Constant climbing and flipping

tortilla4

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Dec 28, 2018
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Me again!

My tortoise Sally is four years old and a red foot. The past week or two she has taken to the habit of climbing any and everything she can find in her tank. Her log, her water dish, the walls, you name it she is climbing it. Apparently this was not entertaining enough because now she has taken to diving off the side of her log! As a result of all this she is flipping over constantly and sometimes can right herself, sometimes it seems like she can't but either way WILL NOT STOP CLIMBING. She is a very persistent little thing but I'm worried she's going to hurt herself and I don't know what to do. She just recently got big enough to climb over her log and it seems to have opened a whole new world for her! Insight and advice are welcome as always. :)
 

Toddrickfl1

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Me again!

My tortoise Sally is four years old and a red foot. The past week or two she has taken to the habit of climbing any and everything she can find in her tank. Her log, her water dish, the walls, you name it she is climbing it. Apparently this was not entertaining enough because now she has taken to diving off the side of her log! As a result of all this she is flipping over constantly and sometimes can right herself, sometimes it seems like she can't but either way WILL NOT STOP CLIMBING. She is a very persistent little thing but I'm worried she's going to hurt herself and I don't know what to do. She just recently got big enough to climb over her log and it seems to have opened a whole new world for her! Insight and advice are welcome as always. :)

My Redfoot is near the same age and I've had the same problem. He's not as bad now as he used to be but mine would literally climb anything, just for the fun of it and flip himself almost daily.IMG_20181002_112551013.jpg 20180621_141805.jpg
It seemed like a faze he went thru for awhile. Honestly I don't have much advice on how to stop it. If your Tort is anything like mine he's a stubborn, determined little creature. Only thing I can tell ya is maybe try rearranging the enclosure and removing anything that might be a flipping hazard.
 

tortilla4

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My Redfoot is near the same age and I've had the same problem. He's not as bad now as he used to be but mine would literally climb anything, just for the fun of it and flip himself almost daily.View attachment 273834 View attachment 273835
It seemed like a faze he went thru for awhile. Honestly I don't have much advice on how to stop it. If your Tort is anything like mine he's a stubborn, determined little creature. Only thing I can tell ya is maybe try rearranging the enclosure and removing anything that might be a flipping hazard.
My goodness they could be twins! It makes me feel better it's not just her. It's so funny how they're so stubborn and full of personality! Thank you for the advice. :)
 

Rachel337

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My redfoot did this around the age of 4 as well! I think it's a mix of spring weather and hormones maybe? It's like they hit a crazy age. She's stopped doing it now so just try to keep an eye on her and flip her as soon as you can if she's on her back.
 

dmmj

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Remove the log. Easy peasy.
 

Madfishflame

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Me again!

My tortoise Sally is four years old and a red foot. The past week or two she has taken to the habit of climbing any and everything she can find in her tank. Her log, her water dish, the walls, you name it she is climbing it. Apparently this was not entertaining enough because now she has taken to diving off the side of her log! As a result of all this she is flipping over constantly and sometimes can right herself, sometimes it seems like she can't but either way WILL NOT STOP CLIMBING. She is a very persistent little thing but I'm worried she's going to hurt herself and I don't know what to do. She just recently got big enough to climb over her log and it seems to have opened a whole new world for her! Insight and advice are welcome as always. :)
In my experience, the younger ones climb much more than my full grown adults. Subsequently they flip over more often too.

For an inside enclosure, I would remove the log and use artificial silk plants to make a humid hide. Your tort will love digging into the plants and best of all, there's nothing for them to climb on.

A cheap and easy outside trick is to get a tote, turn it upside down and cut a hole in the side for your tortoise to come and go. The high sides of the tote usually deter climbing.

Lastly, when I have hatchlings that are prone to flipping, I put a rock in their water dish. In the unfortunate event they flip upside down in the water, they at least have an object they can push off of. Hopefully righting themselves in the process.
 

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