Upside Down Leopard

[Deeclipse]

Hi Folks! I am new to this site and have two Leopard's. They are the most loveable animals I have ever owned but this morning I found my big leopard called Solar upside down. He is eating now as normal and being his usual self but I am concerned about his long term health as I do not know how long they can survive on their backs! Does anyone know the timescales??

 

[Yvonne G]

If there were any ill effects, they would have been noticeable right off the bat...foaming at the mouth, lethargic, etc. A short spell on their back usually isn't anything to worry about.

Yvonne

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Oh, and WELCOME to the forum!!!

 

[Deeclipse]

Hi Yvonne and many thanks for the welcome and the quick reply. Solar seems to be fine, he has been wandering about upstairs for a while and is now back in his cage. Do you know how long these animals can survive if they are upside down as I am really worried about him now as he is getting so big and I am not in the house for several hours during the day?

 

[Crazy1]

Hi Deeclipse, Welcome to the forum. A couple of questions, how big are your leos (SCL)? and what type of enclosure do you have them in?

 

[Laura]

If it was outside in the sun, it would be a bigger issue. they do need the real sun to be best..
how did it get flipped over? what is there set up? was it fighting with the other?

 

[Yvonne G]

The answer to your question depends upon where the tortoise is when it gets upside down. Outside in the sun, it wouldn't last long at all...probably not even an hour. While in the house, a small tortoise might be ok all day, but a larger tortoise might be in trouble in a couple of hours. When they are on their back, everything inside them is pressing down on the lungs, so for a small baby, its not much of a problem, but for a large animal it could be serious.

If you're worried about this happening when you aren't home, remove anything from the habitat that the baby is climbing on. They usually fall off their houses. Sometimes the try to climb the wall and tip over backwards. Or if their water dish is too deep, they sometimes tip over backwards trying to climb out. Just remove any climbing obstacles and you should be ok.

Yvonne

 

[tortoisenerd]

Welcome! A picture of the enclosure and pointing out where he flipped may help us pinpoint the problem. Most of the time enclosures can be tweaked to minimize the flipping risk. Hazards near heat and water are most dangerous.

 

[Isa]

Welcome to the forum Deeclipse

 

[micki]

hi and welcome to the forum. im sure your tort suffered no ill effects if hes ok now.