# Tortoise falling



## Tortue (Oct 25, 2011)

Hi this is my 1st Hermanns Tortoise and she is in a tortoise table on a 60/40 top soil and play sand substrate. She has a mercury uva/uvb bulb at 90*. She is 4 yrs old. Bathed every 3 or 4 days. My problem is that although she is often out and roaming around the house carefully watched, when she goes back in her home she naturally tries to get out but she climbs up the sides and gets herself vertical, then sometimes she can fall over and land on her back if I'm not there, I think this is how she is doing it anyway. Does anyone have any ideas how I can do anything to prevent her from doing this in the first place. Any help would be appreciated, Many thanks :flrt:Tortue.


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## Natonstan (Aug 9, 2008)

Maybe buy some of those fake climbing plants and stick them to the sides of the enclosure, that way he wouldn't be getting completely vertical and it may even distract him from trying to climb the walls


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## Tortue (Oct 25, 2011)

Thanks sounds like a great idea because she is determined to climb. I've put stones around the edges but she shoves them out of the way!


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## Mick.Ire (Nov 21, 2011)

How long do you have her? I find with new torts they will try this for a few weeks but then they stop. So long as you have the cool part of the table ok she should get used to her home, if it's too warm she might be trying to escape the heat. Hopefully she will settle for ya.


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## Shellsfeathers&fur (Jan 18, 2009)

Natonstan said:


> Maybe buy some of those fake climbing plants and stick them to the sides of the enclosure, that way he wouldn't be getting completely vertical and it may even distract him from trying to climb the walls


The trouble with putting fake plants is that the tortoise will use them to climb up and out the enclosure. S/he will fall from a great height onto the floor/ground.


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## Tortue (Oct 25, 2011)

Mick.Ire said:


> How long do you have her? I find with new torts they will try this for a few weeks but then they stop. So long as you have the cool part of the table ok she should get used to her home, if it's too warm she might be trying to escape the heat. Hopefully she will settle for ya.


Hi Mick, I've only had her a week and she came from a vivarium into a table top so what you're saying makes sense, Thanks.


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## Tortue (Oct 25, 2011)

*Toroise Falling*



Stephen P said:


> The trouble with putting fake plants is that the tortoise will use them to climb up and out the enclosure. S/he will fall from a great height onto the floor/ground.


Hi Stephen, I thought this was a good idea at first but as I weighed it up afterwards, if she can move stones and uproot the plants (aloe vera) she will move plastic plants anyway, but I get what you're saying, Thanks.


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## Mick.Ire (Nov 21, 2011)

Tortue said:


> Hi Mick, I've only had her a week and she came from a vivarium into a table top so what you're saying makes sense, Thanks.


Ah yeah she's only getting settled. You could try
putting in loads of rocks a couple inches away from the sides so that if she does topple she will have something to wedge herself against to right herself. If you find her upside down and suspect she has been like that for a while it would be no harm to bath her as they can get dehydrated like that. 
Cheers Mick.


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## Tortue (Oct 25, 2011)

Mick.Ire said:


> Ah yeah she's only getting settled. You could try
> putting in loads of rocks a couple inches away from the sides so that if she does topple she will have something to wedge herself against to right herself. If you find her upside down and suspect she has been like that for a while it would be no harm to bath her as they can get dehydrated like that.
> Cheers Mick.


 Yeah I thought I might build up the sides but I'm going to have to do it all the way round, she is a determined little critter. When she comes out in the house anything in her way gets pushed she's not heard of walking round. Funny though she doesn't burrow, the substrate is about 4 or 5 inches deep but she sleeps on top of it. I made her a nest of dried grass and timothy hay and she burrowed in there once but hasn't done since. I read about them getting dehydrated so I'm prepared for that but luckily she hasn't done it when I've been out (and got stuck)!


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