Tortoise Flipping itself over

[ashleighnicol]

So today I went home for lunch and found my little leopard tort stuck on his back pitifully waving his feet in the air. I waited a coupled minutes to see if he would be able to right himself and then finally helped him get back on his feet. I have absolutely no idea how he managed to flip himself over- there were no rocks or raised surfaces nearby.
This incident got me wondering: is it a common occurrence for tortoises to get overturned and do they eventually manage to get back on their feet with no help? Or was it just an extremely lucky coincidence that I decided to run home for lunch on this particular day in time to help him out? How long can tortoises survive when stuck on their back ? Should I be worried and think about installing a 'tortoise cam' so I can make sure he doesn't have another incident next time I'm away?

 

[Yourlocalpoet]

The young one's are pretty prone to flipping and they can't usually right themselves unless they have something to push against, be it plants, rocks or substrate. I don't know how long they can stay on their backs but not only do they risk suffocation, they could also flip under the heat source and overheat.
Personally I've never had this problem but a few on this forum have the same concerns, once you figure out what he flipped on you'll be able to make sure it doesn't happen again.
Do you have photos of the enclosure?