Redfoot flipped himself over

[crabby-J]

My tort is about 6 months old and today I woke up and he was on his back (again) and this time he had pooped trying to flip back over, I seen him and flipped him back but read that tortoises can die if they are on their back to long now I'm freaked out because I don't know how long he was like that Will he be ok and how do I prevent this from happening?

 

[HLogic]

Was he under the heat lamp/CHE?

 

[G-stars]

What is causing him to flip over? Also what food and water dishes are you using?

 

[crabby-J]

I changed out his water dish, he looked like he had climbed out and fell over, I did not have the lights on at the time no

 

[HLogic]

If he was flipped on 'dry ground' and not overheated, he should be fine. Maintain the proper environment and consider using a terra cotta plant pot saucer as a water dish.

 

[jeffb]

Perhaps a bigger enclosure may help, more space is less climbing, more happiness

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Watch him in action and you may have to remove and or modify anything that he wants to climb and could flip over on.
Ages ago I had one (A very small one) flip over and die within 1.5 hours on one of those little half log things. He flipped near a heat source.
The larger tortoises flip over less and are better skilled at correcting it. The fact that he pooed himself shows that he was in a great deal of distress.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Make sure the water dish is set into the substrate so he doesn't flip climbing in or out. Shallow terracotta plant saucer is best, as suggested previously with a lovely picture.