Tortoise Group Information Sheet # 10

ABOVE GROUND BURROW FOR ONE OR TWO ADULT TORTOISES
See Photos Below

MATERIALS:
Cinder block: 48 Tongue and groove, 16 x 8 x 6 inches, and 8, 8 x 8 x 6.
Plywood: Exterior, 3/4 inch, 4 x 8 feet, 2 sheets.
Plastic sheets: 2, 4 ML. thick 5 x 9 feet.

Soil:
Check the phone book for a Sand and Gravel yard.  Ask about #2 reject soil that has no rocks and is unwashed so the important clay particles remain. See under burrow construction in the Tortoise Group Booklet, Desert Tortoises, Adoption and Care.

DIRECTIONS

1. Build in a dry place and as shaded as possible, not on pavement or within 3 ft. of a wall. Site should be level so blocks will bind tightly.

2. Lay the plastic sheet on ground that you have made as smooth as possible. A second layer (of tar paper) that exactly fits under the plywood is optional. Place 1 piece of plywood on top so that 6 inches of the plastic sheet extends beyond each edge.

3. Arrange blocks upright (holes uppermost) and tightly to form the shape in photo No. 2 allowing just enough room for one tortoise to move through the opening at a time. Lap the plastic over the upper surface of the wood and set blocks on it as you proceed. Overlap the seams of the adjacent rows of the burrow walls for better insulation. The bend in the channel is important to slow air exchange with the outside. If the burrow is for two tortoises there should be enough room at the far end for each to have a corner at the far end and for either to leave at will without waiting for the other to move. The burrow opening should NOT face west or northwest.

4. Add soil to floor until height just clears the top shell. For channel dimensions for various tortoise sizes see Table 1. in our booklet, Desert Tortoises Adoption and Care. Tamp down the soil with your feet. IF YOU ARE ADOPTING A TORTOISE FROM TORTOISE GROUP, LEAVE THE BURROW AT THIS STAGE FOR INSPECTION BY ADOPTION COMMITTEE MEMBER.

5. Lay a second sheet of plywood over the blocks and cover with the second sheet of plastic. Place blocks around edge.

6. Mound the soil on the roof to at least 12 inches. Packing it down as you proceed. Round the top surface to leave no depressions where rain will puddle. Soil should cover the sides as well. Use more on the west and south sides.

7. For tortoises smaller than adults, you can make the channel the appropriate size, as in Table 1 in the booklet, but this will necessitate redoing the burrow as the tortoises grow. Making an adult size channel for all sizes of tortoises is a compromise that the smaller tortoises may accept.

TG/Mar. 03

Click Photos For Large Images

photo 1	photo 2
photo 3	photo 4
photo 5	photo 6

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