# Sad day for me



## cuppidsarrows (Aug 25, 2009)

Well today I left the house to run errands and when i came back I found my poor baby flipped over. The poor little guy had chocked on dirt that we had put down for him. Its just so sad because I had just found this website in hopes of making him a better house. hopefully I can contact the person that I got him from and see if she has any more that can be adopted because now I have this really cool house but no tortoise. 

So Sad.


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## bettinge (Aug 25, 2009)

Sorry to hear! What kind was he and how old?


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## cuppidsarrows (Aug 25, 2009)

He was A desert and less than a year old, about 8 months or so.


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## Yvonne G (Aug 25, 2009)

I'm so sorry to hear that you lost your little desert tortoise. Are you sure that he choked on the dirt? It could just be he got dirt in his mouth because he was trying to flip back over. They extend their necks and push real hard with their nose and their mouth opens. Some desert tortoises and most box turtles are very adept at righting themselves, but some just seem to lay there and lose the will to live.

Too bad...

Yvonne


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## cuppidsarrows (Aug 25, 2009)

I just assume that he chocked because we found dirt in his mouth but had been flipping him self over lately and really scarring me, but every time I was there to flip him back over cause he never could flip himself over.


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## tortoiselover (Aug 25, 2009)

This is very sad. I know that it was nothing that you did that contributed to this sad situation. This just goes as a reminder for us all that we need to make sure that there is plenty of stuff to help them right themselves if the trouble should arise. 

Again, sorry for your loss... will you be getting another one or did this one incident traumatize you for ever?


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## cuppidsarrows (Aug 25, 2009)

This incident has made me really sad and uneasy, but I know that if I don't get another one that I will never want to, so with that said I contacted the women who gave me mine and she does have a few that I could take a look at and put my name down when they can be adopted.


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## katesgoey (Aug 25, 2009)

I'm very sorry for your loss.


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## tortoisenerd (Aug 25, 2009)

So sorry to hear this. Sometimes there are a few changes to enclosures you can make to reduce flipping (some little hills in the substrate, no hazards to climb on, etc), but other times there is nothing more to be done. Was he under the heat lamp? What did you find him next to, or just in the middle of bare substrate? How sad.


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## Crazy1 (Aug 25, 2009)

cuppidsarrows, I am so sorry you lost you little DT. If you care to post pics in the enclosure section I am sure we would all be more than happy to take a look at it for you and give you suggestions if need be. I know I can always tweek my enclosures to make them better for my hatchlings.


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## cuppidsarrows (Aug 25, 2009)

I found him in the middle of no where by a hide that he usually stayed away from, I think he tried to climb the hide, and i will post pics in the next few days so you guys can help me out and make it safe for the next little ones that will be coming.


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## Madortoise (Aug 26, 2009)

I just checked in before I hit the bed. This is really sad.
 I am sooo sorry to hear about your desert tortoise.
It's everyone's nightmare. Who knows how many times they flip and flip back in our absence. I know my DT has no problem sometimes but struggles more at other times to flip back over so then I come to rescue. It could be due the combination of unfortunate circumstances or a simple reason. I wonder if he had a good footing on the substrate. 
take care cupidsarrows,


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## tortoiselover (Aug 26, 2009)

I think she was using the eco-earth as her substrate (am i correct?). It seems as if it is highly recommended on this forum. Could this had contributed to the problem. I am also using eco-earth and if it is not a good substrate than i want to change before it is too late.


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## lgdpt (Aug 26, 2009)

Of my 3 girls....one flips herself over all the time and just lays there.....she wouldnt make it without me. The other two, I have never had to flip back over.....I assume they do it by themselves. Like Yvonne said, some just dont have the will to live.


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## cuppidsarrows (Aug 26, 2009)

yes I am using the eco earth, and no joke bought it like 3 days ago and then put it in with him, but I think that he climbed his hide and just fell off. He also had a some what of a flat shell as did his mom so I dont think that he could flip himself over correctly. Thanks everyone for your condolences and helping me feel like this want due to me.


