Help with burrow building please.

[MinjaKoa]

Hello! I was wondering if I could get help on the burrow I made for our desert tortoise in Tucson, AZ. For a while, it was maintaining 86-89°F and now gets up to 93°F (air temps). Should I dig deeper? Or what? And if I dig deeper how do I prevent flooding from monsoon rains? My DT won't dig himself and just lays there even though it is 93°F and then around 5-6PM will come to the door to eat and come inside. Here is what I currently have and a picture of the structure itself that is under the dirt. It's 6-8inches of dirt on top, green structure is already angled down 30°, and I tried sloping the outside more with a tarp slightly covering the entrance to direct rain but giving enough room for him to get in. Thank you soo much!

 

[MinjaKoa]

More info: He is about 20yo, so adult DT. I have to take him inside at night because I'm caring for a shell injury and this was the veterinarian's instruction.

 

[wellington]

Is it possible to add a reflective material over the pile to reflect the sun/heat away?
Not sure if that is a good idea or not, just a thought.

 

[Yvonne G]

When tortoises dig their burrow the dirt they dig out is deposited around the entrance. This eventually ends up being a bit of a burm, or high spot. This effectively keeps the rain from flooding the burrow. Also, in my opinion, the tub you've used is too big. A real tortoise burrow is only slightly larger (ceiling to floor) than the tortoise. Your tub is allowing too much air space, which heats up easier.

 

[MinjaKoa]

When tortoises dig their burrow the dirt they dig out is deposited around the entrance. This eventually ends up being a bit of a burm, or high spot. This effectively keeps the rain from flooding the burrow. Also, in my opinion, the tub you've used is too big. A real tortoise burrow is only slightly larger (ceiling to floor) than the tortoise. Your tub is allowing too much air space, which heats up easier.

Thank you! That's what I was afraid of... Even if I bury the bottom third under ground it would heat up the dirt around it because of the plastic right?

 

[Tom]

Hello! I was wondering if I could get help on the burrow I made for our desert tortoise in Tucson, AZ. For a while, it was maintaining 86-89°F and now gets up to 93°F (air temps). Should I dig deeper? Or what? And if I dig deeper how do I prevent flooding from monsoon rains? My DT won't dig himself and just lays there even though it is 93°F and then around 5-6PM will come to the door to eat and come inside. Here is what I currently have and a picture of the structure itself that is under the dirt. It's 6-8inches of dirt on top, green structure is already angled down 30°, and I tried sloping the outside more with a tarp slightly covering the entrance to direct rain but giving enough room for him to get in. Thank you soo much!

In addition to using a smaller container, go deeper and add much more dirt on top. Block out the rain with proper grading around the opening, like what Yvonne was talking about, and also with a cover of some sort. I used to make rain covers out of plywood and 2x4s over my burrow entrances. You could also use a large umbrella stuck in a metal pipe that is pounded into the ground, or an EZ-Up style tent over the whole area which would also add more shade.