The benefits of being a stay at home mom/tort parent

[Kristina]

I just had an almost tragedy. Wow, I am still shaking.

So, I walk in my bedroom just to give the animals a once over (there are critters in almost every room here) and I hear a scraping noise coming from the Hingeback enclosure. I peek over the edge to see a tortoise UPSIDE DOWN IN THE WATER DISH.

Now, Hingebacks are semi-aquatic, so it is a bigger dish than what a normal tort like my Sulcatas would have. It is a dish tub with one side cut down and a big piece of slate covering the bottom for traction.

I grabbed her and pulled her out (it was my one and only female) and flip her over and set her down. Have you ever seen a tortoise so out of breath that they are panting? She was breathing so hard that the back of her shell was going up and down.

So I am panting from shock, and she is just sitting there looking at me panting with exhaustion. She has never really been willing to be face to face with me, she is very shy, but we were just staring at each other, both like "WTH just happened?"

She is okay as far as I can tell, I just really hope she didn't aspirate any water. She isn't making any funny noises or anything, and her breathing has calmed. She is in her favorite spot, albeit wedged a little tighter than normal.

OMG, what if I had not been home???

 

[Stazz]

Kyryah, thats so terrible !!! I know the feeling, I found Tallula on her back one day when I walked into the room on the wknd, I completely freaked out !!! She was almost cuddling me afterwards, like saying "mommy that was so scary"....I am SOOOOOO scared of it happening again while Im at work ! I work 5 days a week, and when I get home I rush to see that she's okay ! Glad she's okay though !!! I hope you are okay too !

 

[Isa]

OMG, it must have been terrible to find her like that and terrible for her to pannick like that!!! Thank God you were home. I am really glad everything seems ok. Do you have an idea how she flipped herself over?

 

[Kristina]

Thanks guys.

I don't have a CLUE how she managed to get on her back. I wish I did because whatever the reason would be fixed immediately.

Just being on their backs is scary enough, but in the WATER??? Holy cow...

Kristina

 

[Stazz]

Yeah I was about to ask the same thing. I have no idea how Tallula flipped herself, and so in turn, don't know how to remedy the situation ! She's been ok since then!

 

[Jentortmom]

Glad she is ok! I know the feeling my desert tortoise was outside flipped on his back in his water dish. I am so glad that I go immediatly outside to check on them when I first get home. When I'm home I am out there every hour at least checking on everyone. It's a scary feeling.

 

[Candy]

I'm so glad that you were home too. That must have been just awful for the both of you. I felt terrrible even reading it and how your little one must have felt. Thank goodness you were there for her. Someone is looking out for the both of you. I'm so glad that this had a happy ending.

 

[sakkakth]

Flipping is the exact reason I setup my tortoisecam because my Russian used to always flip itself. My work is pretty lenient so I'd rush home if it was unable to right itself in a few minutes... they they laughed at me a lot. My Greek luckily seems more flip-proof.

 

[BigBiscuit]

Glad to hear everything is okay. I just had that happen to Smiley a couple of weeks ago. Do you suppose they make little tortoise "training wheels" to prevent this?