digging burrows

[fil]

so all is well here, things have been going wonderfully since summer arrived.  Now full time outside. Have built a 12x10 enclosure for my tort. lately however it has been digging burrows. and i mean DIGGING.  *lol* i know they burrow, and my only concern is hybernation.  ... it will find a soft spot it has dug before and bury itself.  I had origionally dug a burrow for it to conceal itself in, however it started digging tunnels into that and i grew concerned.  Will stay in its burrow for days at a time.  I end up digging tort. up to make sure it is still alive. .. i mean i am not out there all day so i do not know if it eats or not. . ... unless i dig her/him up and put food out. then quick meal and right back into the earth. . ... is this normal or at least understandable. . ...

[cjicollectibles]

I keep hearing how much they dig like this on other threads. Mine do not try to dig deep, they just seem to dig in a few inches, so they are half under ground, and thats as far as they go. but from hearing others, digging is normal.  if its very hot where you are, might be they are trying to get cool. Mine will hide or dig a few inches if its a hot sunny day

[KQ6AR]

Also in the fall, when night start getting cold. I've found hatchlings down as deep as 8". The soil in there outdoor enclosure is very easy to dig in.

[Didi]

Yes, mine love to dig in deep and get "lost."  It's a very scary thing, thinking they may be dead underground.  You are lucky that you can find the burrows.  Sometimes I can't find mine and I have to just wait until they show up.  I've been thinking I need to glue a bit of metal onto them so I can use a metal detector to find them! Even so, I would rather let them live in their outdoor enclosure during the summer than keep them in their box in the kitchen all year long.  All that digging makes me think that these guys are not like domesticated dogs and cats.  They are mostly wild things acting on instinct and relying on us to create good environments for them.  I let them decide when they want to eat and just check on them as often as I can.

[go_fish]

My torts buried a lot when I first got them. The shyest would bury deep down whenever he got the chance for the first few months. It drove me nuts because I constantly had to watch him in the garden, because if I didn't have my eye on him for a minute, he'd burrow somewhere I couldn't find. I once lost him in the garden for an entire week.

Anyways, after a long while, all the torts are now comfortable in their surroundings and they only burrow at night to sleep. In the morning, they unburrow themselves, spend the day wandering around. In the evening, back to bed. Nighttime is the only time they burrow. However, they can't burrow too far because I  have them on my balcony which only has about a few inches of dirt. But still - lately I've noticed they don't even burrow much - sometimes they burrow so their head sticks in the dirt only, and sometimes they just sleep on top of the dirt.

Anyways, sorry for the long post...my point is - it is a bit unusual for your tort to burrow so much, especially in the heat of summer when they should be most active and foraging for food. Did you relocate your tort recently? He could just be timid  and taking time to adjust to new surroundings, as my torts once did.  OR...maybe it's cold where you are? What's your temp outdoors?

[go_fish]

I just reread your post - you mentioned a new enclosure?.  Assuming the temps are okay, my hunch is that you may just have a shy little guy who is just a bit scared of all the new sights, smells, sounds, etc. If that is the case, you may just have to give him some time

[Didi]

I think it's normal for them to burrow, especially if it's hot out.  In their natural habitat, they estivate during the summer and hibernate in the winter, meaning they are not out and about very much.

[go_fish]

Didi -- hmm, yeah, I forgot about aestivation, as I haven't experienced aestivation yet and probably never will (I live in Canada, not Arizona     ). On what I consider hot days, my torts just find a shady spot but are still active and eat like hams. They only sometimes burrow at night to sleep.

Fil - I'm assuming you probably have some plants, etc to provide some shade in the enclosure? On the hot, but not extremely hot days, your tort may want to just seek shelter in shade but decide there is no need to burrow...

Off-top comment -- just thinking...if a tort DOES burrow, how would he know when to come out? That is, if a tort is deep down in the tunnel, with no light to tell them how the days pass, a tort can easily sleep and sleep (or do whatever torts do when they're down there) and lose track of time. So, inless hunger calls, it's probably easy for them to spend days in there...with no clock, they just lose track of time!

[Didi]

Lol sometimes Southern Oregon feels like Arizona!  Their enclosure is like a jungle.  That's another reason I can't find them sometimes.  Perhaps some torts just like to burrow more than others.

On your comment about when they know to come out, I think you are right, they are just sensitive to the temperature and then their natural rhythms.

[fil]

thanks for the posts everyone, and yes it is fairly new "full time" to our tort. she has been living out there for a month now only comming inside when there is a terrible lightning and rain storm. it is fairly hot this summer, hottest i can remember , . .. delaware east coast climate. . ..there are places for her to hide above ground have a crosswork of logs to climb under, 2 nice big hollow logs with earth base to lay in, . ..boxed out corner to escape,. . ..plants too, hosta chicory and chia,  ...  she prefers to dig,.  ...her new favorite is the hosta, she digs under it, . ... completially!! i thought i lost her one day we live about 1000 feet to some woods, so possible raccoons. .. but our yard is fenced in and we have a large dog.. .. so never really worried, ... keep all trash away etc. . .. but could not find esio. ... i mean GONE. . .. i freaked, . ... looked everywhere, .. all her usual burrows..  ...gone,.  .... then a day later was watering plants and watering the hosta i noticed the earth getting muddy and falling in, . ... low and behold the secret burrow,. .... right under the hosta could not even see her, ... *lol* i was relieved and worried, . ..simple stuff, ... can she breathe is she hibernating, ... or just scared, . ...she was much more active indoors, however i like her better outdoors, . .. she seems happy in the earth, . and i would not take that away from her , . ...not till frost, . ...

she's great though munching dandelions and eating various plants, ....