Baby tortoise flipping on its back

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Hello again everyone, I have yet another question for you all, as you can see by the subject of this question I need answers, I have a massive vivarium for two itty bitty horsefields, one of them just has a bit of a walk around eats it's food and goes back to sleep and repeats the cycle while the other one just walks constantly and is for ever trying to climb up the walls. Last night I stuck some pieces of cardboard on the corners so it would be harder to climb up. When the dear little thing woke up this morning he was climbing again and fell over even with the cardboard in place, so what can I do to stop this?
 

ascott

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Hello again everyone, I have yet another question for you all, as you can see by the subject of this question I need answers, I have a massive vivarium for two itty bitty horsefields, one of them just has a bit of a walk around eats it's food and goes back to sleep and repeats the cycle while the other one just walks constantly and is for ever trying to climb up the walls. Last night I stuck some pieces of cardboard on the corners so it would be harder to climb up. When the dear little thing woke up this morning he was climbing again and fell over even with the cardboard in place, so what can I do to stop this?

Well, what is considered "massive"...what size of aquarium? You also indicate you have a pair of Russians in the same space....you also describe one is more outgoing while one is less outgoing...I first would suggest that you begin to set up a second enclosure...as a pair of tortoise are very hard to have in the same space....one will dominate and one will not, the one that does not, generally will deteriorate in health...and in addition to a pair being hard to live in harmony, this species is especially hard to have as pairs, they are very tenacious and one will absolutely suffer....

As for the flipping, I would revisit the needs of the tortoise and if those are being met with your enclosure...warmth, coolness (dry space), room to exercise, plants to hide in/under...food, water...temps correctly set up for day and night....where did you acquire the torts from?
 

dmmj

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you need to separate no other choice. You have one tortoise trying to get out of the other tortoises territory and it can't and it's stressing it out and causing problems. separating them is the quickest easiest and safest way to solve that problem
 
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Well here is the picture of the vivarium and I'll let you get an opinion on it as I said before they were born a couple of days ago
 
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I put the wet tissue paper down as it is helping them clean the egg yolk plus that's what someone else said on a forum and also my local pet shop does this when they have babies
 

ascott

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I don't think dominance is the problem as they were born a couple of days ago

I think there is a train of misunderstanding roaring through here..so let me clear up my side :D

I do not think that a flipping tortoise baby is because there is a pair, I believe that the tortoise either can see out of the enclosure and does not understand the "theory" of glass or the tortoise feels exposed and is trying to instinctually flee to find cover....so after I looked at the pic of the space you posted, I believe it is both...a tortoise is sneaky/quiet/reclusive/private animal, therefore if you perhaps offer up some plant canopy for them to hide in..towards the center of the enclosure, then you may offer some relief for that desire....glass can be corrected by placing paper or some other visual barrier so that the tortoise does not believe there is somewhere else to go/get to/climb to...right?

Tortoise quickly will decide who is the boss and who is going to submit, you may think it can not happen with young ones...but it absolutely does....so that was why I mentioned you will want to start a second enclosure..as you will absolutely have to separate them, regardless of sex...this is not a species that lives in harmony as a pair, period...sorry....I just know is all.
 
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There's nothing to be sorry about its not your fault that they keep flipping over I think it could be due to the fact that they don't have any substrate as of yet so they can't burrow I will be sure to find something to sort the glass problem out though definitely
 

Gillian M

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I agree with Ascott: torts do not understand the concept of glass and would therefore keep trying to get out.

I for one had a lot of trouble when Oli :<3: kept flipping on his back in his wooden enclosure. I sat there and watched and found out that a STAPLE had encouraged him to try to get out by clinging to it! Who would have ever thought a staple could do all that? :rolleyes:

And a very warm welcome to the forum! :D
 

Alexio

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I will later put a sand and soil mixture in as soon as the egg yolk has been fully absorbed

Just a couple things I'd advise if I may.
I would remove the heat mat immediately. Heat mats should never be used on the inside of an enclosure. If you do use a heat mat you need to use it on the underside of the enclosure, it also has to have a thermostat to regulate the temperature. It is likely the temperature of the heat mat right now if your not using a thermostat is in excess of 130f. If you have an infrared thermometer gun point it at the heat mat while it is on.
Secondly I would recommend using a sand sand /soil mixture. Sand is never a good choice for substrate. It is an impaction and irritant risk. Soil is ok to use as long as it's organic and perlite free. That being said sometimes in organic soil since there was no pesticides or chemicals used you get a lot of bugs and or eggs who were living in the soil and never killed in a treatment process. I have opened 3 bags of organic soil to flies flying out of the bag. I'm sure the flies were harmless but the spider mites I also got from the same bag were not. Thankfully I was only using the soil to grow grass indoors. I wish I had a picture. Just my 2 cents.
 

Anyfoot

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@ascott. I know squat about this species, and I can't tell how big that enclosure is. Looks 2x5ft ish. Would putting a partition up in the middle get the OP out of this sticky situation in the short term. (Create 2 enclosures). Put heat mat under the enclosure in the middle.
To the OP , what temps have you got in that open table. Do you live in a hot climate?
 

Sara G.

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I agree and would not use a sand/soil mixture easy. Way too many impacts toon horror stories for me.
Try using coco coir instead. It's bug free, clean (for dirt anyway), and retains moisture well.
And I would get rid of the heat mat as well and just strive for perfect ambient temperatures via lamps.

Cute babies!
 
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Thank you all for your comments, Alexio even though it may not look like it the heat mat is underneath a heat resistant piece of glass and the thermometer is on the outside of the vivarium and is currently set to 35C
 
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