Baby sulcata sleeping on back

[Jen H.]

My bay sulcata sometimes flips over (I was told not to flip him back, to let him do it himself) well, sometimes its like he gets tired of trying and her ends up falling asleep on his back for a while. is this ok???

 

[tortadise]

No it's not. You need to flip back when you see this. They can die from this when young. If flipped in water Noel will drown. If flipped under heat bulb will die from stroke. Whoever told you that is wrong unfortunately.

 

[Jen H.]

Thank you!!, it kills me to watch him struggle on his back. I am very happy to know I can flip him over

 

[tortadise]

Thank you!!, it kills me to watch him struggle on his back. I am very happy to know I can flip him over

Yes please do. One day he won't wake up from his sleep. It's very stressful on them. Especially youngsters.

 

[Jen H.]

Thank you Kelly. The pet store told me they need to learn to flip themselves over in case nobody is around to help them and that it also makes them strong for when they are bigger....... I guess it makes 'common' sense, but I will Very Happily turn my baby over

 

[Tom]

Pet stores are the number one source of bad information. Everything else this store told you should be suspect too.

Glad you found us and asked. Please ask more questions.

 

[Yvonne G]

I really don't like to use the word "flip" when talking about turning over a tortoise. "Flip" might make someone think its ok to be rough with their tortoise. You should very gently turn the tortoise back right side up. Never "flip" him. Tortoise stomachs are similar to horse stomachs, that is, they are heavy and gravity makes them lay towards the bottom of the tortoise. If you "flip" him instead of turning him gently, you run the risk of torsion to the bowell, or the stomach, being heavy, will also flip inside the tortoise, causing a crimp in the bowell. Eventually a tortoise will die from this.

So, be gentle, folks. Gently turn that tortoise back over.

 

[Jen H.]

yes, I do turn him over softly.. I don't "flip" him

 

[tortadise]

I really don't like to use the word "flip" when talking about turning over a tortoise. "Flip" might make someone think its ok to be rough with their tortoise. You should very gently turn the tortoise back right side up. Never "flip" him. Tortoise stomachs are similar to horse stomachs, that is, they are heavy and gravity makes them lay towards the bottom of the tortoise. If you "flip" him instead of turning him gently, you run the risk of torsion to the bowell, or the stomach, being heavy, will also flip inside the tortoise, causing a crimp in the bowell. Eventually a tortoise will die from this.

So, be gentle, folks. Gently turn that tortoise back over.

Very good poin Yvonne. This word and I will not use it to this day(as we were told not to say it when I worked at a veterinary office) was a bad bad thing for any animal. The gases inside the gut churn and cause the shall not be said(starts with a "B" and rhymes with boat) usually caused excruciating pain and leads to death if not surgical fixed. The intestines twist and cut off function. Tortoises gut is different than canine for sure but the gaseous mix up is what will cause tortoises issues and death without surgical pressure release.

 

[Tom]

Has anyone ever seen a case of gastric torsion on a tortoise? I haven't.

I "right" mine gently too.

 

[tortadise]

Has anyone ever seen a case of gastric torsion on a tortoise? I haven't.

I "right" mine gently too.

This specimen unfortunately passed before further aid could of been done. But you can see some serious gas issues with the gut to the top left portion. This would be the at the right front arm of the tortoise if seen from above.

 

[Tom]

Did necropsy determine gastric torsion to be the cause of death? All sorts of things can contribute to gas build up.

 

[tortadise]

Did necropsy determine gastric torsion to be the cause of death? All sorts of things can contribute to gas build up.

Necropsy was inconsistent. Had expired in the evening and the following morning corpse was beyond viable histopath results. So no I cannot say gastric torsion was ruled. But for sure had some gut issues.

 

[Moozillion]

Wow! This is VERY useful information!
THANKS!!!

 

[Hgarrity]

You may also want to look around his enclosure and see why he is turning over so often. My little guy was trying to climb on top of his hide and turning over daily. I put more substrate around the sides to make the slope not so steep. That seems to have worked. Anyway, there may be a few simple changes you could make in his enclosure to help him not turn over so often.