Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My little guy is always getting flipped over onto his back. I worry since sometimes I can be gone all day. What if he does this while I am gone and can't flip back over? How long will he be okay in that position? Thanks!!!
-----
Becki

1 Husband
4 kids
2 Hermans
1 Dog
4 Finches
1 Betta
1 Mourning Dove
1 Feral cat (kittens on the way)

I am assuming you are talking about a hatchling. If so you may have to redesign the enclosure so he is unable to flip himself over. For example build the dirt up along the sides of things taht he climbs, less of a distance to fall etc. Also What I have been trying to do is when I am around and I see my hatchling flipped over and watch her to see how long it takes. She needs to eventually learn but this way I can make sure nothing bad happens. THe biggest prob is if she turns over under basking light b/c that can kill her. So often if I see her flip and she is under her basking light I move hte light. Or if I know I will not be home for a VERY long time I just don't turn it on. It is warm enough in the room right now that she will be ok without it for a couple of hours.

Hope this helps
Christina
-----
0.0.1 Hatchling Indian Star Tortoise (Sitara)
1.1 Russian Tortoise (Willy & Mikey)
0.1 Ornate Box Turtle (Lily)
1.0 Red Eared Slider (Chester)
0.0.2 White's Tree Frog (Kermit & Phil)
0.0.1 Red eyed Tree Frog (Justin)
0.0.1 Big Eyed Tree Frog
0.0.2 Bubbling Frog
0.0.2 Tiger Leg Tree Frogs (Akari & Shiro)
0.0.3 Amazonian Milky Tree Frogs
0.0.1 Dwarf Megophrys
0.0.2 Rainbow Burrowing Frog/Ornate Hopper
0.0.1 Asian Blue Webbed Gliding Tree Frogs
0.0.1 Albino Pacman Frog
0.0.1 Budgett's Frog
0.0.2 Starry Night Reed Frogs
0.1 Praire Dog (Timmy)
0.2 Chinchillas (Layla & Snickers)
0.3 mice
0.1 dog (Holly)
2.0 Cats (Champ & Bear)

Oh and a husband

use your common sense and reexams their habitat, the basking/bathing area should be flat and unobstructive...a flipped tort could die of many reason even the larger ones could potentially a meal for predators such as...ants.

Thanks for the info. His enclosure is a turtle table and it is flat on the bottom so there are no hills or anything to make him flip. I'm thinking he is trying to climb up the sides and flipping over. He also has this little house he goes into to stay cool and they flip over occationally there. Maybe I will put in a different house for them and see what happens. With climbing the wall....not sure how I'm going to fix that one. I have a flat rock near the heat area so if they did flip over there hopefully they can get a grip and flip back over. I do keep there lights off if I'm going to be gone all day long and I'm afraid it is going to get too warm that day anyway.
He is very young and loves to climb anything he can. We have to keep everything way away from the sides of his pen or up he goes! I'm amazed at the things that little guy can do!
-----
Becki

1 Husband
4 kids
2 Hermans
1 Dog
4 Finches
1 Betta
1 Mourning Dove
1 Feral cat (kittens on the way)

put a continuous strip of overhang/awning/shelf all around the edge/side/wall of your tort table so he can go under but can't jack up his entire body vertically, adjust the bottom substrate to snug- fit his height beneath that "overhang". (imagine yourself under one of those eurobustop...or one of our butt-tight multilevel parking lot...get the idea?)