Pumpkin Gave Me a Panic Attack! (Flipped Tortoise)

[SunnySideUp]

I came home from school today to Pumpkin flipped over in the corner of his enclosure! I have no idea how long he was stuck there, but I grabbed him and turned him over so fast (out of panic) that he withdrew and "hissed" at me. I made the fastest warm soak in the history of tortoise keeping and placed him in it. He sneezed several times during his soak (there was substrate around his nares, so that may have caused an irritation) and seemed disorientated. He was wobbly on his feet for a few minutes but slowly returned to normal. When I placed him back in his enclosure he started stomping around like a man on a mission. I caught him giving the area where he'd been flipped a long stare before going to his basking spot. He felt kind of cold, but wasn't limp or unresponsive when I turned him over.

Is there anything else I should do besides removing the rocks I think he flipped over on? Will this have any lasting health consequences? What should I do? Gosh, my heart was beating so fast when I found him...

 

[lismar79]

Awww, I would keep him warm & keep an eye on him. He just may have exhausted himself trying to flip back over.

 

[SunnySideUp]

I imagine he's pretty tired, considering that his legs were a bit wobbly. I just feel so bad for him, and I really regret turning him over roughly like I did. I was just so startled seeing him flailing his limbs as he was that I reacted too quickly.

 

[želva]

I know how you feel. I found small sulcata flipped over and was worried form him too, but it was okay.
We had more problems with our bigger sully male, two years back, when we got him, he just keep trying to get out of his pen and ended up flipped over. But he made such a noise every time, that someone usually heard him, and after few accidents like that everybody started to check on him every time they were near. Though he stopped doing that after few months. I suspect it was new, unfamiliar environment and he missed his old home.

 

[SunnySideUp]

Thankfully Pumpkin isn't climbing to get out. He's just a bit too bold with his exploring. I suppose I'll have to rework his enclosure so this doesn't happen again.

 

[želva]

Same thing was with our small sully, Ula, she flipped over two or three times when it became more courageous while exploring around.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Believe me, I know that panicked feeling. A few times I have checked on Bob who likes to stand on his back legs to look over his fence, and found him on his back.. There is no awful feeling in the world like I feel seeing my 150 pound tortoise on his back. But...just a word of caution... I have been told that we can cause their intestines to twist in turning them over too fast. Ya don't have to do it in slow motion, but carefully is a word I would use. The last time Bob fell over backward, I was home alone; I use a cane and don't have the use of my right hand, and I flew down the stairs (with out my cane)into his pen and he had evidently struggled for a while as he had dug a circle around himself, bladder and bowels had let loose and he was just laying there with his eyes closed. OMG! I started crying and tried carefully to flip him back over, but with his weight I had a hard time and when I got him vertical to the ground he plopped down hard! I was so scared, he didn't move at all. And even tho he hates to have his head rubbed, he let me rub his head, legs, carapace etc. He didn't move for what seemed like an eternity. But eventually he got up and went into his shed. I called my sister in a panic, and she said if he was gonna die from being flipped over, he'da died on his back. He's fine and Pumpkin will be too...

 

[SunnySideUp]

I know, just after I posted this thread here I read about the possible consequences of turning a tortoise over too quickly. I feel absolutely terrible and stricken with anxiety. If Pumpkin ends up having any complications from my mistake I don't know what I'd do with myself. I've always been a worrier, so the worst possibility is the one that seems most likely to happen.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I know, just after I posted this thread here I read about the possible consequences of turning a tortoise over too quickly. I feel absolutely terrible and stricken with anxiety. If Pumpkin ends up having any complications from my mistake I don't know what I'd do with myself. I've always been a worrier, so the worst possibility is the one that seems most likely to happen.

Stop worrying, if he was going to have any complications, he'd be showing the effects now...

 

[SunnySideUp]

He walked around normally and stopped to bask a few times after I placed him back in his enclosure, so he seemed to be moving around okay. I won't feel 100% confident until he has another BM, though, because IF he were to have any intestinal twisting that wouldn't enable him to. I suppose that's quite rare though, so I'll try not to worry. Thank you all so much for your reassuring words.

 

[želva]

Glad to hear he is doing better.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

He walked around normally and stopped to bask a few times after I placed him back in his enclosure, so he seemed to be moving around okay. I won't feel 100% confident until he has another BM, though, because IF he were to have any intestinal twisting that wouldn't enable him to. I suppose that's quite rare though, so I'll try not to worry. Thank you all so much for your reassuring words.

But like a horse, if his intestines were twisted his belly would hurt...and he would show some discomfort.

 

[Ms. A]

Similar experience I had with my tort. When I got home he was flipped, he'd fallen off his hide. It was the darnest thing because he was fast asleep. I looked at him and had a "what the heck moment". I slowly turned him over and he looked as if nothing had happened.

Glad your little guy is all right.

 

[SunnySideUp]

But like a horse, if his intestines were twisted his belly would hurt...and he would show some discomfort.

You're absolutely right. I work frequently with horses and my equestrian center actually lost one of my favorite horses to colic. That may have actually contributed to my worry.

However, today Pumpkin seems great! He didn't eat much yesterday (most likely because he was flipped for a while and was stressed), but today he essentially cleared his plate! I also pressed gently on his plastron when I picked him up to take him to his soak and he didn't seem at all bothered, so that was a great sign. He's strutting around at the moment.

maggie3fan, that you so much for your continued support and your tolerance of my excessive worry. Having someone to talk about your fears with really helps.

 

[SunnySideUp]

@Ms. A

That's so strange he would fall asleep. Maybe he was just like "meh" and accepted his circumstance.

 

[Ms. A]

@Ms. A

That's so strange he would fall asleep. Maybe he was just like "meh" and accepted his circumstance.

That's pretty much what it looked like. He just seemed so nonchalant about his little "ordeal".
I think I was more confused/befuddled than he was. I went on to tell everyone about what had happened to him, and as you put it, his "meh" reaction. They thought it was hilarious, and I'm glad it can be looked back on as such.