this is exactly what im afraid of... is it possible to reinforce naturally dug burrows?

If they dig it, they will make it strong enogh. They keep a well rounded hole which is quite sturdy. They are extremely hard to remove because they make the holes the same size as their shells.

Actually no matter the tortoises side they can dig very far under impossible to find them afterwards.
My tortoise looi is only 1 year old and is only 2 inches SCL, and dug nearly 2 foot under the ground!if it wasnt for the whole we found we wouldnt of found him.

Also, theres alot of tortoises that stay small:
Hermanns, russians, greeks, iberas, marginates, and many others!

Can you tell me what is a Golden Tortoise? I have never heard of one.
Thank you

Can you tell me what is a Golden Tortoise? I have never heard of one.
Thank you
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I don't believe there is an actual golden tortoise, They do have different tortoises through breeding that are golden. Golden greeks, golden russians, etc. etc.

Please correct me if I am wrong.

We recently (4weeks ago) adopted a lrg male sulcata tortoise. He weighes approx 90lbs. We were letting him dig his own burrow however he has yet to do so. He has what I would consider dug a bed under several large bushes. Do you think we should build one for him? We have a large back yard with many garden areas (watered daily) that he enjoys laying in during the heat of the day. Did I mention we live in Phoenix, Arizona?

Personally, i would'nt let him dig any tunnels. It opens up a lot of potential problems for you and him.

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In one of the Sulcata's enclosures I dug two slanted holes and covered one with half a barrel and the other with large pieces of petrified rock. The tort's will sit under each for shade but haven't dug any farther. In another enclosure my largest tort will dig a small cave under my Star's enclosure each summer. It never gets to deep and I fill it in each fall. They haven't dug anywhere else. They always have access to their tort shed and I have plenty of shade ranging from bushes to hollow fake rocks for them to hide under. During the hot summer months they love to sit under the sprinklers during the heat of the day.

Misty
5 Sulcata's
3 Leopard's
3 Indian Star's

The DT fosters I have did not dig. I provided a hide for them and they were content to go under there and scute a litte dirt out and snuggle in. Now I have provided a dog house for them.
Golden Greeks "While it was obvious that this was a Testudo of some variety, it was declared a Testudo graeca , Testudo graeca ibera , Testudo graeca terrestris or Testudo graeca flowerii. depending upon your taxonomist of choice. In other words, little was known about them other than that they had a very light colored shell and that a mask was evident on darker skinned specimens. They became known in the market as “Golden Greeks”. Until these animals are examined by taxonomists and their findings peer reviewed the actual species/ subspecies designation of Golden Greeks will most likely remain in question. Initial examinations by some taxonomists identified the species as probable Testudo graeca terrestris. As time went on and more was learned of these animals this became supported by the probable locale data from the early shipments and confiscations of a Lebanon or Jordanian point of origin." this is an exerp from this link. Read more about them here. http://www.chelonia.org/Articles/Whatisagolden.htm