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## Stephanie Logan (Aug 26, 2009)

What a sad story. I even posted a thread on this forum about overturning because it is one of my worst nightmares that it will happen to Taco. I have followed her around all over the yard this summer when she goes exploring to see how she handles little obstacles and what she will try to climb or descend from, or crawl under . I have seen her bellyflop off a timber step, climb down from a short tree stump, climb up and over a brick border, attempt to cross a four inch wall of metal edging, and just today I found her nearly vertical, trying to escape her pen. Fortunately, she seems to be cautious enough that she has never to my knowledge flipped over (I don't know, with her deformed shell, if she could flip back upright, so there's another thing for me to feel guilty about--and I do). I am so very sad for you. I hope you get a new tortie who grows up strong and outlives you!


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## terryo (Aug 26, 2009)

This is very sad, but you certainly can't blame yourself. I can imagine haw bad you felt when you came home and found her.


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## tortoisenerd (Aug 26, 2009)

For torts that are in danger of flipping, I would use hides with vertical sides such as boxes, instead of half logs and things that are tempting to climb. I do not think eco earth is a contributor in any bit. Many many people use it safely and happily. The levelness of the substrate, cage furnishings, and particular tort are the variables I think of immediately.


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## cuppidsarrows (Aug 26, 2009)

I agree totally with you, my boyfriend uses eco earth with his desert which was the same age and size of mine and his is fine. In the future I am going to not use half logs if the tort looks like he wants to climb.


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## tortoisenerd (Aug 27, 2009)

I took an odd steps in that I built ramps up to the half log to encourage safer climbing! hehe The little guy loves it. Not recommended for all torts though.


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## dmmj (Aug 27, 2009)

Stephanie Logan said:


> What a sad story. I even posted a thread on this forum about overturning because it is one of my worst nightmares that it will happen to Taco. I have followed her around all over the yard this summer when she goes exploring to see how she handles little obstacles and what she will try to climb or descend from, or crawl under . I have seen her bellyflop off a timber step, climb down from a short tree stump, climb up and over a brick border, attempt to cross a four inch wall of metal edging, and just today I found her nearly vertical, trying to escape her pen. Fortunately, she seems to be cautious enough that she has never to my knowledge flipped over (I don't know, with her deformed shell, if she could flip back upright, so there's another thing for me to feel guilty about--and I do). I am so very sad for you. I hope you get a new tortie who grows up strong and outlives you!



If you are concrened about her being able to flip over with here deformed shell, you could always flip her over and see if she has a quick response or if it looks like she would have problems doing it. Under supervision of course, but like I said In my experience bigger torts usually do not flip themselves over .


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## LBSKUNK (Sep 1, 2009)

I am sorry to hear about your tort. This is one of my daily concerns. I have 2 ten year old desert torts (Andre and Calvin) and I have found Andre flipped over 3 times in the last 2 years. We have been very fortunate to find him and flip him back over ourselves, but each time I don't know how long he has been flipped over and it scares me that one day it will happen again but the next time we might not find him in time. Each time we have found him flipped over he looks motionless, sad and helpless as if he had lost all his will to right himself.


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## dmmj (Sep 1, 2009)

LBSKUNK said:


> I am sorry to hear about your tort. This is one of my daily concerns. I have 2 ten year old desert torts (Andre and Calvin) and I have found Andre flipped over 3 times in the last 2 years. We have been very fortunate to find him and flip him back over ourselves, but each time I don't know how long he has been flipped over and it scares me that one day it will happen again but the next time we might not find him in time. Each time we have found him flipped over he looks motionless, sad and helpless as if he had lost all his will to right himself.



Just out of curiousity do you have 2 males? they could be fighting each other and one being the less dominant one could be flipped over again and again. seperating them would most likely solve you problem, just a thought.


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