# Underground Sulcata will not come out



## Tad Kimes (Jul 17, 2019)

My Sulcata is underground and won't come out, he is 19 years old and weighs 100 pounds. It has now been 7 or 8 days and he has never done this before. The cave he dug is about 2 feet deep and goes back about 12 to 15 feet. I can see him with a flashlight and thought he was dead so I have been poking him every day to make sure he moves. So I know he is alive and don't know what to do. Does anyone have any suggestions?


----------



## Ray--Opo (Jul 17, 2019)

Welcome Tad, that question is above my pay grade. Maybe @Tom has some answers for you. If you don't get info soon. I will summons some other members. 
I was just in Key West last week. It has changed since I was there 40yrs ago.


----------



## Tom (Jul 17, 2019)

The hose method always works for me. Run a hose down there full blast. Some of them come shooting out as soon as they water hits them. Stubborn ones will inch their way up as the burrow floods. Eventually they get all the way to the top and you can pull them away from the flooded burrow.


----------



## vladimir (Jul 18, 2019)

Good luck and please let us know how it goes!


----------



## Ray--Opo (Jul 18, 2019)

Tom said:


> The hose method always works for me. Run a hose down there full blast. Some of them come shooting out as soon as they water hits them. Stubborn ones will inch their way up as the burrow floods. Eventually they get all the way to the top and you can pull them away from the flooded burrow.


Tom is the reason for the tort to stay in the burrow because of the heat?


----------



## Ben02 (Jul 18, 2019)

Ray--Opo said:


> Tom is the reason for the tort to stay in the burrow because of the heat?


I also think it’s to check the tortoise is ok and healthy.


----------



## Tad Kimes (Jul 18, 2019)

Ray--Opo said:


> Welcome Tad, that question is above my pay grade. Maybe @Tom has some answers for you. If you don't get info soon. I will summons some other members.
> I was just in Key West last week. It has changed since I was there 40yrs ago.


Ray, Thanks for reply, I'm new to this forum posting thing and I don't know how to contact @Tom, is it possible for you to forward my question to him for me? Thank You so much, my tort is a big part of my family and I will do whatever it takes. Tad


----------



## Ben02 (Jul 18, 2019)

@Tom


----------



## Tom (Jul 18, 2019)

Ray--Opo said:


> Tom is the reason for the tort to stay in the burrow because of the heat?


They will certainly retreat from mid day heat into their burrows, but they should still be coming out mornings and evenings to graze. Something is wrong if it hasn't come out in 8 days.


----------



## Kapidolo Farms (Jul 18, 2019)

Another method for prompting a tortoise out of their burrow is to run a hair dryer with the heat aimed into the burrow. They come out once the heat gets to them.


----------



## Yvonne G (Jul 18, 2019)

I would dig him out


----------



## kazjimmy (Jul 18, 2019)

I use water to fill up the hole so the male will come out


----------



## Ray--Opo (Jul 18, 2019)

Tad Kimes said:


> Ray, Thanks for reply, I'm new to this forum posting thing and I don't know how to contact @Tom, is it possible for you to forward my question to him for me? Thank You so much, my tort is a big part of my family and I will do whatever it takes. Tad


Look back oon the responses. He has already responded. When you put @ in front of the user name. They will see it in there alerts. You did it on your post. Notice it is green. You can also click on their icon and click start a conversation. That is a personal message that only you and the other member can see. We call that a PM( Personal Message). Read all the posts you have received and good luck with your sully.


----------



## Ray--Opo (Jul 18, 2019)

I noticed I repeated myself


----------



## wellington (Jul 18, 2019)

I dont have a burrowing species. However I would dig him out. If something is wrong with him he may not be able to come out and I would be afraid to dump a bunch of water in there. 
You could also be prepared to dig him out if the water method doesn't make him move at all


----------



## Pastel Tortie (Jul 19, 2019)

@Tad Kimes Any update on your sulcata? 

In Key West, your water table can't be too far down to begin with. That might explain why your tortoise only burrowed a couple feet down, even if the burrow goes quite a ways back. There may already be water in the floor of his burrow. 

if your sulcata has not come out by now, I'm inclined to agree that you should dig him out, starting at the entrance. Keep in mind, after you get him out, you may need to make some landscape modifications to the enclosure to encourage him NOT to dig in the first place.


----------



## JTH (Jul 19, 2019)

Sulcatas are a burrowing species that come from severe near-desert conditions that depend on burrows to survive. If your recent weather has been hot, the tortoise may be just going through a normal period of estivation.


----------



## wellington (Jul 19, 2019)

JTH said:


> Sulcatas are a burrowing species that come from severe near-desert conditions that depend on burrows to survive. If your recent weather has been hot, the tortoise may be just going through a normal period of estivation.


As Tom said, they would normally come out early morning or late afternoon to graze. They would not stay in the burrow for 8 days.


----------



## TillyGtheTortoise (Jul 19, 2019)

Tad Kimes said:


> My Sulcata is underground and won't come out, he is 19 years old and weighs 100 pounds. It has now been 7 or 8 days and he has never done this before. The cave he dug is about 2 feet deep and goes back about 12 to 15 feet. I can see him with a flashlight and thought he was dead so I have been poking him every day to make sure he moves. So I know he is alive and don't know what to do. Does anyone have any suggestions?



I would not flood his burrow with water or heat. I would try to lure him out with his favorite, brightly colored food. If that doesn't work, I would dig him out right away. Good luck and please keep us posted. How hot is it where you live? I'm sure he likes the humidity and coolness of his burrow but he should be coming out every once and while.Xoxo


----------



## queen koopa (Jul 20, 2019)

My Sulcata (6 yrs bout 30 pounds) dug her first burrow at the end of summer when her pool was out of order ( some sort of worm/larva started thriving - I've corrected) any-who, she Came out every day, but when the temps started dropping at night, she stared not to come out (early nov). Poked her until she turned to face me then I sat halfway in the burrow for an hour with some squash and collard greens. Got her out and filled in the burrow with boulders. She moved extremely slow and her bite strength was minimal.


----------



## Yvonne G (Jul 20, 2019)

Unless you're sure his path out of the burrow is clear, I wouldn't use water to get him out.


----------



## queen koopa (Jul 21, 2019)

Yvonne G said:


> Unless you're sure his path out of the burrow is clear, I wouldn't use water to get him out.


I second that.


----------



## JTH (Jul 21, 2019)

wellington said:


> As Tom said, they would normally come out early morning or late afternoon to graze. They would not stay in the burrow for 8 days.


Not necessarily. Under hot conditions they might stay underground for months at a time in nature. I agree with the suggestion that you try to lure it out with food, but I'd really hesitate to try broiling or flooding it out... unless you already suspected that this animal was ill or injured.


----------



## TammyJ (Jul 22, 2019)

What's happening? I would have dug him out by now for sure if nothing else worked.


----------



## shellcior (Jul 22, 2019)

Mine started digging with this heat here in South Texas. I built him a shallow pool with a shade cover over it and also installed a misting wand in his shed. Between the 2 of those items, it has helped alot. Please update when you get him out. Good luck!!!


----------

