How common is overturning?

[Stephanie Logan]

Here's a question I've been wanting to ask: how often do tortoises overturn, and if they do, will they die? How long would I have to rescue my tortoise before overturning would be fatal?
I have never seen Taco overturn, and we have watched her behavior and exploration habits closely. (We also go out and check on her every 30-60 minutes all day to make sure she is not wedged in somewhere or overturned). Once, we saw her walk across a wood timber patio step, which was flush with the ground on one side, but the other side had about a 4-inch drop off into the grass. She sat there and looked at it and thought about it for quite awhile, then she put her front legs out into space, and sort of slid on her plastron at an angle that landed her perfectly upright into the grass. A tortoise belly flop!
Still, I worry about that possibility...

 

[Madortoise]

Thank you for asking this. I think it's an excellent question. I would also like to know.
Just this morning I found Penelope flipped over in her pen and she was not even struggling...her arms/legs almost retracted and staying still. It's a good thing I went to go check before I left for chores. I have seen her climb/fall/flip and successfully got back on her feet a few times in the past but never like this where she was almost surrendering. My heart stopped. I was so scared that I moved her to another part of the enclosed yard which is bigger and monitored her for a while; although the pen {4-1/2' x 5-1/2' and 10" deep} has a better light for basking in the morning and she used to like staying in there she may be outgrowing it. I won't let her go in it alone until we resolve the stepped wall on one side where she probably fell from. I'd like to think she could have eventually turned herself but would she have died if I didn't help?

 

[dmmj]

both excellent questions I am no expert but I have had a boxie die form overturning but he was directly in the sun when I found him so he overheated and died, what pains me is that I had just checked on him 45 mins ago and he was fine in his hide. I went out and found him upside down and scratches in the ground where he turned over so I know he tried. I am still upset with myself that this happened and it happened in the one place where he could not get a firm grasp I guess. he was alone in his pen so I do not suspect male fighting. even though i checl them evry 30 mins to an hour I still feel like I could have done more. Now for turning over withput sun they can survive for a couple of hours I would imagine, even though they would not like it because their lungs start to press down and I believe they suvffocate. Someon will prob be able to give more info but that was my expeirence with flipping.

 

[Stazz]

Well if you ever find them on their backs, turn them back over immediately !!! They can die after a while of being on their backs. Yvonne explained it so well to me that, when they flip on their backs, all their organs put pressure down on their lungs, and can pretty much suffocate if left too long on their backs without being able to right themselves. If you can find the reason why they've flipped...climbing on top of things and falling off, trying to climb the wall and flip backwards etc etc, you can make a few changes in their enclosure/outside to try and help the situation. Like putting big pebbles in the area where they fall over often, so they can have some grip on something when it does happen again. Pebbles in their water so they can right themselves if they fall over in their water dish, that kind of thing.

 

[tortoisenerd]

Certain species are more prone to flipping, due to them liking to climb more (I think of Russians, but maybe because I have one). Hatchlings are less steady on their feet as well. Being overturned under hot heat or in water is the most dangerous. So, most owners try to take care not to place hazards directly under a heat source, or near a water dish. Observing the tort in surroundings is the best way--you see what they may want to climb on, have trouble with, etc. Some torts sadly tend to "give up" after a very short time. When they are on their back, their lungs are depressed; it makes it hard for them to breathe. Robyn I think wrote a great post once about this; maybe someone can find this for us. Having a substrate with some give and some natural slopes to it can help them flip back over. Some torts can easily flip themselves, some appear to not be able to. It varies on the conditions how long they can last. I think the best thing to do however is to not have hazards, like things they want to climb on.

The other day my tort started to climb the fake plant directly under his light. Over and over again he climbing up it, and back down. Scared me! I have a webcam so I was watching him at work off and on for a couple hours. I swapped it out with another fake plant, which he ends up loving even more. Now he basks right next to it, etc. Just an example that we as owners can change our torts enclosures often to make it better for them. The larger torts tend to like to re-landscape on their own anyways...

Only time I found my tort flipping over was in water. That was quite scary, because I was only out of the room about 15 minutes, so who knows what would have happened if I was not home. He too was not trying to flip himself back over. He fell in because I had the dish up against a wall, and did not realize he would walk on the 1-2 inch wide lip on it. I have sense moved it so there is enough space to walk around. Most torts will like to walk the entire boundary of their enclosure to test it out, so best not to place things against a wall that they cannot have clearance to pass around.

Having hides with flat sides can help. Piles to burrow in can be safer than things to climb. My tort kept climbing up on top of his log hide, and instead of taking it away, we made ramps up to it with his substrate! This made a safer place for him to climb.

Some torts may never overturn, and it may be a natural occurrence for another one, even in the same enclosure. Lots of variables here, so sorry I don't have any clear answers for you.