# Blink camera to record my torts farming... no, really.



## jsheffield (Aug 25, 2021)

I got one of these cameras from Amazon during a sale, and hadn't gotten around to installing it (or even unboxing it) until today.

I think I'm going to use it to spy on my torts, two of them in particular: Aretha and Deirdre.

Aretha is an MEP, Deirdre is a Home Hingeback; I think I've seen both of them "farming" worms and pillbugs in their enclosures.

I feed my torts using paper plates, for ease of cleanup and to help prevent the possible spread of pathogens of any sort. I try to feed just enough so that there is a tiny bit leftover the next morning when I switch out the old plate for a new one. Generally, the food from the day before soaks through the paper plate a bit and/or spills over the side.

I have noticed in multiple instances both Aretha and Deirdre, but not the other torts (a Redfoot and 4 Russians), moving the empty plate aside to get at the pillbugs and worms underneath it, enjoying the moisture and leftovers... I've seen these two gobbling down members of their janitorial staff the morning after, but not on the day that I put the plate down.

I feel as though this is nearly tool usage, and would like to get some video to share with the TFO braintrust.

Jamie

PS - it's possible that they just hear the worms and pillbugs under the plate and are getting hungry, waiting for me to bring them their meals, but I like thinking it's a display of intelligence... thoughts?


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## wellington (Aug 25, 2021)

Usually anything I have sitting out in my yard, lawn decorations with flat bottoms, always has some kind of bug taking over the moist damp ground under it. 
Just found a dozen or more slugs under an umbrella stand/weight the other day, yuck.


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## ZenHerper (Aug 25, 2021)

jsheffield said:


> ...
> 
> I feel as though this is nearly tool usage, and would like to get some video to share with the TFO braintrust.
> 
> ...


Tool usage implies the torts put a plate on the ground to lure invertebrates.

But intelligence, certainly. Anything living on a large territory has to have functional intelligence. It's absurd religionist hogwash that reptiles don't learn and think. "Lowly" Ispods are routinely being used to study personality:








Personality affects defensive behaviour of Porcellio scaber (Isopoda, Oniscidea)


We evaluated individual behavioural patterns of isopods expressed as tonic immobility following some intrusive treatments. Common rough woodlice, Porcellio scaber, were kept individually in plastic boxes and tested for tonic immobility repeatedly. Reactivity, ...




www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov





Modern review of reptile sentience:








The Matter of Non-Avian Reptile Sentience, and Why It “Matters” to Them: A Conceptual, Ethical and Scientific Review


Sentience is a complex and contentious concept, especially when attributing the label to non-human animals. Non-avian reptiles are often overlooked in many scientific, ethical and layperson discussions of sentience, awareness and consciousness in animals. ...




www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov





Then we have to wonder What Is Intelligence...what kinds of brains are better? A more sophisticated discussion of the interplay of brain structure and size:








Smart Moves: Effects of Relative Brain Size on Establishment Success of Invasive Amphibians and Reptiles


Brain size relative to body size varies considerably among animals, but the ecological consequences of that variation remain poorly understood. Plausibly, larger brains confer increased behavioural flexibility, and an ability to respond to novel challenges. ...




www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov





We know that social species have learning advantages (we watch each other and share experiences)...but reptiles (specifically our good friend _Geochelone carbonaria)_ can learn by observing each other too:








Social learning in a non-social reptile (Geochelone carbonaria)


The ability to learn from the actions of another is adaptive, as it is a shortcut for acquiring new information. However, the evolutionary origins of this trait are still unclear. There is evidence that group-living mammals, birds, fishes and insects ...




www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov





A hollistic view of how problem-solving arises (and a demonstration of just how much research for reptile species is lacking):








Problem Solving in Animals: Proposal for an Ontogenetic Perspective


Animals must be able to solve problems to access food and avoid predators. Problem solving is not a complicated process, often relying only on animals exploring their surroundings, and being able to learn and remember information. However, not all species, ...




www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov






If you confirm an experience-guided hunting behavior (repeatedly and intentionally moving the plate to look under it), that's super cool!


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## jsheffield (Aug 25, 2021)

ZenHerper said:


> Tool usage implies the torts put a plate on the ground to lure invertebrates.
> 
> But intelligence, certainly. Anything living on a large territory has to have functional intelligence. It's absurd religionist hogwash that reptiles don't learn and think. "Lowly" Ispods are routinely being used to study personality:
> 
> ...


Thanks for this post… really interesting and thoughtful.

Jamie


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## Yvonne G (Aug 25, 2021)

jsheffield said:


> View attachment 331649
> 
> 
> I got one of these cameras from Amazon during a sale, and hadn't gotten around to installing it (or even unboxing it) until today.
> ...


When I first moved into this house 20 or 25 years ago I set about 8 or so large potted plants up against the fence in the Manouria yard, as I wasn't ready yet to set them in their permanent place. Every a.m. they would all be knocked over, laying on their sides. One morning I sneaked out there real early and watched the biggest female walk up to the first pot and tip it over with a front leg. Then she would sniff the ground under the pot. She walked down the whole row, tipping and sniffing, eating any slugs that happened to be there. Maybe not using tools, but hunting for sure.


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## Sensimillia (Aug 28, 2021)

Very interesting stuff. Wonder if anything like Pavlov's Dog (classical conditioning) could be done. 
Could possibly train/condition your tortoise to respond to the sound of a bell?


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## William Lee Kohler (Sep 1, 2021)

ZenHerper said:


> absurd religionist hogwash


Watch your language infidel!


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