Help (burrow question)

[KimberlyMcmullen]

My salcata has a burrow that he likes to stay in over the burrow is a box with a heat lamp is this sufficient for during the winter? I live in Texas just outside of Houston so our winters don't get real bad. Any help is appreciated

 

[TheSulcata]

Are you worried about him getting too cold? Make sure it is over 80 degrees under the heat lamp at all times (preferably 90 degrees)

 

[cmacusa3]

Please read the sulcata care sheets

 

[KimberlyMcmullen]

Are you worried about him getting too cold? Make sure it is over 80 degrees under the heat lamp at all times (preferably 90 degrees)

I worrie about it not being warm enough down in the burrow in the box at the surface it is 85 degrees

 

[TheSulcata]

Yeah sorry for not being clear

 

[cmacusa3]

Do you have a laser temp gun? Have you ever checked the temps in the burrow?

 

[KimberlyMcmullen]

No I have a laser temp gun do I need to get one? He is happier and more active outside

 

[cmacusa3]

No I have a laser temp gun do I need to get one? He is happier and more active outside

You can get a good one for $15 It's always good to know any temps that your tort is dealing with. You will be surprised what the ground temps are vs the air temps.

 

[KimberlyMcmullen]

The burrow is like 4 foot deep and has a curve in it so I don't know what temp it is at the bottom.

 

[cmacusa3]

They sell a lot of things on Amazon for checking temps. You can get a probe with wire to drop in the burrow that plugs into a temp station.

How big is the tort and do you have any pics of the box and burrow.

 

[Yvonne G]

The winter weather here is much colder than where you are. Someone in our club did this for their full grown sulcatas - the sulcatas had a burrow that went down at an angle and after about 15' turned to the left. He didn't know how much deeper or how long it went. He cut off the top of one of those big, round garbage dumpsters so that it was about 4' deep, including the lid. He placed that over the burrow entrance. He had a oil-filled electric radiator inside the dumpster. There was a tortoise door cut out of one side so the tortoises could come and go, and vinyl strips over the door. His two full-sized sulcatas lived that way through 4 winters before he had to sell them due to his illness.

I'm not sure if the air space just eventually filled up with warm air from the heater or if the burrow was deep enough to maintain an ok temperature, but there was absolutely nothing wrong with those two tortoises. They came out on sunny days, even in cold weather, and grazed.

So what you suggest might work. Try it and see.

 

[KimberlyMcmullen]

This is him I brought him in today due to temp supposed to drop tonight until I could make sure it was safe to leave him outside I do not have pics of the box and burrow but can get tomorrow. I just bought a temp gun on ebay should be in next week

 

[cmacusa3]

This is him I brought him in today due to temp supposed to drop tonight until I could make sure it was safe to leave him outside I do not have pics of the box and burrow but can get tomorrow. I just bought a temp gun on ebay should be in next week

He looks great!

 

[Yvonne G]

Oh no...disregard my previous post. Your tortoise is much too small to be left outside in a burrow. He'll need to be brought in on cold nights and kept warm.

 

[KimberlyMcmullen]

Ok then I will continue to bring him in on cold nights and only take outside during the day when it is warm. I have him set up in my closet is there something I can do to stop him from chewing on the walls he has hay and grass down but still chews on the walls

 

[Speedy-1]

Ok then I will continue to bring him in on cold nights and only take outside during the day when it is warm. I have him set up in my closet is there something I can do to stop him from chewing on the walls he has hay and grass down but still chews on the walls

I still think a heated night box might be best . Many ideas here ! http://www.tortoiseforum.org/forums/tortoise-enclosures.7/

 

[Tom]

Hello and welcome.

It is much too cold to leave him in the burrow over winter. The heat lamp at the surface does not heat the ground several feet down. Bringing him "in" doesn't work either unless you have a large heated indoor enclosure for him. Room temp on the floor is much too cold and letting him roam loose on the floor is dangerous for many reasons.

I let mine burrow from about May to October each year. Then I catch them above ground and close off their burrow when the fall weather starts to cool. They then sleep in their heated den boxes the rest of the year.

Here is the burrow:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/sulcata-burrows.50846/

Here are a few different night box designs. My winter temps are pretty similar to yours, so these should work well in your area:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/another-night-box-thread.88966/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/my-best-night-box-design-yet.66867/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/double-door-night-box.129054/

Here is another way that I've tackled this issue:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/daisys-new-enclosure.28662/

 

[sibi]

You need to get him out of your closet and provide an appropriate indoor enclosure complete with a UVB bulb, ceramic heat emitter (CHE), and hide with a suitable substrate like orchard mark that can be wet to create a humid environment.
Is your sulcata still under a year old? If so, he should have warm soaks daily. And, as Yvonne mentioned, he's way too small to be allowed to burrow for the winter. If he get down into a burrow, he may never make it out alive especially if outside temps should drop under 60 degrees. I don't know if where you live there are cold snaps of below freezing, but if so, you never want your sulcata to burrow cause he'll never be able to keep warm. Remember, sulcatas are exotic animals that aren't native here. As such, if you keep one, you need to create the environment that will allow them to thrive. That's temps of 80-90 degrees in a humid environment.
Tom's ideas of a indoor enclosure and night boxes are great.

 

[KimberlyMcmullen]

My tort is at least 3 years old he was given to my son in April of 2013 but was already bigger than my hand so not sure exactly how old it is. The closet he is in is a big walk in closet that does have the heat lamp, basking light, and uvb light there is water, grass, and hay down at all times for him. With his size and the fact we don't use the closet is why 2 winters ago we set him up in there.

 

[Gillian M]

This is him I brought him in today due to temp supposed to drop tonight until I could make sure it was safe to leave him outside I do not have pics of the box and burrow but can get tomorrow. I just bought a temp gun on ebay should be in next week

View attachment 190676

Oh, he's gorgeous! GOD bless.