# can you really train a tort



## rubbermate (Oct 29, 2011)

is there a certin way to do it can they learn to come when called if so, what things have you trained them to do and how?


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## Torty Mom (Oct 29, 2011)

My tortie Lou does. When he is ready to come in, he scratches at the back door, we open it, he walks in and goes to his bed. The next day when he wakes, he walks down the hallway and sits in the middle of the hallway until someone opens the back door to let him out! SPOILED!!!!


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## cyberubu (Oct 29, 2011)

My tortoise Sal comes by calling his name, It helps to have a piece of lettuce.....


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## rubbermate (Oct 29, 2011)

thats interesting, torty mom how did you train him to do that? or did he just start doing it on his own I can get my goliath to come to me when I have a treat in my hand and the last few days hes been following me like a lost puppy should I just start by saying goliath come when I have food to give him and then maybe weening off the treat every time he comes or what?


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## Torty Mom (Oct 29, 2011)

He actually did it on his own. He would come out of his bed and follow me to the back door. Now he does it all on his own when HE wants to. So we let him in or out like a little puppy. Sometimes he goes a stray, but most always it's right into the house and to bed at 4 pm! Sometimes he sleeps in and we get him up, or if I am in a hurry and not patient enough for his 10 minute walk.


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## jackrat (Oct 29, 2011)

Mine jump through firey hoops!


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## rubbermate (Oct 29, 2011)

ya ok jackrat lol that would be pretty spectacular if that really happened lol I think it would be funny to see a tort even try to jump lol


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## ascott (Oct 29, 2011)

My guy Herman swan dives...and face plants---at will  He is soooo smart he trained himself....


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## GBtortoises (Oct 30, 2011)

Tortoises are "trained" by responses to food. That is about it.


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## zesty_17 (Nov 17, 2011)

rubbermate said:


> is there a certin way to do it can they learn to come when called if so, what things have you trained them to do and how?



Ectotherms are a lot smarter than ppl think. I have trained all kinds of turtles, snakes, crocodiles, alligators, lizards, komodo dragons, fish, etc. 


There are many ways to train them, the key is to find what motivates them. With my turltes, they each have a favorite food that they work for, and with the giants at work, some just like the attention & leg rubbing, and snub the food.

Some of my box turtles are clicker trained (mostly visually presented stimulus-yellow clicker), all my the water turltes are conditioned to come to various containers, one of my male cooters is trained to climb out of the water and onto my hand, the aldabs at work are all trained to stand to a shell rub, then go in the barn to a shell tap, the girls are trained to stand and hold for ultrasounds, 2 girls are trained to open their mouths, and a keeper i work with trained a redfoot to walk in a half circle around a stage in a animal show in the past. I am still working with my boxies at home, ultimately i'd like to have them all clicker trained to different colors, so i can present them and they all line up to the correct ones. 

Several months ago, I went to a presentation at disney, in which they talked about training their box turtles to targets, and other 'intelligent' research studies they are doing. It was funny to note that one such intellegent study in which the turtles had to choose the correct placement of hidden food by memory and elimination, their outcomes were better on average than most primates!!! <--tell that to the monkey people! lol.


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## Grigor.Love. (Nov 17, 2011)

jackrat said:


> Mine jump through firey hoops!



Mine too!


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## Maggie Cummings (Nov 17, 2011)

Bob is trained to get into the Bob cart and taken to the back of my son's Subaru, he will follow my wiggling fingers, but I don't believe they can hear and will come to a call. Now don't all you keepers who believe they do come to a call don't be mad at me, nobody has shown me they can...


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## JoesMum (Nov 17, 2011)

Mine does what he darn well pleases... I wouldn't describe it as trained. He has routines and things he does, but I won't claim the credit for teaching him any of it. If he wants to do it, he will; especially if there's something he wants to eat/mate with involved!

Must work on the firey hoops this winter!


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## tyler0912 (Nov 17, 2011)

Tiago is a great escape artist.....trues story....honestly! 
In an indoor enclosure!


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## nikki0601 (Nov 17, 2011)

Not sure that they can be trained but def learn routines, my baby sulcata knows after his bath that I'm gonna put out greens, I dry him, set him back in his home and he runs right there waiting for me to put my hands in and start tearing and dropping greens, if I take my time me will start sniffing his plate like he knows its suppose to be here


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## Terry Allan Hall (Nov 18, 2011)

Mine come running to therir feeding rock when I ring a cow-bell. 

Initially, when I just had Jennifer, I'd, ring it, then put her in front of her dinner...very soon (about 2 weeks, if that long), she learned to associate the sound w/ food.

When I got the other 3, after they moved into her enclosure, I was curious if they'd learn from her example...they quickly did!


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## zesty_17 (Nov 18, 2011)

Terry Allan Hall said:


> Mine come running to therir feeding rock when I ring a cow-bell.
> 
> Initially, when I just had Jennifer, I'd, ring it, then put her in front of her dinner...very soon (about 2 weeks, if that long), she learned to associate the sound w/ food.
> 
> When I got the other 3, after they moved into her enclosure, I was curious if they'd learn from her example...they quickly did!



that's awesome! congrats!


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## laramie (Nov 18, 2011)

Torty Mom said:


> My tortie Lou does. When he is ready to come in, he scratches at the back door, we open it, he walks in and goes to his bed. The next day when he wakes, he walks down the hallway and sits in the middle of the hallway until someone opens the back door to let him out! SPOILED!!!!



That is so cool, how did you train him to do that? And how long did it take?


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