To burrow or not to burrow!

[samsmom]

My 2 1/2 yo sulcata has started digging in a corner of his outdoor enclosure! Every few days I fill the hole back up. Hadn't had a chance to fill the hole for several days until this afternoon. I used a broom stick to measure the length of the burrow and it was about the same as the broom handle. I'm concerned that he will dig to far that I can't get to him or that it will collapse. He has a heated night box but has slept in his burrow the last two nights. Should I quit filling the hole and just keep an eye on the depth? If so, should I let him sleep in it or try to get him out every night and close him up in his box? Living in Texas and it is starting to get real hot and there is not a deep shaded spot in his enclosure yet! Constantly working to improve his enclosure and deep shade is in the near future plan!

 

[Tom]

I would let him have his burrow until the weather starts cooling in fall. They MUST have a cooler retreat during summer. They simply cannot get cool enough above ground without some help from us. Underground is SOOOOOOOO much better for them. Do your best to keep rain out of the burrow.

I cover my burrow entrances with a sheet of plywood every fall and start making them use the heated night box again until late spring. Been doing this for 3 years now and they don't have any problem adjusting.

Check it out:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/sulcata-burrows.50846/

 

[dmmj]

You can not outstubborn a tortljse, impossible

 

[Blakem]

It's a great way to keep them busy as well! My sulcata dug a crazy first burrow last year, but hasn't this year. I Uncovered the burrow from last year and too many creepy crawlers came out...so I closed it back up unfortunately.

 

[tglazie]

I've gotta say, something that's great about living north of San Antone is the fact that the ground consists of a shallow layer of clay atop a deep, practically impenetrable layer of limestone. All of my tortoise paddocks are enclosed by cinder blocks with six to twelve inches of top soil and leaf litter composing the substrate, which is the only way I can get the soil to have enough drainage to proliferate the various weeds that compose the edible landscape. Having the raised topsoil also allows better management of flooding as well. When I was younger and not setup as I am now, anytime torrential rains came pouring, I would have to run outdoors and gather up the tortoises, which is a fairly lousy experience at three in the morning when you need to be up for work in a few hours. Another advantage, though, the one that is relevant to this post, is the fact that I don't have to bury enclosure walls beneath the ground level. Even if the tortoises dug down, they couldn't get more than two inches down into the actual ground level clay before hitting a natural floor of rock.

But yes, Tom's and Blake's advice is on point. My cousin keeps sulcatas in Florida, and he has eight pallets he keeps behind his shed to keep the sullies out of their burrows during the winter months. He had a rather nightmarish scenario recently when Biggie (aka Big Bad Biggins) dug under his house when he was away on vacation. His brother, who was charged with tortoise sitting, didn't realize this was a problem. Unfortunately, Biggie managed to push aside some water pipes, which resulted in a severe, foundation cracking water leak. Those sullies are a force to be reckoned with.

T.G.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

I would also say it's got to be generally good that your tortoise is burrowing.
it's perfectly natural for them and must be good for their psychology if they are able to do so.