babies are flipping over

[dar64]

Every now and then one of the babies will flip over. During the day they are in a protected enclosure on grass. I'll find one flipped over. Gives me a heart attack. In the indoor enclosure they don't seem to do it. They have their peat and sand substrate with some timothy on top so they can roll back over easily. Any ideas as to why they just stay on their back . This is mainly if outdoors ?
Will they just grow out of this. If so how long does it take. They are between 3 and 5 months old

 

[ascott]

The babies seem to remain that way for a longer period of time...I believe due to inexperience along with they are just a bit flatter...their legs a little scrawny....and such...

I can not tell you what age they stop...but you can look your outdoor enclosure over and make some adjustments to make the perimeter walls less obvious..maybe place a thick plant area in the center to draw their attention there away from the sides....

 

[dcwolfe]

Is it a new outside enclosure to them? I have seen this happen when getting new yearlings and placing them in a fairly new enclosure they like to try and find the limits of it and escape until they are comfortable.

 

[dar64]

yes its a new enclosure outside. I 've only had them a couple of weeks

 

[Levi the Leopard]

I have found heavy vegetation allows for a good grip to right them self.

How is the outdoor pen planted? Is it just the grass?

You could let the grass grow really tall or add some other taller weeds/plants. If they fall on their back and their legs catch on the plants they can turn back over much easier.

 

[mctlong]

What are they flipping over on? Find the source and remove it. If they're small, they could be flipping trying to crawl over the grass. Several years ago, I had a hatchling who flipped trying to climb over vegetation. Sadly, he flipped in a sunny spot and overheated before I found him. Do everything you can to remove whatever is causing them to flip.

They'll grow out of this flipping phase as they become heavier, stronger and better-balanced.

 

[kjr153]

There is nothing scarier than coming home to find a flipped tort. How does a tort flip itself back over in the wild? Surely they don't just die when they flip over, right?

 

[mctlong]

There is nothing scarier than coming home to find a flipped tort. How does a tort flip itself back over in the wild? Surely they don't just die when they flip over, right?

Yep, they just die. Very few sulcata hatchings survive in the wild. If you think about it, a single female can lay several dozen fertile eggs a year. If she lives 100 years, thats a whole lot of potential baby sulcatas. If they all lived, Africa would be completely overrun with tortoises. I'd be very surprised if even 1 in 100 survived in the wild. I have a biologist friend who refers to these overproducing animals as "fodder."