Sulcata Digging

[Katmb85]

We have two 13 year old male Sulcatas that have free range of our backyard. They have a covered and heated doghouse available to them when it gets too hot we shut the heat off. Lately they have both been digging, I assume it is because they are hot and trying to find a cool place to hang out. How can I discourage this behavior, it is not safe for them to gate because of collapse and getting out of the yard. Any suggestions?

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Dig* not gate

 

[Tom]

You need to give them someway to cool off. Sprinklers, a shaded mud hole, misters, more shade, or all of the above. When it gets around 100, their brain goes into instinctive survival mode. The only way to get out of the African heat is to go underground.

Once step one is covered, step two is to watch for any digging and pull them out of that hole right away. Fill it in and cover that spot with some plywood and cinder locks for a couple weeks to stop them from coming straight back. Once they pick and area and start, they wanna keep coming back to it.

If they cannot get cooled down in this summer heat, nothing will stop them from digging. It is their only option at that point.