How long can a tortoise lay on its back?

Answer 1

The idea that tortoises will die quickly if flipped on their backs, either because of some problem with the internal organs or some other cause, is an old wives tale.

Obviously, some people believe the old wives tale very strongly considering how many RIGHT answers got thumb's down marks.

The person who mentioned the HMS Beagle had it right. Sailing ships often took hundreds of tortoises from various islands to keep onboard as live fresh meat for the sailors. They were kept on their backs and suffered in this position for weeks. The whaling fleets almost single-handedly wiped out the tortoise populations of most of the tropical islands this way (and by introducing tortoise egg killing rats, cats, and goats to the islands.)

The tortoise populations of the Galapagos and Aldabara survived only because the islands were so hard to get onto, but if the whaling days lasted much longer, they would have been wiped out as well.

Tortoises are very well-designed machines of survival. What logic is there that these things would die in the wild if flipped over?

If a tortoise cannot right itself, it will die of exposure or dehydration. The amount of time it would take would depend on several factors, including the size of the tortoise. By the way- the same applies to other turtles as well.

So how did this belief come about? Probably a simple mix-up with the turtle's eggs. Turtle eggs ARE fragile and the tissue connecting the embryo to the shell can easily tear, so the eggs need to be handled with care and the 'top' needs to stay upright during the entire process. Turn an egg over, and it will almost certainly die because of what happens to the embryo.

Note that this does not mean that a turtle or a tortoise can or should be routinely flipped over. it IS stressful, and quite possibly painful to the animals. It certainly stresses the organs and in most species seems to make breathing a little harder.

Answer 2

it is dangerous for a tortoise to be left for long periods of time on it's back. i know this as i have had a pet tortoise for over 20 years now !!! (freda). when i was a kid, we used to find her tipped upside down quite often, waving all her legs in the air. it looks kind of comical, but it's damaging to their health if left like that. i can't remember what the vet said (i was only a young kid), but i think it has something to do with their breathing / blood pressure. also, there is the obvious problem of overheating (if it's a warm day - yes tortoises like the shade too !) u didn't say whether this was just a rhetorical question, or if u were speaking from experience ?

Answer 3

Every now and then baby tortoises get whipped by the tide as they run to the sea and they lay on their back. If another wave wont right them back up, they lie there and die.
For some lucky children, it was a game to see how many of them your can right up so they live, but children are not around all the time, nor the waves.
It is part of their life pattern . Some will make it to the sea, some dont.
As for how long, they lie there until someone or something rights them back up, a wave, a crab, a bird, the tide, a child.with a stick ..

Answer 4

only a few minutes before the internal organs start to press on the heart and lungs. A tortoise should NEVER be put on its back!

to 'quite new here'. I think you are getitng confused between tortoises and turtles. Tortoises are land animals, they don't go into or near the sea dear.

Answer 5

Tortoises were brought back to feed the crew of the HMS Beagle when Darwin went to the Galapagos Islands. The Tortoises lasted many months upside down in the holds of the ship until they returned to England. I don't recommend this today because it would be considered animal cruelty.

Answer 6

Hello,

If a tortoise or turtle is over-turned and finds itself on its back (i.e. upside down on its shell) for whatever reason. Its natural instinct would be to try and right itself again. Generally they self right eventually.

why? because this is what they would do in the natural environment, left alone.

**Obviously, for a tortoise or turtle to be on its back leaves it very vulnerable to attack or predation. Also more likely to die from dehydration & exposure if left for a long time, as it cannot feed in that position.

Dont forget tortoises & turtles have manage quite successfully without man for millions of years (yes! thats right millions of years, infact they were alive before humans came along).

IR

Answer 7

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Answer 8

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since they normally lay them all at the same time, I'd say after a week you should go to a vet to see if she's impacted

Answer 9

Mine last for 4 to 6 hours before I found it. Its dependetn on the weather. On a hot day, it won't last long. In Nature, something might eat it before it dies of dehydration.

Answer 10

Theoretically, your tortoise could lie on its back until the end of time. It wouldn't live very long though.