CALICHE

[RV's mom]

Here are pictures of the chunk of caliche Tom brought to the surface when he explored RV's den.

not the best pic, but you can appreciate the size of the thing

side view, showing irregular shape. I don't know the position of it in the burrow, if it was up on its side, or not

close up showing some detail

finally, a close up showing the tight packed mineralized 'soil' - its all rock and tight grit.

All in all I think our soil is best suited for these guys to burrow, and I would really have to think hard about allowing a tort to burrow in anything else.

teri

 

[Tom]

Neat. It was laying relatively flat in some soft dirt.

I've been thinking an awful lot about burrows now and I think its just too cold here too much of the time to do it with out some sort of heat. Now I'm trying to figure out some PRACTICAL way to get heat down into a natural burrow.

 

[dmmj]

heating a natural burrow will be difficult.

 

[Neal]

When I was out in Queen Creek all the soil out there was Caliche. As a gardener...I HATE THIS STUFF!!!

 

[RV's mom]

as a gardener, I hate this stuff too.. however, it does grow very nice bermuda grass, RVs main diet. During the summer months, we don't give her much anything else, unless we treat with a carrot, or weeds pulled from garden space, or trimmings from other things she'll eat..

teri

 

[moswen]

um.... what is a caliche?

 

[Az tortoise compound]

um.... what is a caliche?

The rock hard soil that is common in AZ and the southwest in general. Very tough stuff to dig through unless your a Sulcata.

 

[Yvonne G]

. Now I'm trying to figure out some PRACTICAL way to get heat down into a natural burrow.

I knew a guy who took one of those great big, round garbage dumpsters like you find behind apartments and cut it in half around the middle, leaving a top and a bottom. He placed the top over the mouth of the burrow and cut a doorway into it, which he covered with vinyl strips. Using the top in this manner, he was able to open the lid and administer to the interior, where he had built a shelf and placed a de Longhi, oil-filled space heater. He had three adult sulcatas that lived in the burrows three winters that I know of. The dumpster top was roomy enough (probably about 8' circumference) that if the tortoises wanted to, they could all sit by the heater, however the guy said that they mostly stayed down in the ground.

 

[Becki]

Glad I'm not the only one who didn't know Rebekah!

 

[coreyc]

Glad I'm not the only one who didn't know Rebekah!

Your not alone I had to google it

 

[Annieski]

What if the "coolness" down below was supposed to be there[to get out of the sun] and isn't there a thing about the "frost level" of ground temps that would compensate for the deepth of the burrow? Just thinking out loud.

 

[Tom]

. Now I'm trying to figure out some PRACTICAL way to get heat down into a natural burrow.

I knew a guy who took one of those great big, round garbage dumpsters like you find behind apartments and cut it in half around the middle, leaving a top and a bottom. He placed the top over the mouth of the burrow and cut a doorway into it, which he covered with vinyl strips. Using the top in this manner, he was able to open the lid and administer to the interior, where he had built a shelf and placed a de Longhi, oil-filled space heater. He had three adult sulcatas that lived in the burrows three winters that I know of. The dumpster top was roomy enough (probably about 8' circumference) that if the tortoises wanted to, they could all sit by the heater, however the guy said that they mostly stayed down in the ground.

So basically, if I'm understanding this correctly, he built a heated "chamber" around the burrow entrance? I'm imagining my new tortoise box with the bottom cut off sitting over the entrance of RV's burrow. Does that sound right?

 

[Yvonne G]

Yes, correct. And even though heat rises, I'm thinking that because of the close quarters that some of that heat probably went down into the burrow.

 

[Tom]

I see a project in my future. Maybe in the spring time. Daisy is moving outside for good in the Spring. I'm debating how I'm going to set her up. I was planning on a heated house AND another tortoise bunker. Maybe I'll combine the two ideas and see how it goes.