Ground preparation question

[queen koopa]

If you are doing a man made burrow, I'd go at least 18-24". If he digs it himself, or if you start one and let him take it over, it could go deeper. My sulcata burrow was 22 feet long. Based on the angle and depth, people who are better at math the me calculated the depth at around 15 feet. Your little man probably won't go that far.



You really don't need to excavate. I've housed lots of DTs over the years, and many other species, and none of them have ever tried to dig out. Just make an opaque fence one way or another. Yvonne has shown pics in the past of pavers lining the ground on the inside of the wall to discourage digging near the wall and block any gaps between the wall and the ground, but I've never even done that, and still had zero escapes or escape attempts. Its not a bad idea to do it though.

Do you cover the burrow in the cold months? If so, do they look for it or attempt another?

 

[mylittlecholla]

Far as I'm concerned, burying wire around the fence line is an unnecessary expense and labor. In my experience,if a tortoise sees daylight at the bottom of a fence, that's where he'll dig under. Just make sure your fence is tight to the ground and it should be ok. What I did for extra security was to lay rectangular pavers down along the fence line with the bottom board on the pavers.

 

[Tom]

Do you cover the burrow in the cold months? If so, do they look for it or attempt another?

Yes. I catch them above ground, cover the burrow with a sheet of plywood with blocks around the edges, and make them start sleeping in their heated night boxes. I don't usually have any trouble getting them to sleep in their night boxes, and they don't normally try to dig again if this move is timed correctly according to the weather.

 

[mylittlecholla]

Hi, Yvonne. I like your idea about the pavers, and I'd love to see pix of what you did, if it's not too much trouble.
Thanks in advance.