RV's DIGGING AGAIN

[RV's mom]

Please click on the shutterfly link for pics; I'm having trouble with photobucket...

http://cmd.shutterfly.com/commands/...e=rvandherantics/pictures&album=10&albumPath=

this one should take you to the slide show..

The question was to either let her continue to dig, or fill it in. She did get below to harder 'earth', but we decided to fill it in. I think it is safer, but will be an ongoing issue. As for where the dirt goes? The wind picks up the finer stuff and blows it away, the rest settles.

 

[Eweezyfosheezy]

She looks very satisfied with what she has accomplished in a couple of those pics.

I fill in all my holes for my sulcatas but some members here let them dig.

 

[Yvonne G]

Man! She really throws that dirt a fur piece!

I'm glad Dudley has never tried to dig a burrow, but if he ever does, I'll be shoveling it back in as fast as he throws it out.

 

[ICUSleeping]

Wow thats amazing. How old is you tort?...zeus is a digger and hes 7 mnt old...by the time hes that big i don't know where ill be so i dont know if id fill it in or not..but i hope i live somewhere that can allow him to dig like that...so why did you fill it?

 

[RV's mom]

RV had a burrow dug, but the roof started to come down in chunks. So we filled it in...

this one was slanted to go beneath the tangerine tree..

RV is some 12 years old now, must be very close to 100 pounds. When Tom was here a few years ago, she was over 78#.

 

[DeanS]

...like the Queen she is... Thanks for the update!

 

[LiveTilWeLaugh]

it's amazing the kind of burrows these guys can make! any idea when they generally start the burrowing behavior?

 

[Dizisdalife]

What direction is the opening facing. I couldn't tell from the photos.

 

[chris_m90731]

Jesus! Huge.

 

[RV's mom]

it was facing west. the previous burrow (she'd had for a few years) was facing south.

I'm trying to add pics from this morning, but am having problems now with shutterfly. sigh.

 

[Dizisdalife]

it was facing west. the previous burrow (she'd had for a few years) was facing south.

I'm trying to add pics from this morning, but am having problems now with shutterfly. sigh.

Would love to see more pictures. I am curious about their burrowing habits, angle of descent, depth, and if there is any logic ( or system) to which direction the opening is. So far I have found they face any direction but North.

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

 

[Tom]

Oh my! A busy girl she's been.

After seeing RV's burrow I decided to let mine do it this year. I've got three of them sharing a great big burrow. They went way deep though. Much deeper than RV's. They've been living that way all summer. I'll have to fill it in for winter in the next month or two...

 

[DeanS]

Oh my! A busy girl she's been.

After seeing RV's burrow I decided to let mine do it this year. I've got three of them sharing a great big burrow. They went way deep though. Much deeper than RV's. They've been living that way all summer. I'll have to fill it in for winter in the next month or two...

WAIT! I gotta see it, first!

 

[mary t]

Wow.. RV is gorgeous... I'm so grateful that Willie doesn't dig.. Then again here in central Florida maybe he could get me that hot tub base I've been wanting to dig out...

 

[SamB]

Holy cow!

Im sure glad my Leo doesnt dig a burrow haha, I could only imagine! Probably dig to China!

 

[RV's mom]

Oh my! A busy girl she's been.

After seeing RV's burrow I decided to let mine do it this year. I've got three of them sharing a great big burrow. They went way deep though. Much deeper than RV's. They've been living that way all summer. I'll have to fill it in for winter in the next month or two...

so did you go down in their burrow? How is the humidity and temp down below? We never did get a reading from the probe we placed in RV's burrow, and it is buried somewhere deep below...

So then what would be the purpose of filling it in? to keep them topside for the winter? RV did very well when she wintered underground (except when I had near hysterics after not seeing her for some time). she was fine. I brought her up by using a blow dryer (cautiously) blowing warm air down the burrow. Got the grumpy look when she did come topside, but she was fine.

thanks Tom

teri

 

[dmmj]

Man! She really throws that dirt a fur piece!

I'm glad Dudley has never tried to dig a burrow, but if he ever does, I'll be shoveling it back in as fast as he throws it out.

That is something I would like to see, we could sell tickets.

 

[MichiLove]

Wow, that's a beautiful tortoise!

 

[Annaliisas]

I would love to see him sometime since we live so close. Wally does like to dig, although he is MUCH smaller, I dread what is to come. I tend to let my animals do what they do. Except for the cat and scratching the furniture. But the dog digs his little shallow place to lie in the shade. I guess I will just have to adjust the enclosure to accommodate digging. Right now in his temporary enclosure, he can't go far. The ground here is like cement, so that is one strong tortoise!