digging up a hibernating tortoise

[Andee]

Hello everyone. I am a first time poster here, but I have a pretty big tortoise problem.
My Dad recently passed away, and currenlty nobody is living in his house. He has a desert tortoise who lives in the back yard in one of two huge burrows. I live about a 5 hour drive from my Dad's house, but I got worried about my little tortoise buddy so I came home for the weekend to get him. I was sure that he would be out of hibernation and pretty hungry by now.
To my frustration he is nowhere to be seen. It looks like he hasn't been in or out of either burrow all winter. It's late in the year but still pretty cold in the High Desert of southern California. I really hope he's hibernating but I'm afriad he might have died over the winter. Is it possible he is still hibernating?
I tried to dig him up but his burrows both go under a concrete patio, and I've dug about as far as I can and I can't reach/see a tortoise or the end of the tunnel. He's been working on these holes for 10 years so there's no telling how far back it goes.
So my questions are 1. Is there a chance he is still alive and just hibernating? It's only supposed to get up to 60 degrees in the Victorville area today but he's normally up and active by mid-March.
second, how the heck do I get him out if he is alive? Is there a way to wake him up early or do I just have to wait it out? I live 5 hours away so checking him daily is not an option. Any ideas? Thank you!

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Hi and welcome. I live in Oregon so I can't help you...but I am calling on some/a members of TFO to help you...come on guys, a desert tortoise needs your help!!!

 

[Andee]

I think you sent me good luck! Just as I went outside to resume my hopeless digging, I saw a beutiful little head pop out of his old burrow that I thought he abandoned years ago! I was digging in the wrong hole the whole time. He gave me a huge hiss and scramed back down the hole, but now I know he's alive and kicking. It's just a game of luring him out now. I dont' think I've ever been so happy to see beedy little eyes in my life.

 

[coreyc]

That's great new's I love a happy ending welcome to the forum

 

[dmarcus]

Very good news...

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

Welcome and that is great!

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Andee:

Welcome to the forum!!

Are you planning to keep the tortoise? Where do you live?

I'm so glad he showed you where he's hiding! You really lucked out.

 

[Tortuga_terrestre]

He should be ok living outdoors...since victorville is the high desert; that where they originate from. Good Luck.

 

[Shelly]

This spring has been a little chillier than normal. He's just getting a late start. As soon as we have a few consecutive days of warm weather, he'll be out and about.

 

[dmmj]

One day cold, one day warm, they are more than likely a little confused, as soon as it warms up, he should be out and about, are you gonna keep it? at your place or your dads?

 

[Andee]

Thanks everyone for the welcome. I'm glad he's okay, and I'm definitely going to keep him. I live in the Central Valley (Modesto area) and I plan to keep him outside on the patio. The weather is a little more mild than Victorville but I think he'll be okay outside. I'm going to build him an outdoor tortoise table/ sand box so he has someplace to dig and someplace to hang out other than the tile on the patio. Hopefully it will keep him from digging in the flower beds as well.
Right now I have him in a large tupperwear box without a lid. I bought some cypress mulch at the pet store but it seems too moist to keep him in, I'm afraid he'll try to eat it. I might go back and get aspen instead, but for tonight he seems okay with an old towel.
He drank for about 5 minutes straight, and now he's happily munching some romaine lettuce. And I'm busy reading up on how to care for my new pet. Any and all advice is appreciated!

 

[rachael]

Hey, you should upload a photo of the tortoise! Glad you found him

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Thanks everyone for the welcome. I'm glad he's okay, and I'm definitely going to keep him. I live in the Central Valley (Modesto area) and I plan to keep him outside on the patio. The weather is a little more mild than Victorville but I think he'll be okay outside. I'm going to build him an outdoor tortoise table/ sand box so he has someplace to dig and someplace to hang out other than the tile on the patio. Hopefully it will keep him from digging in the flower beds as well.
Right now I have him in a large tupperwear box without a lid. I bought some cypress mulch at the pet store but it seems too moist to keep him in, I'm afraid he'll try to eat it. I might go back and get aspen instead, but for tonight he seems okay with an old towel.
He drank for about 5 minutes straight, and now he's happily munching some romaine lettuce. And I'm busy reading up on how to care for my new pet. Any and all advice is appreciated!

Cypress mulch is a great substrate. Having it moist cuts down on the dust and is better for him. My sister emysemys runs a turtle and tortoise rescue in Clovis right outside Fresno and she will be glad to help you with any problems you have with the tort...

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Andee:

Do you live in an apartment? I think you'll be making a mistake to keep the tortoise on the patio. He's used to having a nice yard to roam around in, and eating the grass. He'll be pretty stressed out from the move and then being kept on the patio. Do you have a bit of yard you can fence off for him? Quite a few folks fence off the side yard for the tortoise. This is usually a good spot because there's the house on one side and the neighbor's cement walk on the other side. You just need to secure the gate and fence off the end.

I'm glad you're able to keep the tortoise in the family, but please re-think where you're going to keep him.

 

[Shelly]

Hi Andee:

Do you live in an apartment? I think you'll be making a mistake to keep the tortoise on the patio. He's used to having a nice yard to roam around in, and eating the grass. He'll be pretty stressed out from the move and then being kept on the patio. Do you have a bit of yard you can fence off for him? Quite a few folks fence off the side yard for the tortoise. This is usually a good spot because there's the house on one side and the neighbor's cement walk on the other side. You just need to secure the gate and fence off the end.

I'm glad you're able to keep the tortoise in the family, but please re-think where you're going to keep him.

Totally agree. He needs lots of room, lots of food, places to dig, and plenty of sun. He will be miserable if he doesn't have each of these things.

 

[Andee]

I should explain the "patio." It's actually the whole backyard of a townhouse. It's a good sized area, at least 14x10 feet. The people who lived there before tiled a good portion of it with terra cotta tile, which is why I call it the "patio." but there are still about 3 feet of dirt between the tile and the fence line with grass and weeds growing like crazy. the other side of the fence is concrete so he can dig his heart out and not escape. Still, I'd rather not have him burrow because the ground slopes downwards and I think he'd get flooded out. So I bought him a plastic dog house and filled it with cypress mulch so he has someplace to sleep during the spring and summer. I'm going to hibernate him in the garage when it gets cold.

I know it's not what he's used to but he seems pretty happy out there. He has already taken care of my dandelion problem and exposed an area of dirt for digging. I'll post pics tomorrow once it's light out.