Reptile & Amphibian Forums

my new baby started doingsomething very strange last night and its starting to scare me. since he is so small i only have hi min a 2'x2.5' enclosure until spring comes around and he will be moved into a 4.5'x2.5' enclosure and partially an outdoor enclosure. well anyway, he keeps trying to climb the walls of this enclosure and flips himself over onto his back. he has done this around five times since last nigh and each time i had to help him up again. i have tried to see if he could flip himself back up but cant. i am woried that he could hurt or kill himself if this behavior continues. what should i do?

my keyboard is acting up and keeps making me spell things wierd, sorry, i meant to say baby in the title.

Is it a glass tank? If so you need to cover so he can not see out. I put a three inch cardboard in my tank, quickly realized that three inches was not high enough, mine would get his front legs up and pull up and fall over onto back. so I made it 7 inches and now he doesnt try to climb it.
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1.0 Het for pied
0.1 Het for Pied
1.5 normal balls
1.1 bearded dragons
1.3 kids
1.0 husband
To many little critters list

>>Is it a glass tank? If so you need to cover so he can not see out. I put a three inch cardboard in my tank, quickly realized that three inches was not high enough, mine would get his front legs up and pull up and fall over onto back. so I made it 7 inches and now he doesnt try to climb it.

There ya go that's the answer for you.
This is not weird behavior for a tortoise, it's actually completely normal. If they can see out they will pace & pace & climb to try to get to the other side. Doesn't matter if it's a glass tank or a 1/2 acre of land fenced in with chainlink- if they can see the other side they will not stop doing what yours is doing.
Take the advice given, fix the tank so that the baby cannot see out & this should stop happening.
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PHRatz

it isnta glass tank but he can see through because there are holes drilled into the sides of the enclosure (its peg board) ill cover that up so he cant see out.

>>it isnta glass tank but he can see through because there are holes drilled into the sides of the enclosure (its peg board) ill cover that up so he cant see out.

Yes do cover that because even if it's not a glass tank.. if there is ANY way at all that he can see out this is going to happen.
Let us know if covering the peg board does work.
Some people I've run across have had problems with their hatchling sulcatas trying to climb up the corners of their enclosures then falling over on their backs.
Some people tape popcycle sticks to the carapace.. I'm not sure exactly how they do this but they report it keeps them from falling on their backs. Sounds goofy I know but they say it works.
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PHRatz

I had the same problem when I first introduced a new hatchling to my enclosure. Its a tortoise table with 8 inch high wood walls thats 4 X 3. The first 2-3 days the little guy would repeatedly flip himself over. Time after time I would flip him back. After the 3rd or 4th day he seemed to learn what happens when he tries to scale the wall. With smaller/ lighter torts being flipped over is not lethal if its only for a few hours. A tort on its back is usually only fatal if it is a larger heavier tort. Torts lungs are paper thin and at the top of the plastron. When the tort is bigger their organs are much heavier and can compresss these little lungs. Its strange how they cannot flip themselves over, they live so long and have been around since the dinosaurs but have not yet figured out a way to flip themselves hback over. Your little guy should be fine, torts are quite intelligent and he/she will figure it out.

It really is strange the way they can't flip themselves back over. Little box turtles have no problem with that.. you'd think none of them (sulcata) could have ever survived in the wild but somehow they have.
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PHRatz

My hermanns flips himself on his back all the time and usually can flip himself right back over. I have a lot of stuff in his tank that he uses to get a foothold on. If he is to far, he wiggles back and forth on his back until he gets close enough to get his his foot into. Then he just pushes himself over, right side up.