# Upside Down Tortoise



## Yvonne G (Feb 26, 2009)

I used to have quite an extensive file of turtle and tortoise literature. It took up three drawers in the file cabinet. Lately I've come to realize that everything I need to know can be found on the 'net, so I'm slowly removing all the papers (to the burn pile). 

I found this interesting article written by veterinarians Doug Mader and Carl Palazzolo, which was printed in the January '91 issue of the Tortuga Gazette. The article is long and I've only copied a few of the paragraphs that I thought you might be interested in:

"...It is not natural for a tortoise to be on its back. Aside from the psychological discomfort of being upside down for long periods, there are a number of physiological reasons why this position is detrimental to the animal. First off, the tortoise has a large lung area and air sac space which fill the top portion of the shell space. When an animal is on its back, the liver, stomach and intestinal tract fall into this space because of gravity, thus compromising the animalÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s ability to breathe.

Also, being upside down can cause the tortoise to vomit or regurgitate intestinal or stomach contents. If the tortoise accidentally aspirates, or breathes into its lungs, any of this gastrointestinal material, it could die. This might be immediate, or it might take a few hours to days.

Another possible problem encountered with tortoises which have flipped over is torsion on their bowel. That is a condition where part of the intestinal tract flips over on its own axis, or twists inside the shell. This is a very serious condition, and unless untwisted quickly, the animal will surely die.

In the panic of being upside down a tortoise will frequently lose control of its bowels and bladder. Oftentimes a tortoise will defecate or urinate during this time. As an animal becomes fatigued from struggling it may lose voluntary muscle control and result in this happening. This is significant since the tortoise depends on the water in its bladder for its hydration. Even if the tortoise is found in time and righted, it not given access to water, or given fluids by a veterinarian (if needed), the animal may be at risk of dying from dehydration.

Another problem often encountered with stranded tortoises is from fly strike. Flies usually do not bother healthy tortoises; however, flies are quick to take advantage of compromised animals. The flies will attack areas of damaged tissue such as cuts and bruises. They will also attack areas which have been moistened from saliva or urine. Specifically, the flies concentrate their activity around the mouth, they eyes and the cloaca.

When the flies land on the area they deposit their eggs. Depending on the species of fly, most of these eggs hatch out into maggots within 24 hours. The maggots then attack the tissue and begin eating away at the flesh. Not only do these maggots cause overt damage to the tissue, they are also carriers of disease..."

This information almost 20 years old, but I feel it is still good stuff. And Doug Mader is a very well-known tortoise vet. 

Yvonne


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## tortoisenerd (Feb 26, 2009)

Thanks Yvonne! That was quite informative.  Sad though too.


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## nrfitchett4 (Feb 26, 2009)

my only addition to that is that maggots will not eat healthy tissue. They will only eat dead or dying tissue. 
They are still used in medicine to clean some types of wounds.

On a side note, I found shelly this morning basking on top of her hide. To me that is quite the climb for such a tort. I am going to build up the dirt on the sides of her hides so that getting up and down them is easier, hopefully this will prevent her from ending up upside down from trying to get down after.


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## purpod (Feb 26, 2009)

Hiya, Yvonne, GF ~ 

Goodness gracious, that was some _serious _information you've passed on ~ thanx a bunch for keeping us all informed ~ I surely hope new-bees will take note of the warning!

Blessings to you my Dear,
Purpod


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## terryo (Feb 26, 2009)

Wow...scary stuff. Thanks for that.


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## Karyn (Feb 26, 2009)

Yikes! I had no idea. Thanks for the info.

Karyn


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## maevamichelle (Feb 26, 2009)

I love that you posted something from a periodical. Typically when online looking for information we don't use the 'right' phrases to pull up the best information or from the most reliable sources. I love periodicals for the fact that a team of people have already filtered thru all the non sense and printed the most current information and brought it to our attention.
Thnx for taking the time to post it^^


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## galvinkaos (Feb 26, 2009)

Thank you again Yvonne. 

Dawna


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## Isa (Feb 27, 2009)

I knew it could be dangerous for a tortoise to be on its back but I did not know it could be THAT dangerous. Thanks a lot Yvonne for sharing this precious and important information.


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## Crazy1 (Feb 27, 2009)

Yvonne great information and we all should certainly be aware of it, I am sure it is as relevant today as 20 years ago. Thanks


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