# How defined is a tortoise's taste?



## Steven9786 (Nov 13, 2014)

I was wondering this after eating some Aloe Vera I was cutting up for my tortoises. When cutting up veggies for them, it's not unusual for me to go ahead and pop a piece of collard/mustard greens, grass, or veggie in my mouth to see what it tastes like. The aloe jelly was actually pretty tasty, but the skin was really bitter, so I spit it out.

It made me wonder if torts taste in a way similar that we do? And I was curious as to whether or not they taste bitter foods, like we do?


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## Josh (Nov 13, 2014)

Tough, maybe impossible, to say without being a biologist who has studied taste bud structures of tortoises but I believe they can taste and smell pretty well. Who knows how it compares to our senses but I know my torts love getting sweet fruit. Bitterness may not bother them at all, or may be pleasant/desirable to their brains.


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## Yvonne G (Nov 13, 2014)

I know that parrots can eat very hot chillis or peppers without a problem, and tortoises are said to be close to birds, so...

I've seen a tortoise take a bite off a plant then spit it out and move on. So they must have some discriminatory taste.


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## Steven9786 (Nov 13, 2014)

I've read that birds can eat chili because the capsaicin doesn't affect them the way it does mammals. I think it was because birds are unable to digest seeds the way mammals can, that and and they travel longer distances; so the chili plants evolved to protect against mammals and favor birds, because they're more likely to spread their seeds that way.

My torts aren't really picky though, they'll eat pretty much anything that's in front of them


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## Yellow Turtle01 (Nov 14, 2014)

I do this too  If it's something I can eat, I might chew on a piece just to taste it... my tortoises tastes buds must be dead or something, because most weeds are bitter! 
They may have defined tastes, but it's probably different from humans. To them, bitter weed are AMAZING, and a human food to them might eb terrible.


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## dmmj (Nov 14, 2014)

They eat poop, so take from that what you will.


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## Steven9786 (Nov 14, 2014)

It makes sense that they're not phased by bitter foods or other plants we would find unpalatable, since their diets are based on weeds and grasses


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## ZEROPILOT (Nov 14, 2014)

Redfoot LOVE rotten, dead animals.......


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## Yellow Turtle01 (Nov 14, 2014)

ZEROPILOT said:


> Redfoot LOVE rotten, dead animals.......


 Why?? That's just unhealthy.


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## Blakem (Nov 14, 2014)

Their smell and sense of color are known to be profound.


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