How to get tort out of his burrow.

[omgdoubletacos]

My 35 lb sulcata, Bowser, has dug a sizable burrow and I need him to come out so I can cover it for winter. Does anyone know a way to entice a sully out? It wouldn't bother me so much, but its going pretty low this week and he needs to be in his heated house. I know he's not dead in there because I've been laying out some dandelion and weeds for him and they're all gone by the end of the day. But he comes out when I'm at work and is back in the burrow by the time I get off. I just don't want it to get too low and him freeze down there. :/

 

[erica anne]

I haven't had to deal with this personally but I have read other posts regarding this. If you can't entice him out with food try putting the hose down there and filling the burrow with a bit of water. This may inspire him to leave it!

 

[wellington]

You kinda answered your own question. Get him out with food. Your just going to have to find a way to be home when he's out. He probably also comes out to bask in the sun, try to catch him at that time too. Maybe you could put his favorite snack on the end of a piece of rope. As he goes for it, keep slowly pulling it out. These are just suggestions, as I don't own a sully. Good luck and lets us know what worked.

 

[Yvonne G]

You may just have to wait until you're not working.

Try aiming your hair dryer down into the burrow.

Get something that really smells (a food item that he likes) similar to Mazuri, then sit by the mouth of the burrow and pound on the ground, holding the smelly food item just inside so the fragrance flows down into the burrow.

 

[omgdoubletacos]

Thanks for the ideas. I can't really be home until wednesday. i just don't want him to get too cold. I work from 10-6 so I can't be here when the sun is out. I'm trying to see if a friend can come by tomorrow during the warmest part of the day.

 

[Sulcata_Sandy]

Toss another Sulcata down there. Hahaha
Just teasing, bad idea...but the mental images are fun!

Friend coming over as gonna me my idea, or take a day off. My co workers are used to andy rushing home to deal with basenji, tortoise...whathaveyou.

 

[Kapidolo Farms]

Re: RE: How to get tort out of his burrow.

You may just have to wait until you're not working.

Try aiming your hair dryer down into the burrow.

Get something that really smells (a food item that he likes) similar to Mazuri, then sit by the mouth of the burrow and pound on the ground, holding the smelly food item just inside so the fragrance flows down into the burrow.

The hair dryer will work, may take several minutes, but the hot air moving down into the burrow acts on many instincts, that indicate to the tortoise, get outa here.

Will

 

[omgdoubletacos]

Thanks you guys. I'm hoping I can get him out soon.

---

If he isn't out by wednesday afternoon (I'm off all of wednesday) I may try to dig up his burrow. I'll feel bad destroying his work, but I need him out.

 

[Vegas_Leopard]

Another solution that's worked for others and myself is, if you stick a hose all the way down there and run some water they'll end up coming out, followed by a warm soak. It's natural instinct to leave when they notice their burrow flooding. Just make sure it's not on full blast.

 

[omgdoubletacos]

Update: GOT HIM OUT!!!!! Will and Yvonne's solution worked! I pointed a hair dryer down the hole and he got close enough to the opening that I could entice him out a little further with his favorite treats. It took him about 20 minutes to come far enough out to start enticing him. And then probably another 15-20 minutes of enticing before he got too tired to come out any further (he didn't come out of his burrow for the past 2 days and the high has only been around 78) so with the help of my mom we got a rope around the back of his shell and between my mom pulling the rope (very gently) and me at the front of him pulling from his sides we got him out.

He is not a fan of his heated house and keeps trying to find his burrow. Hopefully he'll get used to his new digs (hahaha tortoise jokes).

---

Oh and I'd like to thank everyone for their ideas!

 

[Sulcata_Sandy]

Hair dryer, eh? Nice! Gonna remember that one.
Thankfully Oliver seems content to shuffle and dig in his hay filled Rubbermaid house.

 

[omgdoubletacos]

I was so happy that it worked! I was starting to give up on getting him out tonight. I ran inside to check the weather for tonight and came back outside and he had his face right by the hair dryer. XD

 

[erica anne]

Yay! Glad you got him out safely! I bet he will settle into his new home in no time.

 

[Lilyloveslettuse]

Sandy, what kind of Rubbermaid house do you have for Oliver? Pic?

 

[BeeBee*BeeLeaves]

Will and Yvonne's suggestions always work. : ) Hurray! And warm air is cozier than water. Great tip!

 

[ascott]

I would also suggest in the cooler weather to not add water into the burrow....this is a place that is designed to ideally not be "wet"...and if your tort is going to have access to the burrow anytime after the water is applied then you will have a wet cold place that the tort will be retreating to....even in the summer, I still would not do this....just my personal opinion is all

Also, I know we are speaking of sulcata---but if you have a species such as a CDT and you do this after the tort has gone in for the winter--in an effort to get him to come out, you may actually be doing more harm than good....again, just sharing my opinion here ..

 

[omgdoubletacos]

Stuck in the same situation as 2 years ago! Once again Bowser has retreated to his burrow right before a cold front. I was betting on him coming out today and he's didn't, so I went for the hair dryer again and he was almost close enough to reach and went back down! So now here I am at 9pm sitting outside with a hair dryer pointed down his home...

 

[Big Charlie]

Stuck in the same situation as 2 years ago! Once again Bowser has retreated to his burrow right before a cold front. I was betting on him coming out today and he's didn't, so I went for the hair dryer again and he was almost close enough to reach and went back down! So now here I am at 9pm sitting outside with a hair dryer pointed down his home...

How cold is it?

 

[omgdoubletacos]

How cold is it?

The low is 47. Got him out though. Once again. THANK YOU to the hair dryer. Took much longer and a lot more physical work this year though. He's gotten bigger and stronger in 2 years.

 

[Carol S]

I covered up my Desert Tortoises summer burrows this week. I covered them with a piece of plywood. The first day they kept walking on top of the plywood and it seemed to me that they were giving me the "evil eye" when I talked to them - LOL. They now seem to be okay and are going into their Winter hide at night.