Enclosures in FL???

[TortSpeed]

I’m in South FL...

I have only had my Tort about a month, the previous owner gave me an igloo type dog shelter for him.. (as I read many comments about).

I noticed he has slightly burrowed, at least removed most of the grass and is mostly on dirt...

Does this mean he is looking for for humidity by burrowing?? Looking for heat by burrowing???

My main question is...

I see many enclosures with wooden bottoms... Does that mean if a tort has the optimum heat/humidity they won’t try to burrow??

I would like to build him a wooden enclosure with a bottom similar to the ones I see here.

Feedback appreciated?

 

[kazjimmy]

How big is your tortoise? What the current enclosure looks like.

 

[TortSpeed]

He’s about 30-40 lbs. I’m trying to find a good way to measure his growth besides the normal back of shell to gular measurement, as it prob takes long and cant really track progress. And he poops like 2-3 lbs a day. Should I weigh him everyday before he poops? Or perhaps after?

His enclosure is exactly 12 x 16. I’m definitely thinking about opening it up for him. Most I can expand is about 40 x 20”.

 

[Tim Carlisle]

Sullies burrow to one degree or another. It's what they do. Can u post a pic of the enclosure for us?

 

[kazjimmy]

Just let him live outside and make some blocks

 

[Yvonne G]

I build my tortoise sheds/shelters in deep shade. The tortoises use their shelter to get cool in the summer and to warm up in the winter. To that end, the shed is double insulated and has a pig blanket on the floor and either an oil-filled space heater or 250 brooder lamp in the ceiling. If a tortoise can't get cool in his shelter, he'll dig a burrow. I've been lucky with Dudley. I've had him about 20 years and he's never offered to dig a burrow. The shed he shelters in has a cement floor with a horse stall mat over the cement. You can add substrate if you wish, but I don't use substrate.

 

[TortSpeed]

Sullies burrow to one degree or another. It's what they do. Can u post a pic of the enclosure for us?