Hole Digging

kiramcathey

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Tucson, AZ
I have had my Sulcata tortoise for 1 1/2 months now. She is about 2 years old. Previously, she lived at my in laws, but they had only a very small space for her (aprox 5ftx2ft). She now is able to roam the backyard freely at my house, which she does on a daily basis.

At my in laws, she had a burrow hole she had dug. She has not dug any holes since moving to my house. She just sleeps in the converted dog house we have for her. (Doesn’t have a floor, so she could dig). She has made some little nesting spots, but that is it. I attached a photo of her in her house. I also attached a photo of her deep in the hole that she dug under her shelter/house at my in laws.

is the dirt at my house too hard for her to dig into? Or is there a different reason?
 

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Tom

The Dog Trainer
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Southern California
I have had my Sulcata tortoise for 1 1/2 months now. She is about 2 years old. Previously, she lived at my in laws, but they had only a very small space for her (aprox 5ftx2ft). She now is able to roam the backyard freely at my house, which she does on a daily basis.

At my in laws, she had a burrow hole she had dug. She has not dug any holes since moving to my house. She just sleeps in the converted dog house we have for her. (Doesn’t have a floor, so she could dig). She has made some little nesting spots, but that is it. I attached a photo of her in her house. I also attached a photo of her deep in the hole that she dug under her shelter/house at my in laws.

is the dirt at my house too hard for her to dig into? Or is there a different reason?
They dig to escape extreme heat. I let them burrow in summer and then block their burrow entrances when the weather cools in fall and make them sleep in their heated boxes. When spring rolls back around and temps climb back into the 90s, you can encourage a burrow where you want it by starting it for your tortoise and showing it by putting it in the hole repeatedly on hot days.

In the mean time, your shelter is not suitable. It will be/is far too cold and the CHE is going to burn the shel down on the ground like that. Pick it up immediately. Those things get upwards of 600 degrees! They will singe your skin if you touch them. Your tortoise is too big for a CHE anyway now. They will burn the carapace.

This species needs warm temps year round. On the ground in a plastic dog house top will be far too cold on those 30 degree winter nights. Sickness or death is likely. I am also in a hot climate. I keep the boxes set to 70 in summer when daytime temps are always near 100. 80 in spring and fall when the days are still warm and sunny, but nights get too cold. 86 in winter when the days are cool and sometimes overcast.

Here are two ways to build the correct type of box. I've tried all manner of dog houses, sheds, and pre-made stuff for housing them. It just doesn't work. This works:
 

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