tortoise dug long tunnel

[maryalmeida81]

Hi all I'm new to this, it's been 2 days since I've joined,I have a 8 yr old Sulcata, we'll since we started with the rain and


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[maryalmeida81]

Oops that got away anyways when the rains started he went into hiding and went into his burrow we put my cell phone down into the burrow but couldn't see anything , but he was eating and eating he's been down there almost 3 weeks , no sign of him what should I do ? Has anyone been thru this with their sulcatas ?? Thx Mary from Phx,Az


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[maryalmeida81]

A lot of people said he's in hibernation, but I'm not sure what to think I just hope he comes out when he's supposed to , heck I don't even know when they come out lol it's his first year ever outside so we both are not sure what to expect !! Thanks I'm going to keep looking down his burrow with my video on a stick .. thanks for getting back at me .. Mary & Shelby


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[Robertchrisroph]

Sulcatas don't hibernate. I read this on allot of threads.

 

[aztortoisegal]

Sulcatas don't hibernate. I read this on allot of threads.

Oh no...I hope he's ok.

 

[maryalmeida81]

so now I'm here with a migraine headache so if it's not hibernation what do they call it ? And do they just sleep for a few months , I'm sorry I know it's late but hopefully somebody knows what I should do ?? Thank you soooo much .


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[RV's mom]

mary ~ are you sure he's not coming up when you're not in the yard? RV would stay down her burrow in the heat of the day, coming up only for grazing in the evening to morning... She'd stay down for longer periods when the weather was cold. I was terrified .. coaxed her topside with judicious use of a hair dryer to simulate a warm day... I wouldn't try it right now, with as hot as it is here. If you are absolutely sure he isn't coming topside, you may have to go down after him.... Sulcatas DO NOT HIBERNATE.

good luck

teri

 

[Tom]

so now I'm here with a migraine headache so if it's not hibernation what do they call it ? And do they just sleep for a few months , I'm sorry I know it's late but hopefully somebody knows what I should do ?? Thank you soooo much .

Sulcatas come from a tropical warm area. There is no "winter" over there. My friend from Senegal tells me they have only two seasons over there: "Hot, and hotter." As such sulcatas do not hibernate and are not adapted to hibernate as some of the temperate species are. Sometimes older sulcatas can manage to survive conditions that are too cold, but often they just go down a hole and die. You need to get your baby above ground, close off the burrow and build him a warm night house. Like this: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/another-night-box-thread.88966/
If you stick a garden hose down there and let it rip, your tortoise will come shooting out of its burrow. If this fails, you need to get out a shovel and start digging. Carefully. Once you've got him up cover the burrow entrance with some plywood and blocks, or something, and start making him live above ground until it warms up next spring. It will probably stay warm enough in Phoenix until early to Mid October, so you've got some time to solve this problem.

I mention all this here because you need this info ASAP, but this info and your question really belong on your own thread. Please start a new thread of your own, so this one can continue for the original poster and her needs.

 

[aztortoisegal]

I was thinking a hose would do the trick, for sure. Hope he's ok.

 

[maryalmeida81]

Hi my name is Mary I'm from Phoenix Az !!! well my dog and I went for a walk and she found a baby Sulcata fit perfectly into my palm sooo cute and we all fell deeply in love with him He's 8 going on 9 years old. So he dug himself a long hole,I can't find him & where it goes or ends it's been 3 weeks without food or water please any ideas r grateful and appreciated... I cannot dig and water to fill it up is not gonna work I would need a giant water hose from fire dept, I put food and his other snacks he loves in their last nite and I can't tell if he's gotten any until tonight . So I'll get back with results .


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[ascott]

If you are in Arizona then were you affected by the heavy heavy rainfall? If yes, then I would dig that tortoise out to see if it is still alive....you will want to make sure that the burrow (tunnel you referenced) has not collapsed onto the tort and is smothering it or that a collapse has cut off the tortoise exit way....also, if you were hit hard with rain--you want to make sure that the tortoise has not drowned....

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Mary, and welcome to the Forum!

I've tried to find all your posts asking questions on other people's threads and combine them here into your own thread. I hope it's not too confusing. Forum etiquette tells us that when we have a question of our own, we should start our own thread, and not ask the question on a thread that someone else is trying to get info about.

So, on to your problem. Some folks have aimed their hair dryer down into the burrow. This works sometimes.

I have never allowed my tortoises to dig burrows. It's just too darned hard to get them out of it if it becomes necessary.

