Baby Nevada Desert Tortoise Keeps Flipping On Back

Status
Not open for further replies.

Mojaverocco

New Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Feb 10, 2013
Messages
43
Location (City and/or State)
Southern Nevada
First of all he is sleeping in his inside tank because its 49 degrease outside and he is only 6 months old. Ok so I was watching tv and heard a noise I thought it was my hermit crabs and looked and none of them were in sight. I looked at all of my animals cages and found out it was my tortoise. He was laying on his back. Apparently he climbed up the wall and flipped back. I flipped out and moved him back right side up. But now he keeps trying to climb everything. Please help! I don't know what to do. I can't sleep and I'm scared to go to school tomorrow because I want to be there for it if he flips over! Please oh please help!
 

Eloise's mommy

Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jan 1, 2013
Messages
372
Location (City and/or State)
Utah
I can't help but I hope this will bump you up to the top of the threads.
 

SDDTMama

New Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Sep 18, 2012
Messages
80
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-63270.html


The only advice I can give is to remove anything "he" might flip himself with and/ or block or modify the walls so it's harder for him to do again. I find that the more "out of table" time my Owen (a 5-month-old desert tortoise) gets the less he paces & climbs the walls of his enclosure (maybe I tire him out?). I shoot for 45 mins- one hour of "roaming" time a day, mostly supervised outside, unless it is too cold or raining, where as then I will allow him to walk around (again, always closely supervised) inside our house.

Hope this helps!
 

tortoise007

Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jan 14, 2013
Messages
410
Location (City and/or State)
Phoenix AZ aria
OK I have 4 baby deserts and they flip over ALL the time! I'm sorry to say, but it's almost impossible to keep baby tortoises from flipping over :( There are things you can do to help them not flip over: give them a bigger enclosure so they are not tempted to climb up every thing (I would suggest using a concrete mixing tub because the walls are slanted so it's harder for the tortoise to flip over and they are a great size). If you are are using half log, you might want get something different because it in a tortoises blood to climb up on top it. Please post pics of your enclosure so I can give you more info. :tort:
 

Mojaverocco

New Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Feb 10, 2013
Messages
43
Location (City and/or State)
Southern Nevada
It's just a 20 gallon tank no need for a picture. But this is what the outside tank looks like. The black pipe goes underground for the burrow and I can pick up those rocks and look in the burrow if there is ever an emergency
tortoise007 said:
OK I have 4 baby deserts and they flip over ALL the time! I'm sorry to say, but it's almost impossible to keep baby tortoises from flipping over :( There are things you can do to help them not flip over: give them a bigger enclosure so they are not tempted to climb up every thing (I would suggest using a concrete mixing tub because the walls are slanted so it's harder for the tortoise to flip over and they are a great size). If you are are using half log, you might want get something different because it in a tortoises blood to climb up on top it. Please post pics of your enclosure so I can give you more info. :tort:
 

Attachments

  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    2.3 MB · Views: 82

tortoise007

Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jan 14, 2013
Messages
410
Location (City and/or State)
Phoenix AZ aria
Do not remove the water dish!!! It is VERY easy for a baby tortoise to dehydrate without a water dish. but I would suggest that you put it somewhere in the middle so that if he does flip over he doesn't land in the water dish.
A 20 gallon is a little to small. your outdoor enclosure looks Great, how big is it? About what area do you live?
 

Mojaverocco

New Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Feb 10, 2013
Messages
43
Location (City and/or State)
Southern Nevada
About 5x6 but my back yard is gigantic for when he gets larger! :D I live in las vegas
tortoise007 said:
Do not remove the water dish!!! It is VERY easy for a baby tortoise to dehydrate without a water dish. but I would suggest that you put it somewhere in the middle so that if he does flip over he doesn't land in the water dish.
A 20 gallon is a little to small. your outdoor enclosure looks Great, how big is it? About what area do you live?
 

Mojaverocco

New Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Feb 10, 2013
Messages
43
Location (City and/or State)
Southern Nevada
No but he has got on top of his half long and scared me lol. It see,s this was a one night thing
tortoise007 said:
has he flipped over lately?


Mojaverocco said:
No but he has got on top of his half long and scared me lol. It see,s this was a one night thing

I mean seems not see,s
 

ascott

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Apr 10, 2011
Messages
16,138
Location (City and/or State)
Apple Valley, California
If you have a constant flipper, you can take one of those pink rectangle erasers, cut it in half (or thirds, depending on size of your tort)...and adhere it to the center of the scute on the top of his shell, avoiding the growth area of the scute, this will allow the tort to not be flat on his back, but rather a kick stand type affect, which is an easier angle to flip himself back over.....just a suggestion.

Also, if you are using a glass tank---do you have the bottom 6 inches of the entire outside of the glass tank covered with some type of paper so that your tort can not see through? see through glass is simply a challenge for some torts....also, I would line the entire inside enclosure with plants/or gradual climbing obstacles so that he can not easily pace the walls---plants are the best option vs obstacles....

I also would remove the water dish (and be sure to offer a couple soaks during the day) until your little one settles into his enclosure a bit more and the flipping hazard decreases....a baby tort that climbs into and out of a water dish can absolutely land upside down in their water dish and drown----especially if you have a younger tort,....there are other options to maintain hydration until you get past this acrobatic phase....lol...

If you decide to leave the water dish in the enclosure, you may want to place some flat river type rocks in the water dish so that he can not get flipped in the dish, but can still climb into/onto the dish and find access to the water between the rock placement....

I have a CDT that lives here and he is my jumper, straight to the highest place and purposely walks right off and face plants and will keep doing it....he use to get me running when ever I would see him do this---and I noticed he stopped doing it as much once I stopped running to his aid....crazy creatures...lol
 

tortoise007

Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jan 14, 2013
Messages
410
Location (City and/or State)
Phoenix AZ aria
ascott said:
If you have a constant flipper, you can take one of those pink rectangle erasers, cut it in half (or thirds, depending on size of your tort)...and adhere it to the center of the scute on the top of his shell, avoiding the growth area of the scute, this will allow the tort to not be flat on his back, but rather a kick stand type affect, which is an easier angle to flip himself back over.....just a suggestion

That is a great idea!!! My tortoises are "constant flippers". :p
:tort:
 

mctlong

Moderator
5 Year Member
Joined
Oct 17, 2009
Messages
2,653
Location (City and/or State)
SF Valley, SoCal
Mojaverocco said:
Apparently he climbed up the wall and flipped back.

For those that attempt to climb the walls, I've found that digging a shallow, approx 1.5" deep, 1" wide trench around the entire base of the walls prevents the babies who try to climb the wall from obtaining that vertical position that leads to tipping backwards.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top