Tortoise climbing and flipping

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Nomad

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Little Waldo, Oh yeah i named him waldo because he can blend in with his terrain so well, He seems to be very content in his habitat but my wife put in some ornamental tortoises, (ceramic)
he likes to crawl on them for some reason, I guess he thinks he is climbing. The other day I was watching him and he flipped over on to his back, I removed everthing that he could climb on and
fall over. My question is just how long can they be on their back?
If I put something back in there and he flips over would he be ok for a while til someone found him?

Thanks
 

galvinkaos

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Waldo is a cute name. My understanding is most torts can right themselves, but they can exhaust themselves trying. Too long on their back can cause difficulty breathing. I have found Fred and Doris both on their backs in the last week. I have no idea how long they had been there and they were no where close to something they could have been climbing on. I wondered if they were climbing over each other and it happened. :D

Dawna
 
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Maggie Cummings

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Their lungs are in the top of their carapace, so they could get suffocated or if they flip over under the light and they can't flip back they could cook, get too hot and die...so it is a very serious thing to be on their back. Just recently I read about someone's tort baby was on it's back in the water dish and drowned. And I think someone here found their tort on it's back in the water dish and it's face was barely out of the water. It's a very serious thing for them to be upside down...most Sulcata will only try to flip back over for one or two minutes, then they give up...
 

Stazz

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This is my everyday fear, Tallula is extremely adventurous ! When I get home from work everyday I RUN into my bedroom to her enclosure and there she is plodding along. I have nothing near her water dish that she can climb on, think thats a good idea. If I see her climbing on her log hide I make sure I watch her as she kind of pushes herself off, lands on her head and is okay, or once or twice she rolled over onto her back but again righted herself. My nerves ! :p
 
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