Sulcata burrow

[Nick C]

Sunday afternoon Bill decided he wanted to start digging a nice little burrow, I just let him do his thing because I was more curious than anything. By sunday evening he was about 2ft deep and he fell asleep and didn't want to go back to his hide. I was considering digging him out but decided to just leave him where he was for the night. I was worried all night because it got down to the low 60s here. I plugged the burrow today, but i was wondering how you guys handle their burrowing?

 

[ascott]

Sunday afternoon Bill decided he wanted to start digging a nice little burrow, I just let him do his thing because I was more curious than anything. By sunday evening he was about 2ft deep and he fell asleep and didn't want to go back to his hide. I was considering digging him out but decided to just leave him where he was for the night. I was worried all night because it got down to the low 60s here. I plugged the burrow today, but i was wondering how you guys handle their burrowing?View attachment 175149 View attachment 175150

Well, what is on the other side of that fence? your property? I will tell you, that second pic is pure satisfaction in that face....lovely. well, while I do not host this species, I would say that since you live in San Berdo....it likely will not freeze there .....where about in San Bernd to you live? I live up the hill in the High Desert and we do freeze here so I would not be able to facilitate a burrow for winter....what is your lowest temp in the winter exactly where you are....?

 

[Big Charlie]

Actually, I like it when Charlie has a burrow. It helps him get out of the heat in the summer and provides some humidity. I also live in California, in the Central Valley. The problems I've had is when his burrows went places they shouldn't - like under the fence into the neighbor's yard or under our house. This year I've picked the perfect place for him to dig. Now just to get him to do it.

Others seal up any burrows that are dug. You just have to keep an eye out. Or you can let him have a burrow and then seal it up once winter is on its way.

Another thing you can do is what Tom has done. He digs up the burrow and lines with a box, then covers it back up with dirt. That way you don't have to worry about it caving in or your tort extending it further, and you can add a heater.

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

Well, what is on the other side of that fence, your property?

My experience indicates that sucata burrows typically head downward not downward then back upward for escape reasons. They are digging a burrow for genetic memory reasons, not reasons of escape. People block off the burrows for many reasons, from a fear of collapse of the burrow to a fear of cold tortoises, to just not wanting the tortoise down there all night playing video games. If you have no heated house down there, and you don't live in the native land for sulcata tortoises in Africa or you can't reach the tortoise yourself to remove it your best option would likely be to block access to the burrow to the tortoise. This can be as simple as placing a piece of plywood over the burrow to block the access to the burrow. I've done this simply to encourage my female, Makita to dig a nesting hole of my choosing not hers. I hope this helps you, and I encourage you to continue asking questions and learn. Soon, you too, will be answering questions posed by others.

 

[Nick C]

Well, what is on the other side of that fence? your property? I will tell you, that second pic is pure satisfaction in that face....lovely. well, while I do not host this species, I would say that since you live in San Berdo....it likely will not freeze there .....where about in San Bernd to you live? I live up the hill in the High Desert and we do freeze here so I would not be able to facilitate a burrow for winter....what is your lowest temp in the winter exactly where you are....?

I live in the north end of SB very close to Cal State University SB, While we hardly ever get frost on the ground here I do see the roofs frosted over a handfull of times in the winter. I agree with you he just looks so at home down there it almost killed me to block it off and force him to sleep in his hide. There is a large 4 lane street on the other side of that wall and it may be hard to dig him if he gets under that wall. Im curious to see how deep the footing goes on the wall. But honestly it seems like he's curving to hole to the right away from the wall.

Actually, I like it when Charlie has a burrow. It helps him get out of the heat in the summer and provides some humidity. I also live in California, in the Central Valley. The problems I've had is when his burrows went places they shouldn't - like under the fence into the neighbor's yard or under our house. This year I've picked the perfect place for him to dig. Now just to get him to do it.

Others seal up any burrows that are dug. You just have to keep an eye out. Or you can let him have a burrow and then seal it up once winter is on its way.

Another thing you can do is what Tom has done. He digs up the burrow and lines with a box, then covers it back up with dirt. That way you don't have to worry about it caving in or your tort extending it further, and you can add a heater.

Im waiting for summer to actually hit here so I wont worry about the night time temps as much, so I can just let him do his thing until winter and enjoy being a tortoise.

