Outdoor Enclosure Help - Sulcata

[jessm383]

Hello! I have a Sulcata who is 2.5 years old. I have recently moved him outside full time to an enclosure. The enclosure is large (definitely large enough for him now and we will expand it as he grows). It has some pots on their sides for him to crawl in (with dirt in them), some succulents, weeds, grass, etc. He also has a shaded area and I made a little hideaway against the wall with cinderblocks and wood over the top for him to burrow. The first couple of months he seemed content to just hang out in the pots or next to them against the wall. Lately, he has started digging burrows. I am concerned because, although he is small now, I know he will get larger and I want to be proactive about meeting all his needs now to prevent problems later. Does anyone have any advice on building an enclosure that will meet his needs? I was thinking we may dig a few feet down and place some plywood in the hole, fill it back up with dirt and cover that with an enclosure? I was also thinking I should move it away from the house. He seems to like to dig against solid things like walls so I was thinking I may bury the enclosure walls down to where the plywood is so he can have that security of digging a few feet down against a wall without worrying about 30 foot long tunnels in his future. Anyone have any input before I start or any plans they would recommend?

Thanks!

 

[ascott]

LOL....these guys are designed to be master excavators....just what they are perfect at ....some folks will design a shed, some folks will bury a manmade plywood box with heat, some will house the tort in the winter time in a basement....I do not know where in the world you live---but this is a species that does not ideally brumate...so you will want to design some type of space that during winter months the tort can have a constantly warm location to spend most of the winter in....you may want to go to the search line on this forum and type in sulcata outdoor enclosures....you will get lots of options....

 

[ascott]

Oh yeah, you said you built a shade hide with blocks and a piece of ply wood over the top....you may want to add a mound/mountain of dirt to the top of the entire block/wood roof house....earth is the ultimate perfect insulator....likely the tort is coming into itself and so the digging seed is coming out....also, you may not be providing just the right options for the tort to regulate his temps...so his drive is especially kicking in....add some dirt mountain over the hide and see if that helps...

 

[Dizisdalife]

Welcome to the Forum. There are lots of good ideas and example of outdoor enclosures to be found in the Enclosure section. For us to give you the advice you need it would help to know what part of the world you live in. I have a 4 year old sulcata that has lived outside for over two years now and he has never dug a burrow. I even tried to start one for him to get him interested. The day time temps here are just not hot enough to cause him to dig and he has a heated house for night time and those cool winter days. In your locale the conditions may be different. 30 miles east of me the day time temperatures are 20° warmer than at my house. Sulcatas probably burrow during the summer months in those areas. Let us know where you live because it really makes a difference.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

In my opinion, if you provide a hiding place where the tortoise can warm up in the winter and cool down in the summer, he won't dig a burrow. Obviously, pots laying down in the habitat are not to the tortoise's liking. Take a look through our enclosure section. Jacqui has put together a bunch of pictures of habitats and you'll find those threads at the top of the section.

 

[jessm383]

Hi everyone! I live in Arizona so it is pretty hot! I have some hiding places (pots turned on their side filled with dirt) and I also have a small enclosure (a small hole in the ground lined with cinderblocks (around the hole) and with a wooden roof. He is now digging in this enclosure. I am thinking I will likely build a new one in the middle of his enclosure, dig a hole and line the bottom \ with plywood so he cant dig any deeper than a couple of feet. Then I will fill it with dirt and then place a wooden structure on top so I can have a heat lamp in the winter (temps can drop to 35 in the winter at night, although they are typically 60s during the day). Thoughts?