# How to stop tipping upside down?



## xfshipper (Apr 6, 2010)

I have a 5-yo Hermann's tortoise who loves to run around and climb. Lately though, I've been finding her stuck upside down on her back. This always happens in around the same place in her enclosure, right by the same wall. I make sure her water dish is far away from that area (or any wall) so that she's less likely to fall upside down and drown but it still scares me so much that one day she'll tip over and I won't be around to pick her back up. Whenever I leave the house for more than an hour or so I make sure there's someone around who can check in on her from time to time but that's not a very practical long-term solution. When I've found her upside down I have tried leaving her there for a minute to see if she can tip herself back upright, but she just seems to lie on her back and flail her legs around without any success. Are most tortoises able to right themselves when they fall upside down? I'm scared she's going to suffocate. Can she die if she gets stuck on her back for more than a few minutes? a few hours?

Any ideas on how to change her enclosure would be great. I have no idea what to do. She's currently in a 3'x5' indoor wooden enclosure with aspen shavings. What kinds of things could I put in her enclosure that would make it easier for her to right herself/not tip upside down in the first place? Maybe a different kind of bedding? I tried all sorts of different substrates when I first got her and aspen shavings are the only thing she won't try to eat, so I'm hesitant to change that. I'm at a loss.


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## ChiKat (Apr 6, 2010)

I have found my hatchling flipped on his back several times. I still live at home (unfortunately  ) and I am fortunate that my mom works at home and is able to check on Nelson several times throughout the day. 
However, as you've said, this is not a practical long-term solution. 

Where have you found her stuck on her back? In corners? Next to hides/logs or other various things she can climb on? 
One thing I had to do was take out Nelson's half-log. I had built up substrate next to it so he wasn't able to fall off the sides, but he would still dive off the end and get stuck on his back  
One thing you might want to do is only give him hides with vertical sides that he is unable to climb (a wooden house, box, etc.) 
I also found him flipped on his back near corners because he would try to climb out  I ended up putting fake plants in the corners so he can't get to the corners.
I have also placed rocks strategically throughout the enclosure so if he flips over he has a better chance of using a rock to flip himself back over.

Nelson was on a coir substrate for a while and it was too soft for him to right himself. When he would flip over he would dig and flail his limbs and end up just digging deeper


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## Maggie Cummings (Apr 6, 2010)

You need to figure out why or how he is flipping over in that same corner. A hide there or a rock he is climbing on? Yes he can die if left on his back under a hot basking light or drown in water. After a while he can die from the weight pressing on his lungs while he's resting on his back. So now you need to figure out how he tipping over and change that corner, place rocks around so he can right himself and change what he's using to tip over...


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## Yvonne G (Apr 6, 2010)

Hi xfshipper:





to the forum!!

Put something in that corner so she can't go there anymore...a hiding place, a big rock, a handful of smaller rocks, etc.


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## xfshipper (Apr 6, 2010)

The rocks are a good idea. It's not just one corner though, it's at any point along one particular wall... sometimes she runs up and down along just that one wall and tries to climb up it to get out and just falls down on her back. So even if i put a bunch of rocks along that side, I have a feeling she would just try to climb up those and then still fall back upside down. She usually only gets this antsy to get out when it's warm outside. The temp in her enclosure is the same no matter what the temperature is outside but somehow she knows when it's warm out. An outdoor enclosure is not an option for her at this point though, sadly  I do take her outside whenever I can, although even there she tries to climb over any walls or whatever. 

The place where she tends to flip over isn't under her basking light - the temperature there is probably usually around 75 or 80. I'm more worried about her suffocating. Roughly how long would it take for her to start to suffocate on her back? Like, a couple minutes, or a few hours? She doesn't do this very often but I worry about her whenever I leave the house... uuuuugh I wish there was just a way for me to train her to be able to flip herself back upright.

Thanks for the suggestions though. Plants are a good idea too, since she can't really try to climb on top of those. I'm going to get some more tomorrow. and thanks for the welcome


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## Yvonne G (Apr 6, 2010)

If she runs back and forth along that one wall, then place something there that interrupts her path.


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## gyang333 (Apr 6, 2010)

My russian was using the thermometer as a grab to get almost upright and he would try to climb out, but I found him on his back a few times, I was certain that he was able to right himself eventually, but I didn't want the risk so I moved the thermometer higher up. You'll have to asses what exactly is going on, but if your tort just wants to climb and try to escape that one particular part of the wall, you might have put some smaller rocks around there, and hopefully, if she falls on her back again, hopefully she can use those rocks to right herself.


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