RainbowGoldfish
New Member
So, I'm a new tortoise owner (great way to start off). I have owned three turtles and a month ago I got a baby Greek tortoise. He's about 4 months old, and his name is Atlas. I got him a terracotta plate dish, which was big for his size, but I thought it'd be easier for him to eat out of. I got it a few days after I got him, and I've never had an issue with it until about an hour ago. I always feed him first thing in the morning before I go to school, but in the evening when I went upstairs to check on Atlas and my turtles, I saw him flipped over on his back on top of the plate. I freaked out, flipped him back over and he obviously was very stressed, and just wanted to hide in his hideout. I don't know how long he was like that. He generally eats in the morning so it could have been several hours. Physically, he looked fine, but I know tortoise's lungs are in the top of their shells, so it was hard for him to breath. I took the plate out, and I put him in his den so he could calm down. I just want to know if he'll be okay. I had the dish for about a month, and it's not that deep, and he's never had a problem with it before. Should I get a new plate, and more importantly, will my tortoise be okay? I honestly don't know the health effects of a tortoise after they get flipped over for hours. He lives inside, in his own enclosure, if that gives more context. Thank you so much, any advice would be excellent.