Calling all Turtle Keepers! :D

My babies are in a puppy exercise pen thing in the backyard during the summer staked down so they can't squirm under it. Half is shaded and half is sunny at any given time of day and they like to hide under a terra cotta pot broken in half. And since I'm not letting them hibernate until they're older they live in a big ferret cage (cat and dog proof) inside with plants during the winter. My adults live in a decent portion of the backyard bordered by the house, the privacy fence, and the deck. They have shaded areas, sunny areas, lots of bushes to hide in and a shallow "pond" 2x2' (only about 2 inches deep) where like to just sit in the water and enjoy the sun. I've seen lots of varieties of enclosures but the key is to have sunny and shaded areas, places for them to hide, and escape-proof! They are masters of escape and can climb some fences and steps fairly easily! And they'll dig under things too!
 
This is Tortuga (original huh lol), my baby sulcata. He/she is 6 and a half month old now, got him/her at about 20 days old.

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Thanks! I love "him" so much. One big advantage is I can handle him, whereas my cham would rather kill himself than let me look at him. I love when he lets me pet his head with my finger :)

By the way, for anyone interested- http://sulcatafood.com/Store.html
It's for more than just sulcatas.
 
I've kept turtles and tortoises for a lot of years....three keeled, leopards, three toeds, elongated, hinge backs, flowerbacks and ornate woods.
 
I wish I could post some pictures...but right now they are in my old computer which is off line. :(

BTW...I've hatched three toeds and snapping turtle eggs (from a rescue).
 
kinyonga said:
I wish I could post some pictures...but right now they are in my old computer which is off line. :(
Click to expand...

Sad Panda! :(

Here is a picture of one of my old RES. The turtle in this picture had to be re-homed last week due to aggression and because it would have harmed my new Black Knob. I had to re-home all of my RES because of potential aggression. :( I miss them. I am considering getting at least one back.
 
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Well I just had the scare of my life!!

I just woke up a few min ago, maybe around 2:45 (I'm 20, what can I say). Everything is automated for my cham and tortoise so I don't need to get up early. Anyway, when I got up I found Tortuga on his back! In a weird place too, I can only assume he tried to climb the wall, but there is no way he can see over the wall to know there's something out there, and he's never tried it before. I usually catch him within minutes of rolling over and removed obstacles he usually fell over by.

Basically, lights go on at 8 and I woke up at 2:45 so who knows how long he has been on his back because it was to the point that he had given up trying to right himself and just laid there eyes closed. I get mixed answers searching online. How long can they stay alive on their backs? And are there different answers for different ages?

He is fine now btw, picked him up, he opened his eyes, and I put him in his soaking container which he's trying to get out of as always since it's clear :rolleyes:.
 
It depends on their body condition and how hot it is primarily. The problem with being upside down is all their internal organs compress their lungs so they can't breathe. After a while on their back they will defecate on themselves - this is a sign of distress. And if they're sitting in the sun or a really hot area they can overheat because they can't get away to thermoregulate.

That said, my little desert tortoises used to fight a lot (which is why my mom has one now) and they were out in the summer on their backs for several hours sometimes. It's certainly not a good thing but it's not instant death. Your little one will probably be fine if he's moving around already. I was very worried about one of mine once because he was in the sun, had defecated on himself and was very lethargic when I flipped him back over. I cooled him off and put him in the shade and he slowly came back to normal. But I think he was at a dangerous point had he been there any longer...
 
ferretinmyshoes said:
After a while on their back they will defecate on themselves - this is a sign of distress.
Click to expand...

He did do this. I felt/feel so bad. At least he was on the cool side opposite his lights.
But if you say they can be there a few hours and still live, I won't be as worried. He never goes more than a few hours without being looked at. When I'm not home, my mom randomly checks that he is not on his back for me. I'll ask her to look more often when I'm not there after this. I didn't think he would try to climb something vertical and not slanted. Thank you
 
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