The Tortoise Table

What if my tortoise flips over while i'm not at home? is it something to worry about?

Hi, and sorry to be so late in responding to you (for some reason our notification system is on the blink and we aren't getting notified of new messages).

Tortoises do often flip over, and the only danger is if they do this under a heat lamp, and can't right themselves. Usually they are able to right themselves perfectly well, by wriggling until they are next to something they can push against and turn themselves back over. It looks impossible for them to get the right way up again, but they do it, and they can stay on their backs for quite a long time, as long as they don't overheat (which is why it isn't good to overturn under the lamp).

If you have a sand and soil type substrate and make little hills of it, and have rocks and hidey places and things that the tortoise could push against, that is best. Send us a photo of your set-up and we can try and make some suggestions, but I wouldn't worry too much. Most tortoises don't flip over that often, but you might be unlucky and have one that does, and if that's the case then you try and make his set-up easier for him to right himself again.

Nina