How can I prevent my tortoise from flipping over?

[lanie]

hello! My sulcata Geoffrey is very active all the time other than we he sleeps at night or takes a nap. With this being said he has this tendency of climbing his log and recently I have been finding him flipped over and stressed out. Luckily I have been working from home these past two weeks but my fear is that one day I won't be home to flip him back over. He does not climb walls and his water and food bowls are very shallow. I don't want to remove his log seeing that it's where he sleeps and hides, does anyone know any other alternatives?

 

[bryson white]

the only reason is because he can see out of it.try to put a strip of cardboard on the glass and he will not be able to see out of it . hope this helps

 

[gg888]

Hello my Barnie used to do exactly the same, but I think he may have grown out of it now.
If You think the log is the reason he is flipping, maybe you could make him a new hide? I'm thinking something along the lines of some sort of box that could work as a humid hide. If it was big enough, hopefully he wouldn't be able to climb on top.
Also, I think I'm correct In saying this, but the walls of his home are transparent. So maybe blocking them out with something would discourage him from charging around and looking for his escape

 

[lanie]

Hello my Barnie used to do exactly the same, but I think he may have grown out of it now.
If You think the log is the reason he is flipping, maybe you could make him a new hide? I'm thinking something along the lines of some sort of box that could work as a humid hide. If it was big enough, hopefully he wouldn't be able to climb on top.
Also, I think I'm correct In saying this, but the walls of his home are transparent. So maybe blocking them out with something would discourage him from charging around and looking for his escape

Should I block all 4 walls? And I've watched him climb the log and I temporarily made a ramp out of the dirt unto he log and he's been using it and not flipping over. It's a temporary solution that will give me time to go out and look for something at the store. Thank you for your help!

 

[BrianWI]

I took out my log, put in a house she can't climb onto, now she goes in and flips over inside using the walls.

 

[Edizzle888]

Just put some cardboard or paper or something covering the outside glass to where he can see. I never kept any bowls

 

[Edizzle888]

More of a square home that he can't climb. At that age I used the red folgers container as a house.

 

[Edizzle888]

Instead of the log. Also I just discovered that a large plastic tote is the best idea ever for a baby sulcata. Holds humidity and heat really awesome. Not really great to look at like a tank but they aren't really in one for long. I got a black one at target with wheels(see through problem gone and easy to move)

 

[BrianWI]

Can you get tortoise training wheels?

 

[Linhdan Nguyen]

Unless you see that hes running into the walls or trying to climb it, i would not worry about covering 4 sides. Some tortoises know they cant run through it and other tortoises dont. You mentioned he does not climb the walls, just the log.
Humidity is important for sulcatas (especially babies) so a humid hide is ideal. But if your ramp allows him to climb up the log and then back down again without flipping over then i believe you've solved your problem.
If hes so active, try adding plants or rocks (flat or domed sunk into the substrate to minimize him falling over) that he can walk over and around.

 

[Gillian M]

I have a feeling that it's the glass that he can see through. Torts do not understand the concept of glass, and for this reason it is not recommended for their enclosures.

 

[Linhdan Nguyen]

I think it depends on the tort. My tortoises have never tried anything with the open view glass, but i know others have stated their torts constantly tried to climb walls where the open glass was.
But from the picture, the little half log is against the wall and in a corner. The only climbable side is where he will be staring at a white wall.
I covered my tank at night so it would be dark while i had the light in in the room. For a little while, my torts would climb their logs in the morning with all sides covered.
Im not saying youre wrong cause many members agree with you about torts not understanding glass. But a few others have torts that do understand (i suppose).

 

[BrianWI]

Mine has no issue with glass. It is anything else she climbs up on. She is crazy I think.

 

[Speedy-1]

As I tend to state probably once a week lately , glass has never been a problem for me ! I guess I am lucky to have such a smart little Sully ! Maybe you could add a bit more substrate , so you would have enough to make the ramp permanent ? I would change his hide if it continues to happen !

 

[Linhdan Nguyen]

Packing more substrate to make a ramp to the top of the hide is a good idea !

 

[Lilyloveslettuse]

Lily does the same thing. There has been multiple emergencies in which we had to revive her with a bath and a big salad Just make sure he can't see out of the enclosure. Put up some thin boards around the edge of the enclosure. If he is still flipping over, round the edges of the enclosure. You may be able to use a plastic kiddy pool. We ended up having to put Lily in one because she was out growing her enclosure and flipping over too often. Kiddy pools are my go to enclosures when they are the size of your tortoise. My girl is growing out of hers, but she gets to go to her summer home soon!

 

[lanie]

Thank you everyone so much. I took the advice of adding more substrate and making a more permanent ramp. He really loves to dig so it's not only helped with him not flipping over he has plenty of material to dig into!

 

[Anyfoot]

View attachment 179362 View attachment 179363 hello! My sulcata Geoffrey is very active all the time other than we he sleeps at night or takes a nap. With this being said he has this tendency of climbing his log and recently I have been finding him flipped over and stressed out. Luckily I have been working from home these past two weeks but my fear is that one day I won't be home to flip him back over. He does not climb walls and his water and food bowls are very shallow. I don't want to remove his log seeing that it's where he sleeps and hides, does anyone know any other alternatives?

Try putting a shelf above your hide that sticks out creating a ledge. If you do it to the correct height to suit your tort size he should be able to go under the lip but not climb high enough to flip. Also if the shelf was sturdy enough you could put a plant on it so not to look ugly. Something like this.

 

[lanie]

That's a great idea thank you! I'm going to give it a try if I see him continue to flip over. So far the ramp I macgyvered has been doing the trick but it doesn't seem as permanent of a solution as your suggestion.

 

[Yvonne G]

I start all my babies out in glass tanks. Never had one that was stressed because he could see out.

Some tortoises seem to tip over more than others. For sure, brand new baby tortoises tip a lot. But after a week or so they become more stable.

Try to eliminate whatever he's climbing on. Use a hide with straight up and down sides.