Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,

I have a question. I have two desert tortoises. The big male I've had over 30 years, and the smaller female I got from a tortoise rescue over 4 years ago.

Today I came home from work, and went to take their "buffet" out in the backyard to them. I found the female on her back. I freaked out, picked her up and turned her back over.

My question is.........Do you think the male tortoise did this to her while doing their sex thing???? This is the first time this has happened, and there are no steps that she could have turned herself over. This has never happened before. I always feed them everyday, so they are checked at least once every 24 hours. I was told tortoises would die if left on their back. How long would it take for the tortoise to die from this. Now I'm afraid to go out of town 4th of July weekend. Am I over reacting?????

Please, I would like some advice on this.

Thanks in advance.

Cheryl

I use to have quite a few dessert tortoises and have seen mine flipped many times. No deaths yet though. Are you sure the second tort is a female? If it is male you might have a problem and will need to house the two seperately to avoid the flip overs. How long does it take a tortoise die after being flipped? Depends on daily varaibles like temperature, and where it's flipped over that. If it's flipped in the direct sun, a hatchling up through 10-15 years (mine grow slow) can die very quickly. Age can give the tortoises a LITTLE resilency to dieing while flipped, but not much. Your best bet is to serperate while your gone and have them together when your home on the weekends. Get ready for some major sparring!

Hope this helps...

Tortuga