upside down

we have a very yound box turtle. he keeps getting turned upside down.what could cause this

Comments for upside down

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Aug 01, 2011
Sick pet
by: Anonymous

I think you should take your pet to see a vet. You've done what you can to give him a good environment, but something is still wrong. There may be an internal problem. So a vet is your best bet.

Aug 01, 2011
UnBalanced, back legs not moving
by: Anonymous

im having my red ear turtle for more than 5 years, two week ago i found some worms on aquarium, i changed the water and shake him in another water, worms fall out, he is clean now, but his back legs are not moving while his front hands are moving fine, but when he want to go in the water (he has a step in the aquarium to rest on it and plenty of place to play) but he loos his balance and get turn over in the water, and he can just use his hand to get up breath and again he falls backward, im so worried for him

Jan 27, 2010
Turtle Grace
by: The Greek Tortoise Guild

You know, turtles (or for that matter tortoises, or chelonians in general) are not exactly known for their grace and coordination. Does your turtle have a lot to climb over in his home? If so, it's very conceivable that he just keep climbing on stuff and then falling over on his back. This is not dangerous and should only be of great concern if your turtle cannot right himself. A healthy turtle can, with relative ease (depending on the substrate), turn himself back over. Though I've never kept very young tortoises, so it's possible that young ones are not as able to right themselves as well. I would suggest discussing this with your veterinarian at a regular check-up (which you do schedule fairly regularly, right?). This does not seem serious enough to make an emergency appointment. But you may consider scheduling some time to just sit and watch him to find out how he's turning over. Maybe he just needs a change in the layout of his home.
Feel free to respond to this post or contact me directly at TheGreekTortoiseGuild.blogspot.com
Good luck!

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