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...
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...