maybe?)... I know, I know, very expensive. But if you have enough money and time, why not?

Oh right! He'll try to burrow through the dirt! Sometimes my ideas are silly

 

[Maggie Cummings]

OK, here you go, but I had some trouble so there's 2 threads of pictures...

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-tanks-mom.101748/#post-948487

 

[mike taylor]

You don't need a big shed for him . I have a four foot by for foot box . The box has fans for summer that keeps it at 80º and a heater that keeps it at 85 º..