It doesn’t take long for a new sulcata owner to find out how destructive sulcata tortoises can be. It starts with rearranging outdoor furniture and shallow holes and burrows. Then it turns into deep burrows and scratched up parts of your home.
The biggest problem that sulcata tortoise owners will have is burrowing. The large burrows can cause very expensive damage to a home, shed, in-ground pool or other amenities on the property.
Sulcata Tortoises Dig Large Burrows
Sulcata tortoises are a burrowing species. In the wild, they spend much of their day in a climate controlled burrow. These burrows can be as long as 25 feet deep and 2-3 feet wide.
In captivity, tortoises will still burrow, especially if they don’t have proper outdoor houses to keep cool or warm (depending on the season).
Depending on how deep the burrow, which direction it goes and how close it is anything on your property, the damage can vary.
A large burrow near a home, shed or barn can easily damage the foundation. If the foundation is damaged, this can lead to a wide range of expenses to keep the building safe. If the burrow is near a pool, the ground near that area can become unstable.
You can make a burrow for your sulcata, but that doesn’t mean that 1) he’ll like it or 2) he won’t dig his own anyway. Although, it is worth a try.
Scratching and Ramming
Sulcata tortoises will not only ram people or animals in their territory, but they may shuffle or ram the house to get your attention. Or if the space isn’t large enough, the tortoise may ram, dig, scratch or try to pummel the fence to make the space larger.
You may have to replace fencing, siding on your home (if the siding is low), repaint, etc. This could be small damages that are easy to repair, or the damages could grow if the cause is not corrected. IE if the tortoise needs more room to graze and roam, he’ll keep at it until you give it to him.
The smaller repairs can end up tallying more than one big one… Unless of course the tortoise really damages the foundation of your home. Sulcatas are personable, sulcata tortoises can also be very destructive.
