# Burrows



## longbeachskunk (Jan 23, 2009)

Hi everyone. I really want to make a couple burrows for my 2 DT's. However, I live in Long Beach (So Cal) and I'm wondering how necessary they are here considering we don't live in the desert. It gets just as hot in Long Beach but there are plenty of shady, undrafty spots in our backyard for them to cool off. They also have an enclosure they share that is also in a shaded spot. And if anyone does recommend I build a couple burrows, can you please tell me how you make them?


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## Yvonne G (Jan 23, 2009)

Burrows are great for the tortoises except in the winter time. Does Long Beach get much rain? I allowed my desert tortoises to dig a burrow several years ago. It helps them cool down during the 100+ degree summers, however it sometimes is pretty hard to be able to get them all out of it before Autumn. Here in Central Calif, we have too much rain for the tortoises to be allowed to hibernate outside, and I have to close off the mouth of the burrow. Another problem if you have more than one tortoise. Sometimes one tortoise will block the entrance and the others can't get out.

Yvonne


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## longbeachskunk (Jan 23, 2009)

Well, doesn't rain much here in Southern Cal except for the very rare couple times in the winter like today, and I stash my 2 torts away in the guest room closet during the winter. But, it gets very hot here in the summer despite that we live on the coast. Maybe instead of building them myself, I will allow them to dig up their own if they really want. They seem to be fine with just going into their enclosure or under a shady bush.

Ok, so what would be a good soil/dirt for them to dig into and make a durable burrow if one of them does decide to approach some soil and start digging?



emysemys said:


> Burrows are great for the tortoises except in the winter time. Does Long Beach get much rain? I allowed my desert tortoises to dig a burrow several years ago. It helps them cool down during the 100+ degree summers, however it sometimes is pretty hard to be able to get them all out of it before Autumn. Here in Central Calif, we have too much rain for the tortoises to be allowed to hibernate outside, and I have to close off the mouth of the burrow. Another problem if you have more than one tortoise. Sometimes one tortoise will block the entrance and the others can't get out.
> 
> Yvonne


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## Yvonne G (Jan 23, 2009)

A few years ago Don Williams posted instructions for building a tortoise burrow, and that's what I used for my burrow. I'll try to explain here:

Get a piece of 3/4" or 1" plywood, a full sheet. Place it on the ground where you want the burrow and make an outline of the sheet, then remove it for later. Dig out the space within the outline. You want to end up with a 4'x8' hole in the ground that tilts down on one end to about 2'. So one end is at ground level, gently sloping down to 2' at the other end. Then dig a trench about a foot wide from the ground level end to the deep end. At the deep end, dig a turn-around. I made the trench about a foot deep. Then you put the sheet of plywood in the hole and cover it up with all the dirt you removed, leaving the upper end open for the tortoises. As the tortoises use the burrow, they dig it out more and refine it. Like I said before, I have two problems with it. 1. in the fall, it is sometimes hard to catch ALL the tortoises out of the burrow so that I can close up the opening, and 2. Because there are 3 tortoises in this habitat, sometimes one of them gets to the opening and just sits there and the others can't get out. 

I also use cinderblock houses placed in the shade, but the tortoises much prefer the burrow.

Yvonne


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## Millerlite (Jan 23, 2009)

you can do something like this, second picture. I also saw a great way to make them with a trashcan. I am going to try and look for it. 

http://images.google.com/imgres?img...-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&hs=QVU&sa=N


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## chelonologist (Jan 29, 2009)

Burrows are great for desert tortoises in captivity within the Los Angeles Basin, but not in the winter time. I've heard a lot of reports where people have lost their tortoises because they drowned within the burrows. Additionally, as Yvonne has mentioned previously, the soil may stay wet all winter long within a burrow, which could make the tortoise sick (respiratory infection). For people that live in the LA Basin (and I'm one of them), the best thing to do is leave the tortoise outside between April and October, but bring them into a cool place indoors (like a garage) to hibernate once the rains start.


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## jtpaintball5 (Feb 14, 2009)

Ya Michael is right, I visited a private breeder recently and his DT dug a 7-foot hole like a horse-shoe under the ground under his yard. He put cement blocks down to prevent the tortoises from entering during the winter. Anyways sounds great and fun to make a little underground trench/burrow for the DT's.


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