Locating a burrowed RT.

[tomsbee]

Hello!
Since my russian tort has been impossible to find in my backyard (from which I know he hasn't escaped) for the last 1.5 weeks I have assumed that he has burrowed himself deep in the soil somewhere to hibernate. The problem is that autumn is starting to hit us pretty bad up here in north-east Europe and I am starting to worry that I won't be able to find him before the winter hits us(and it is thought that this will be a harsh one).
The frost line here can get about 1m deep in the ground if the winter is cold and the snow is non-existent. I have no idea how deep my tort would burry itself to survive the cold but I don't really want to take any chances.
I haven't been able to find him when digging through all the spots where my tort would burry himself but had no luck, however, I am completely sure I just missed him or didn't dig deep enough with my hands - I just examined the top soil to feel if it was loose and that's all.
So my next idea is - would I be able to locate my RT using a thermograph? If so, how deep would it detect heat signatures?
Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

I don't know the answer to your question, but I have had the same problem with my Russians in the past. I have gone over their yard, while on my hands and knees, feeling with my fingers ALL the dirt to see if it had been disturbed. They are experts at digging down into the dirt and pushing the dirt behind them, making it darned near impossible to find them.

 

[Jabuticaba]

Hello and welcome. I hope you find your RT soon.


May, Aussies, & Hermannis
IG: @AUSSOMEAUSSIES

 

[Gillian M]

Welcome to the forum! Isincerely hope you find yourtortoiseVERY SOON. And do NOTdespair. Good luck.

 

[tomsbee]

Thanks for all the warm welcomes everyone!
Yvonne, I know what you mean. After the search I was all covered with moist and muddy soil, various leaves, a few spiders and other insects, and the parts of the body not covered with clothing were itching from the thick and bushy plants under/into which I went to check the soil around their roots and stems.
Has any of you checked how deep your tort, specifically RT, has dug into the ground to avoid cold/heat loss or just to avoid intense heat if that's even possible?

 

[Yvonne G]

I noticed that all four of mine were eating in the same spot this a.m., so I got some 1x12 boards and some wooden stakes and made their pen quite a bit smaller so that I don't have to search such a big area for them later this month.

Another thing I noticed about Russian tortoises. Mine were all wild caught. When I first got them they went into their underground wintertime place very early in the season - towards the middle of August. Now that they've been with me a while, and I put them into boxes in October to hibernate, they don't dig in so early anymore. I guess they've acclimated to longer seasons.

 

[tomsbee]

Thankfully, today the temperature has gone up to 23C and, thinking that today is too warm for the tort not to come out to catch some rays, I went out for a daily yard-check and, indeed, the little guy has dug out and enjoying the sun. And the place he had dug into was one of the few places I thought he definitely wouldn't hide in. Wrong.
Though I am still interested in the thermograph method for more desperate situations. If anyone knows something about this tool or knows someone who knows something about it, please share this info! Thanks to all!

 

[Maro2Bear]

If you have access to a device that can detect temperature gradients, id suggest you take some random readings in your tort's garden, then bury him a bit and see if you can indeed detect him. I'm guessing that it won't work, since it is a reptile and its temperature will be close to ground temperature. The difference, if any, probably hard to detect, but it would be interesting, especially if you have the instrument available to fool around with. And a hearty welcome to Riga from the US!

And I'm thinking the longer he is buried, his temperature will mimic that of the earth around him even more, making it close to impossible to detect with a device.

 

[Prairie Mom]

So glad you found him!

 

[Tom]

If you have access to a device that can detect temperature gradients, id suggest you take some random readings in your tort's garden, then bury him a bit and see if you can indeed detect him. I'm guessing that it won't work, since it is a reptile and its temperature will be close to ground temperature. The difference, if any, probably hard to detect, but it would be interesting, especially if you have the instrument available to fool around with. And a hearty welcome to Riga from the US!

And I'm thinking the longer he is buried, his temperature will mimic that of the earth around him even more, making it close to impossible to detect with a device.

This is what I was thinking too. Might work for a mammal if the device can penetrate several inches or more of soil. The equipment I've seen and played with only detects surface temps.

tomsbee, For future reference, my russians never dig down more than a few inches and are usually quite close to the surface. I have welded wire extending 18" into the ground in their enclosure, and none have gone anywhere near that deep. Glad you found your tortoise!

 

[Gillian M]

Good news at last! Glad to have heard you found yor tort. Take GOOD CARE of it and good luck!

 

[Len B]

Last fall I had 2 russians that I couldn't find when I went to get them to bring in for winter. They both survived the very harsh winter we had. One was out away from the area that I thought they should be when I went looking for them, In spring I stuck a tape measure down the tunnel she emerged from and it was 12 inches, pretty much straight down. The the other one was under a house in the area where they were supposed to be, but deeper than I looked for her. Not sure how deep she went to spend winter, she sort of filled in behind herself on the way out. They both were very muddy when they came out. Glad you found yours.

 

[russian/sulcata/tortoise]

My neighbors had a russian and they lost it for an entire year but they found it. Then they let it go at a park
when they told me this i was kinda mad.