If the hair dryer doesn't work, then I'd just run the garden hose down there and try to flood him out. They can hold their breath for a very long time. But don't run the water at full speed.

Ascott's suggestion is also good if your ground is moist enough to get a shovel through.

At any rate, do whatever it takes to get that tortoise out of the burrow, then provide him with a nice, dry, cool hiding place - something like a dog house set under a tree in the shade, and put him in there every night until he gets used to the idea.

 

[ascott]

I am one all for burrows....they are just about a necessity here where we live....but I also know that I will rip through a burrow if need be to gain access to the occupant....many things can occur--so if you are allowing a tortoise in your care to do its thing---fantastic...but you will also need to be prepared to do your thing if the need arrises....a Sulcata is not a species that will brumate....so that tortoise should have surfaced at some point in the last 3 weeks....even if only for a short while to retreat back into the burrow...but if you have set up the entrance of the burrow to know if indeed the tort has passed and you know he has not....then it is time to lay eyes on him.

 

[Millerlite]

Hi my name is Mary I'm from Phoenix Az !!! well my dog and I went for a walk and she found a baby Sulcata fit perfectly into my palm sooo cute and we all fell deeply in love with him He's 8 going on 9 years old. So he dug himself a long hole,I can't find him & where it goes or ends it's been 3 weeks without food or water please any ideas r grateful and appreciated... I cannot dig and water to fill it up is not gonna work I would need a giant water hose from fire dept, I put food and his other snacks he loves in their last nite and I can't tell if he's gotten any until tonight . So I'll get back with results .


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How big is your tortoise now? You said you live in az and your dog found the tortoise. Are you sure you don't have a desert tortoise?- are you 100 percent sure it's sulcata?

Kyle

 

[ascott]

Are you sure you don't have a desert tortoise?- are you 100 percent sure it's sulcata?

Ooooo, good one

 

[teachertort]

I have one of each species and the are fairly easy to tell apart. If it has short spikes on its back legs and long, pointed scales on its front legs, then it is probably a Sulcata. They can look similar when they are little, but by 8 there is a huge difference. My 9 year old Sulcsta is 25 pounds and is almost a foot and a half long. How big is yours? My 20 year old Desert tortoise is only about 9 pounds and is about 2/3 the size of the Sulcata. I would feel very uncomfortable flooding the tunnel. We have a long tunnel ending in a large den that the dug themselves. We dug the top off the tunnel to the point where the den starts, then lined the sides of the tunnel with cinder blocks. We covered the tunnel with thick plywood, then with a tarp, then with dirt. They still love it and we have easy access to them if we need it.

 

[ascott]

I have one of each species and the are fairly easy to tell apart. If it has short spikes on its back legs and long, pointed scales on its front legs, then it is probably a Sulcata. They can look similar when they are little, but by 8 there is a huge difference. My 9 year old Sulcsta is 25 pounds and is almost a foot and a half long. How big is yours? My 20 year old Desert tortoise is only about 9 pounds and is about 2/3 the size of the Sulcata. I would feel very uncomfortable flooding the tunnel. We have a long tunnel ending in a large den that the dug themselves. We dug the top off the tunnel to the point where the den starts, then lined the sides of the tunnel with cinder blocks. We covered the tunnel with thick plywood, then with a tarp, then with dirt. They still love it and we have easy access to them if we need it.

Very true on the difference, if you are fairly new with tortoise and don't have a comparison tortoise of a different species, it can be a little tricky..but I laughed really hard reading your comparison points....I too agree with you, I would never put a hose down a burrow to try to flush em out....there is just too much work that went into their design, too much customization that can be completely damaged by such a move...also, I would not want the burrow to be that wet, it could throw off the entire function of the entire structure....

Mary, I hope all has worked out with the search for your tort.....please let us know when you can...

 

[Tank'sMom]

My Tank seemed MIA for months in his burrow. He would come out. I'd find evidence, poo, eaten treats, etc. but didn't actually SEE him.
Try leaving some treats at the entrance, then check to see if they've been eaten. They usually come out in the late afternoon. Try a few times as Tank wouldn't come out every day.
Also be careful with the rain. My burrow collapsed in the heavy rain.
If you don't see any signs, after this and everyone else's suggestions, I agree. Time to grab a shovel!
How big is this tort?

 

[bouaboua]

Yes. Show us some photo of your torts and maybe the burrow too. We love to see them. Welcome.

 

[teachertort]

My torts don't always come out at a time that I can see them. Have you tried the kid spy trick of fixing a hair or spiderweb across the entrance?