Tanks latest burrow...

[Tank'sMom]

I've been scared to let him go to crazy with the burrow digging. It's a daily struggle around here.
Well I went out of town for 2 whole days. This is what I came back to:

"Hey, you in there?"

Will you come out for some food???

Yes? Sick of grass, eh? Missed Momma?

Ok. And it's been 3 days today that I haven't seen him come out to graze. Is that normal?
Now that he finally has his "bachelor pad", should I let him keep it?

 

[christinaland128]

Aw he worked so hard! You should let him!!

 

[Tank'sMom]

I want to... I just worry about the dangers. The rainy season is coming. If he stays put we can get him out, but if he goes much further in.... yikes!

 

[naturalman91]

i'd let him keep it he looks like he worked very hard lol

 

[Abdulla6169]

I'd build him my own burrow... With a heater and everything.... Is there a chance that burrows my flood due to rain?

 

[Tom]

Everything you are seeing is totally normal and your tortoise is finally comfortable. I vote you leave him be.

About the flooding: One of the ways to extricate a tortoise who does not want to come out of its burrow is to run a garden hose down there. Just get out of the way if you do this because they will often come out of there like a rocket. If its starts to rain and the burrow begins to flood, your tortoise will come up and out. During cold weather this could be a problem. During hot weather you should be fine.

In the book "The Crying Tortoise" about African sulcatas in Africa, there is a passage where the author indicates that even when a burrow collapses, they are able to simply dig or walk out anyway. Sulcatas are extremely powerful underground.

 

[Abdulla6169]

Everything you are seeing is totally normal and your tortoise is finally comfortable. I vote you leave him be.

About the flooding: One of the ways to extricate a tortoise who does not want to come out of its burrow is to run a garden hose down there. Just get out of the way if you do this because they will often come out of there like a rocket. If its starts to rain and the burrow begins to flood, your tortoise will come up and out. During cold weather this could be a problem. During hot weather you should be fine.

In the book "The Crying Tortoise" about African sulcatas in Africa, there is a passage where the author indicates that even when a burrow collapses, they are able to simply dig or walk out anyway. Sulcatas are extremely powerful underground.

Are captured Sulcatas illegal, without proper documentation? Right? I've been reading some articles on the confiscation of sulcatas on the animal market here....

 

[Tom]

Every country has their own rules. Sulcatas are actually HIGHLY endangered in the wild. They have gone extinct in at least two countries and probably more. Luckily, there is really no reason to remove them from the wild anymore, they breed easily, readily and copiously in captivity. It has been illegal to import wild leopard tortoises and sulcatas into the US since the late 90's. Everything over here has been captive bred for a decade and a half. Captive bred sulcatas and leopards have been widely available over here since the early 90's.

 

[Abdulla6169]

Every country has their own rules. Sulcatas are actually HIGHLY endangered in the wild. They have gone extinct in at least two countries and probably more. Luckily, there is really no reason to remove them from the wild anymore, they breed easily, readily and copiously in captivity. It has been illegal to import wild leopard tortoises and sulcatas into the US since the late 90's. Everything over here has been captive bred for a decade and a half. Captive bred sulcatas and leopards have been widely available over here since the early 90's.

Those internet articles worried me, so only buy from captive bred That's why they seem more expensive than the past!

 

[christinaland128]

I just giggled imagining @Tom 's comment about him coming out like a rocket!

 

[Maro2Bear]

Nice pictures of your tank in action. And here I thought we had issues with moles and voles in the garden. Does Tank pile all the excavated dirt out like a woodchuck/groundhog hole or does he haul it away?

 

[lismar79]

Wow, I though my chipmunks were a problem...

 

[Moozillion]

WOW!!! That is some IMPRESSIVE excavation!!!

 

[bouaboua]

Yes. Can they dig????????

WOW! ! ! !

 

[sibi]

I've been scared to let him go to crazy with the burrow digging. It's a daily struggle around here.
Well I went out of town for 2 whole days. This is what I came back to:
View attachment 87627
"Hey, you in there?"
View attachment 87628
Will you come out for some food???
View attachment 87629View attachment 87630
Yes? Sick of grass, eh? Missed Momma?
View attachment 87631View attachment 87632
Ok. And it's been 3 days today that I haven't seen him come out to graze. Is that normal?
Now that he finally has his "bachelor pad", should I let him keep it?

I love how you set up the story. I think I see a sprinkler hose showing. Did he bust the line, or did he just happen to bypass it in his digging? How old is he? How many times have he dug burrows?

 

[tinkerbell1189]

That's really impressive! He's been working hard! I like how smug he looks in the pictures, like he's really proud of his achievement

 

[Tank'sMom]

He's been at the digging for a long time and in many different and inconvenient places. He's never successfully pulled one off so nicely. Mostly it's been him running into a concrete foundation, he broke our water pipeline twice (lucky my hubby is a contractor and could fix it), he dig up my dogs grave awhile back.... Mostly lots of random digging and something or another getting in the way.
I'm glad he finally pulled it off and is happy. I'll just have to watch the weather. We get hurricanes here but we know about them in advance.
My concern now is that he doesn't come out! He hasn't come out to graze, that I've seen, for 3-4 days! Is that normal? I only fed him the one time and was gonna take him more today... Is that normal?
This was the start this time

He was just throwing dirt everywhere, not really "tunneling" like he finally did.

And yes there's a HUGE mound of dirt next to this that I'm gonna use to go fill in all his other holes! Maybe he'll stop now! Yay!

 

[Tank'sMom]

Oh and in the tunnel that's a root. And yes, at the start he went through a sprinkler system that hasn't been in use for years. That's the black pipe.
We live on an acre that used to be a trailer park many moons ago. So there's all kinds of stuff that he runs into!!!
I wish I could post the video of the dirt flying! Lol.

 

[Tank'sMom]

I just giggled imagining @Tom 's comment about him coming out like a rocket!

I might have to try that! I've never seen him move that fast! Lol...

 

[sibi]

Oh and in the tunnel that's a root. And yes, at the start he went through a sprinkler system that hasn't been in use for years. That's the black pipe.
We live on an acre that used to be a trailer park many moons ago. So there's all kinds of stuff that he runs into!!!
I wish I could post the video of the dirt flying! Lol.

Oh, I've seen dirt flying. When you have sulcatas, you'll see it sooner or later. You are sure that he's a he, right? Sometimes they'll stay in their burrows for days especially if it's hot outside. They can go a long time without food, so, I wouldn't worry yet. You may want to try and entice him with a favorite fruit like watermelon to see if he'll come out. He may be digging further in. I believe that they can create tunnels with several exits that can go for ever underground. I hope he doesn't feel the need to do that. I dread the day that any of mine would do that. I don't live on an acre of land, and there are neighbors all around me, ugh!