Is digging under a rock safe?

[HJ1983]

He just started to do this two days ago. The substrate seems pretty deep (about 4 or 5 inches) but he gets himself under there. Could that be dangerous? This rock is not directly under the heat source but it's close enough. I'm afraid he might get stuck there. Should I change this?

Thank you in advance for any replies.

 

[lismar79]

Mine did the same thing. When I moved the rock she kept going back to that spot. I finally put a bridge over her hole and that's her new fav spot.

 

[HJ1983]

Mine did the same thing. When I moved the rock she kept going back to that spot. I finally put a bridge over her hole and that's her new fav spot.

Sounds like I need to rearrange his enclosure

---

I left the house for a few hours and he's no where to be seen but there is a huge mound by the rock. I'm assuming he dug in to sleep. Since I'm not 100% sure where he is I'm not touching his enclosure but I think he's under that mound. Usually when he's under his breathing creates a hole but I don't see a hole anywhere. So I'll leave him alone tonight. But tomorrow it's interior design day.

 

[lismar79]

Yep, he has deff picked his "spot" which is not a bad thing, just make it a little safer for him so you both sleep better

 

[txturtledude]

You should probably list your enclosure temps (hot side/cool side/basking spot/hide) and the humidity levels (main area/hide). The tortoise could just like burrowing or it could be too hot, too cold, too dry, etc...

The peeps here can help if they have the above 411.

Good luck with your tort!

 

[WillTort2]

Russians like many other tortoises seek safety from predators; and crawling under a rock offers protection from a predator digging straight down to get them. It also provides a heat sink, the rock gets hot during the day and then gradually releases the heat during the cooler night time hours.

Generally, my Russians dig under a piece of slate that is light enough for them to move it around and not heavy enough to trap them under an excessive weight. For there to be a danger the rock would need to be quite heavy and have the weight dispersed in a small area. For example, a tall column of rock could have enough weight to cause breathing difficulties if the tortoise were trapped beneath it. A large wide rock will usually be able to support it own weight even when the tortoise tunnels under it; but to be safe have a very deep substrate to prevent the tort from being pinched between the rock and the bottom of the enclosure.

Good luck!

 

[HJ1983]

I hadn't noticed you all responded and I am sorry for a super delayed response. The temperatures in the enclosure are about 95 on warm side and 70ish on cool side. His "man cave" is on the cool side and he spends some time in there too. I don't think the issue was escaping from heat since this rock is right next to the heat source. Unless he wanted the best of both worlds. I think it was a comfort thing for him. A few times at night I even found him completely under the thing. But as mentioned above the slate is a bit heavy and to avoid an accident I removed it. His new thing now is to hang out half in his man cave with his butt out.

On a good note since I gave him the man cave he has stopped his obsessive digging!