# The tort is digging



## spiderreyy (Jun 23, 2011)

Im assuming he is not getting enough privacy in his house. Everytime I open the garage he makes a b line to the back of it and I throw him out when its time to lock up. This is the only time he hisses at me. Im assuming he is looking for a cooler spot also.


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## Laura (Jun 23, 2011)

does he have enough shade and hidey holes? I dont allow mine to dig... they will dig out or dig down and disappear.. or collapse..


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## ascott (Jun 23, 2011)

I have Ca Desert Tortoises....they all like to muck around in the dirt kicking it up some....but I have one that insist on burrowing...luckily this time he decided to start his burrow opening closer to center of his enclosure...while I know he can easily burrow in excess of 6 feet they are known to burrow and not tunnel.....so I have decided to simply keep an eye on what is going on....I have also placed wood over the general direction his burrow is going so that his odds of collapse and also incase he does "pop" up he won't have an easy out..... Also, once my guy dug his burrow he has stopped pacing and stopped doing test digs along the perimeter....so there was good also letting him do what he is driven to do...and I am speaking about what my guys do...I am not telling anyone what they should be doing....

Laura, how possibly do you not allow digging? I mean does that work? 
I have explained to my guys it is not desired but they seem to not take my feelings into account....LOL


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## spiderreyy (Jun 24, 2011)

It dosent bother me that he is digging. I just hope he dosent go to deep. He cant dig out of the yard, and I will block off the area above his hole to prevent a cave in. Just want him to be happy and comfortable. Maybe Ill set up more shade areas too.


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## dmarcus (Jun 24, 2011)

My Sulcata is about 6 feet deep the last time I measured it and I did lay a piece of wood on top of his entrance but they way he is digging only a extremely large object or extremely heavy rain would could it any issues. And mine has also stopped doing the test digs now that he has a good burrow going. If this is what he want's to do I will let him.


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## SnakeyeZ (Jun 24, 2011)

That's awesome Dalano!


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## ascott (Jun 24, 2011)

spiderreyy, i believe that alot of tortoise have a strong desire/primal need to do what comes instinctually to them...and some tortoise species don't really care to construct a burrow...when I first encountered my digger I would wait till he dug for the day and went into his manmade (well chickmade) burrow for the night and I would go and sneak in and shove the dirt back in the hole...well after we did this dance for a week (i mean a solid 7 day week) he won...I sent back and studied all that I could get my hands on in regards to what we know about their burrow construction and realized that they burrow into the ground(one way in one way out) not tunnel...so I evaluated where he is at and he is far enough away from the neighbors property and he has dug in about 3 to 4 feet max and now seems to be content/secure feeling and so he's won.

delano73, that is a beautiful burrow....they always amaze me at how well their domes and legs flinging clouds of dirt/dust make such a perfect fit home....it reminds me of how much space our species thinks it needs to live/waste vs what in life is actually NEEDED....LOL thanks for sharing that photo....


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## spiderreyy (Jul 6, 2011)

Well, he has been working on his den. Today I looked in and couldnt see him. I couldnt find him anywhere in the yard. Started to get worried then he poped out uf his hole looking at me for some food. I checked his cave and its now 5 feet deep. Didnt see him beacuse he turned it to the right. I wonder how far he will dig.


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## dmarcus (Jul 6, 2011)

spiderreyy said:


> Well, he has been working on his den. Today I looked in and couldnt see him. I couldnt find him anywhere in the yard. Started to get worried then he poped out uf his hole looking at me for some food. I checked his cave and its now 5 feet deep. Didnt see him beacuse he turned it to the right. I wonder how far he will dig.



For some reason they always turn right, mine has stopped digging at the 6 feet mark and I am happy with that, and to get him out, we just have to make noise and he will come to investigate. It's always panic when you can't find them...


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## ascott (Jul 6, 2011)

How exciting and worrisome as well, I know  The thing that I always try to remember, and use to comfort myself when I start to worry, is that they dig burrows and not tunnels ....so he should be fine....are you going to leave him out during the winter? 

I am not going to let mine hibernate out this year...(the last two years have proven not so great for mine because of the crazy amount of rain/flooding and then the extreme cold) so I am going to have to keep an eye out near the end of sept going into oct...I plan to block off his burrow (as he has another dirt covered shelter) to try to allow him to remain outside as long as viable then will snatch em up for their winter sleeping boxes this year...although I would much rather they do their natural thing and remain in their burrow....I have to remind myself in the wild they would do this, but my yard is not the wild and the area has grown so much, more houses, roads etc that when it rains it has a tendency to flood around here...if flooding was not an issue, I would so let them remain out during the winter as well....


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## spiderreyy (Jul 6, 2011)

Ive been thinking about that. Wondered how the rain would effect the cave. Would it flood? I would have to put a shelter above the opening and set up a berm to keep the water out. He dug between a 6 foot block wall and my garage. Not to worried I guess. But I do have gophers out there.


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## dmarcus (Jul 6, 2011)

I am trying to figure a way to make a door of some sort so that it can be closed of in bad weather, would hate for the burrow to get flooded.


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## spiderreyy (Jul 6, 2011)

I would think some sort of small canopy over the opening would do the trick along with a berm that would send water in the other direction.


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## dmarcus (Jul 6, 2011)

spiderreyy said:


> I would think some sort of small canopy over the opening would do the trick along with a berm that would send water in the other direction.



Yes that sounds like it would work good..


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## ascott (Jul 6, 2011)

Ok so I have attached pics here for refs....the first two are my first tortoises natural dug burrow....I dug oh a bit of dirt and then covered the top with wood and rocks and made a defined burm.....then the rain came and came etc....the third pic is what almost all of our property looked like....and during the deluge of non stop rain...I was on flood patrol every hour (for real, in my boots shovel in hand) digging trenches that routed the flood water...this went on for two straight days and every downpour there after until he came out...which is 4the pic (I uncovered his entrance once the weather started to improve) I waited and prayed he would come out...and he did...don't think he had any idea of his near death experience...slept through ..LOL..then to top it all off...the dang gophers backfilled him out solid within a week of him coming out....they are fast rodents and they don't hibernate..


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## Jacob (Jul 6, 2011)

Now Thats Some Digging


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## spiderreyy (Jul 11, 2011)

He has done this so far.


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## Shelly (Jul 12, 2011)

He's just getting started...


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## wrmitchell22 (Jul 12, 2011)

wow, I am so looking forward to Boulder doing this *sarcastic* good thing we will probably be moving to a house with a bigger yard before he gets that big. Our yard is a good size, but I want a designated area for Boulder to dig. I think the dogs will be very jealous!


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