Over the past two weeks, my 23-year-old Herman’s tortoise has unexpectedly flipped himself onto his back in various spots within his enclosure at least four times. Previously, he would only do this about twice every six months. This sudden change in behavior has me quite concerned, especially since I’ve had him in the same enclosure for 11 years without such incidents. Additionally, he has recently begun biting my feet whenever he can, despite being generally docile in the past. The only recent change I’ve made is switching his bedding from topsoil to orchid bark. I’m unsure why these behaviors have started, and I’m worried about his well-being. Any advice or insights would be greatly appreciated.
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When you’ve found him flipped over, has there been any feces or urine nearby? I’ve heard of tortoises randomly starting to nip at people, sometimes acting affectionate, other times not.
Since the flipping is a bigger concern, when did you change his bedding? It could be that he’s unfamiliar with the new surface, trying to climb and flipping over. You might try adjusting the enclosure by lowering the water (if applicable) or adding ramps to prevent flipping.
Also, check for any objects he’s trying to climb—ramps might help reduce the flipping if that’s the case.
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Welll i think you answered it all i think i had the same idea in mind
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Thank you for taking the time to reply. There was feces around him once, but not the other times.
I changed his bedding about two months ago, and I’ll start by lowering his water as you suggested. I might also remove his climbing toy to see if it helps. What’s really surprising is that he’s also started flipping in the dark part of his house, where there’s nothing but him and his bedding.
Thanks again for your advice!
No lie fr fr fr fr 
aahhhaa , acrobatic right , that some call staffff 
