Mud burrowing

[RonHays]

My large outdoor enclosure has a dark muddy spot under an upper deck hide box. That being said, my 3 adult redfoots try to race to that dark muddy spot to lay in a mud hole that they wallered out. It is very wet and muddy under there. My fear is that too much of that will result in shell rot later down the road. My question is should I close that spot off or just fill in the muddy are with cypress mulch or something?

 

[ReptilesRevealed]

As long as they are given the option to dry out I dont think it's a bad thing

 

[ascott]

I would think that if they have the option of moving from the fun hole then they will be fine...especially if you also have them indoors in an enclosure part of their day....

Let em wallow like pigs....fun stuff...

 

[RonHays]

They stay outside 24/7 about 8 to 9 months out of the year. They only come into their indoor enclosure when the temps drop below 50 at night. Which usually happens in november. But yes they do have the option of drying out all they want. They just seem to want to just waller in the mud. Lol

 

[ascott]

I bet they leave the fun hole from time to time....I still think they should be aok...

 

[RonHays]

I bet they leave the fun hole from time to time....I still think they should be aok...

Ok. Thanks Angela. I just don't want them to get shell rot. Lol they seem to love the mud better than anything else besides eating. Lol

 

[Tortoise Hub]

Let those little piglets enjoy the mud lol. My sulcatas spend a big time of the day chilling in the mud as well as some of my greeks so you'll be fine as long as they can get to somewhere that is dry.

 

[Madkins007]

I don't think it is mud that causes rot- I think it is the combination of acidity, 'yucky stuff' and so on in a habitat that causes it. They naturally find and seem to like mud in the wild- although most of their native habitats are well-drained sandy soil.

 

[RonHays]

My outdoor enclosure is a slight downward slope. The high side stays dry and the low side retains a lot of moisture. When we had a hot dry spell here for 2 weeks straight, they stayed up on the dry side in the shade in their hides until I turned on the sprinkler for them. Now for the last 2 weeks we've been getting rain almost everyday so my low side is a very saturated muddy mess. And the torts love it.

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It's under this hide that is really muddy.

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-Box-seats#axzz21OwQiPjA

 

[theresal]

My red foots seem to rush to the "mud hole" when I water them. They even sleep in it sometimes too. The one thing I find interesting is my older females (egg layers) seem to hang in the muddy mess the most while the males and younger females like to hang out in moist areas.

 

[tortadise]

Id leave it for em. Like mark said shell rot is a bacterial infection comprised of a bunch of different things. During the day the warm temps are going to allow them to dry out anyways. Typically shell rot will happen when all the bad things are constantly on the animal and in a very humid environment for the bacteria to grow. You can add mulch to it if you feel more comfortable. But mine do the same in the corners even when I add mulch. They love the muddy waller holes.

Btw did you find some vermiculite for those eggs?

 

[RonHays]

Id leave it for em. Like mark said shell rot is a bacterial infection comprised of a bunch of different things. During the day the warm temps are going to allow them to dry out anyways. Typically shell rot will happen when all the bad things are constantly on the animal and in a very humid environment for the bacteria to grow. You can add mulch to it if you feel more comfortable. But mine do the same in the corners even when I add mulch. They love the muddy waller holes.

Btw did you find some vermiculite for those eggs?

Yes I did thanks. I put the 3 eggs in a plastic Tupperware type container with eggs resting on top of the vermiculite. I didn't put a lid on it but my humility level is running between 70-75%.

 

[tortadise]

Fantastic hope they hatch out!

 

[RonHays]

Fantastic hope they hatch out!

Thanks