Tortoise sleeping outside burrow

[Pokey]

I have an approximately 25 year old female Morafkas Desert Tortoise (whose been in my care for about ten years). Lately when I walk out back at night I notice she’s sleeping outside her burrow out in the open. Is that behavior normal?

I’m worried that a great horned owl or something else might get to her. She’s hasn’t exhibited this behavior before.

 

[KarenSoCal]

Maybe something else has moved into her burrow. Try to look in with a flashlight, looking for bugs, ants, or anything bigger.

Where are you? Maybe the weather has something to do with it.

Or maybe she just decided to go camping for the weekend.

 

[Pokey]

We’re located in Tucson, Arizona.

I presume there are insects (probably a few spiders) in her burrow. How would someone actually get rid of them though? It’s not like you would want to use insecticide.

 

[Yvonne G]

When she's out of the burrow, flood it, leaving the hose running for a while to make sure anything in there either swims out or drowns. But I wouldn't worry about insects. They share their burrow with other creatures in the wild. From my friend, Google: Desert tortoises share burrows with various mammals, reptiles, birds, and invertebrates, such as white-tailed antelope squirrels (Ammospermophilus leucurus), woodrats (Neotoma), collared peccaries (Pecari tajacu), burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia), Gambel's quail (Callipepla gambelii ), rattlesnakes (Crotalus spp.), Gila monsters (Heloderma suspectum), beetles, spiders, and scorpions. One burrow can host up to 23 desert tortoises – such sharing is more common for desert tortoises of opposite sexes than for desert tortoises of the same sex.[7]