hey guys,ive kept and bread herps all my life ,im 32,im being offered a 5 inch desert tort.i know all the basics but would love to shoot the stuff with someone actualy in california that keeps them.The thing im wondering most is how often they tip over,how long before they croak from it,and can they usualy flip back on there own.thanks all.

also give me the real deal on hardyness,my freinds mom hase had them here in bakersfield ca for ever,lost one to tipping but they were always healthy.is this typical?

my desert tortoise hatchlings occasionally flip themselves over when they are climbing but they are pretty good at flipping themselves back.
i've read that the biggest risk is just the exposure of having their soft side up.

Welcome to tfo jason longboard,
DT if they flip, do so mainly when climbing as Josh said. Unless you have more than one then they may flip each other -it’s a dominance thing. I have 4 adult males and 4 yearlings I am fostering here in CA. They live a long, long time under optimum circumstances. Most can right themselves once they flip but the danger is if they are in the hot sun or under a heat lamp upside down for too long, or if they flip in water. Each case is different as is each DT.