My experience indicates that sucata burrows typically head downward not downward then back upward for escape reasons. They are digging a burrow for genetic memory reasons, not reasons of escape. People block off the burrows for many reasons, from a fear of collapse of the burrow to a fear of cold tortoises, to just not wanting the tortoise down there all night playing video games. If you have no heated house down there, and you don't live in the native land for sulcata tortoises in Africa or you can't reach the tortoise yourself to remove it your best option would likely be to block access to the burrow to the tortoise. This can be as simple as placing a piece of plywood over the burrow to block the access to the burrow. I've done this simply to encourage my female, Makita to dig a nesting hole of my choosing not hers. I hope this helps you, and I encourage you to continue asking questions and learn. Soon, you too, will be answering questions posed by others.

I'd be mad if he's playing games down there with out inviting me first. Hahah The ground seems relatively solid and had lots of plant growth on it recently so it seems like all that root system my help the roof from collapse. Im going to cover it until it really starts warming up over here. then ill let him do his thing for a couple months until it starts getting too cold for him again. It just gets me upset that I putting some decent coin into making a nice hide with a kane matt, humidifier, and oil heater just for him to rather sleep in some cold hole in the ground. Reminds me of the saying you can lead a horse to water, but u cant make him drink.

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

Reminds me of the saying you can lead a horse to water, but u cant make him drink.

 

[Tom]

I'm in Santa Clarita and my climate is similar to yours. I let my sulcatas use their own self-dug burrow from about mid June to the end of October. The rest of the time I cover the hole with plywood and blocks, because our nights are too cold and damp. You need to make him use his heated box for a little while longer, or he's likely to get sick.

Check it out:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/sulcata-burrows.50846/

I think this is the best way to go when outside temps are near 100 every day in summer.

 

[Nick C]

Wow was just able to read your burrow thread, that burrow is really in a perfect area, far away from everything.

I have his blocked off now, ill open it back up in a few weeks when it gets quite a bit warmer. It did upset him though, he tried digging a new one right next to it, but I blocked it off with big rocks as soon as he started.

 

[Tom]

he tried digging a new one right next to it, but I blocked it off with big rocks as soon as he started.

Mine do that too, and that is exactly what I do about it too.

 

[ascott]

Wow was just able to read your burrow thread, that burrow is really in a perfect area, far away from everything.

I have his blocked off now, ill open it back up in a few weeks when it gets quite a bit warmer. It did upset him though, he tried digging a new one right next to it, but I blocked it off with big rocks as soon as he started.

On a MUCH smaller scale, I have a CDT here that literally dug a hole right over the top of the burrow tunnel and "dropped" into his burrow , right around all of my plywood block attempts....so I now use a ridiculously large piece of wood and a bunch of huge boulders at all four corners.....so there...lol...

I only asked about what is on the other side of the fence where he was digging towards in the event there was a dog of a neighbor on the other side....a dog somehow knows and hears when a tortoise is digging in the dirt....also, if the other side of the fence is your own property then you can safe guard against collapse....was just curious is all

 

[Tank'sMom]

My Tank has dug a burrow every summer. I let him because it is hot out and he REALLY enjoys it.
So far, they have almost all collapsed in the early fall when we get the heavy rains of hurricane season.
I make sure he's out once the heavy rains hit.
His record burrow was about 20 ft long, extending into my neighbors yard until he hit the side of their pool. Yikes.
He always digs to the right. And the last few have just been a big circular area beyond the entrance. Perfect for him to set up his Xbox!
I live in South Texas, where it is hot and very humid. We did leave him in one surviving burrow one winter with ceramic heaters at the entrance. But our winters are very mild.
In my experience, if he wants to dig, he will dig. And you will not stop him! Lol. So just try your best to point him in the preferable direction or make him a "Tom Box"! Lol.

 

[Razan]

A year ago our tortoise came from a place where he lived all year long using the borrow he dug. Now at our place he has uses Tom's night box design and has not tried to dig a new burrow...yet.

Happy tort.

 

[Nick C]

It has been really hot (95+) here for the last few days so and I really don't have the proper humidity yet in his hide. So I broke down a let him resume building his burrow. So in about three days of digging he made his burrow 8ft deep now and the humidity has to be pretty high because the dirt looks pretty damp but its not muddy. I can hardly see him when he is way down there. I thought he was curving to the right but it looks like he made a little chamber at the bottom to the left.
It looks like summer may be here so if it continues like this, I'm going to let him do his thing for the rest of the summer.