Flipping

RMTrescue

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Is there a way to teach a tortoise to right itself we have been contacted by an individual that has a tortoise that will not stop flipping over so far they have tried placing stones to help him flip himself back over and he has the bare minimum in his 3x6 enclosure. However now he flips himself on the walls. Any advice. I’m at a loss
 

RosemaryDW

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Ugh, I’m sure that is extremely distressing for them.

My adult Russian is desperately trying to get out of her enclosure right now and into new territory. She does this every year before hibernation but this year is exceptionally intense. We now have a tortoise cam on the spot she is focused on and she is flipping herself all the time and then flipping back over, usually within thirty seconds. It upsets me but the fact is she’s more than able to right herself.* You can find a video on the internet of a tortoise being intentionally turned over and then righting itself. I’m not going to link to it because many people find it upsetting but it’s easy to find.

That said, I think this tortoise is probably trying to get out of an exclosure it finds too small or it is getting used to a new enclosure and those are both things that can be corrected. Three by six is too small for some species, it may need to be enlarged. Whether it’s a new enclosure or not, I don’t think I’d keep things to a minimum in there; I’d give him a couple of things to break up the space and make it appear larger to him.

*She’s not exposed to the sun in this area, as I know others will legitimately mention this as a concern.
 

RMTrescue

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He’s roughly 6cm long. If anything extra is put in the enclosure he’s upside down in minutes. 3x6 is plenty for a young Hermanns. The thing that gets us is we’ve both seen torts the size of roomies managing to right themselves on their own but he can’t. He just lays there and doesn’t move.
 

Markw84

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Incubation temperatures that are a bit too high can have a big impact on righting ability with chelonians. A tortoise that cannot right itself is not normal. That is one of the tests I do if I have a clutch that I suspected had the incubation temps that got too high.
 

RMTrescue

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Adults always seem to have an easier time with this than babies.
Is this just one particular baby that seems to have issues?

It’s the only baby they have. So I’m assuming so I can’t speak for the others.
 

RMTrescue

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Incubation temperatures that are a bit too high can have a big impact on righting ability with chelonians. A tortoise that cannot right itself is not normal. That is one of the tests I do if I have a clutch that I suspected had the incubation temps that got too high.

There’s no way of us knowing the incubation temperatures but yes he cannot right himself
 

drew54

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Is there a way to teach a tortoise to right itself we have been contacted by an individual that has a tortoise that will not stop flipping over so far they have tried placing stones to help him flip himself back over and he has the bare minimum in his 3x6 enclosure. However now he flips himself on the walls. Any advice. I’m at a loss

Do they keep food in the enclosure at all times? Do they let the little guy out into a larger area?
 

RMTrescue

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Do they keep food in the enclosure at all times? Do they let the little guy out into a larger area?

Food is in there until it’s eaten. He’s smaller than a tennis ball in a 3 foot by 6 foot space. It’s not the space theory. And there’s a foot of snow on the ground so he’s in his enclosure all the time. As free roaming is unsafe especially as he’s less than 100 grams
 

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