KSeaman
Member
That is an excellent suggestion, they come as short as 24" the tallest are at least 48".
To hit or not to hit
- Thread starter revitupmx5
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KSeaman
Member
I was just thinking you could also work on conditioning him/her to just the boots or shoes. Set the boots or shoes down with your feet up on a foot rest and treat him/her around the shoes. It would be interesting to know if it's the intrusion of a person or actually the shoes!
I had Joe 47 years and can confirm torts are not trainable
Some of the suggestions in this thread are appalling... dangerous and/or stressful.
Tortoises of both genders are territorial. They will fight and they will bite.
Males are particularly bad. Joe got so bad he stopped eating and drinking, made himself very sick and had to have a Suprelorin implant to control his testosterone levels. (See here)
Are you sure Tori is female? (A clear photo of a the underside including the tail will help is confirm)
I know you think you are doing your best by moving your tortoise to get daylight in your apartment, but she will be happiest and healthiest in a proper sized enclosure with proper lighting.
Do not let your tortoise roam the floors of your apartment. There are too many hazards and you only have to be distracted for a moment.
With a UVB lamp there is no reason to move her to the balcony.
Some of the suggestions in this thread are appalling... dangerous and/or stressful.
Tortoises of both genders are territorial. They will fight and they will bite.
Males are particularly bad. Joe got so bad he stopped eating and drinking, made himself very sick and had to have a Suprelorin implant to control his testosterone levels. (See here)
Are you sure Tori is female? (A clear photo of a the underside including the tail will help is confirm)
I know you think you are doing your best by moving your tortoise to get daylight in your apartment, but she will be happiest and healthiest in a proper sized enclosure with proper lighting.
Do not let your tortoise roam the floors of your apartment. There are too many hazards and you only have to be distracted for a moment.
With a UVB lamp there is no reason to move her to the balcony.
KSeaman
Member
I am not saying you can train them to do complex behaviors but take a look at this link for example. He clearly understands that if he touches the target he gets something, he is not randomly nose touching her shoe or knee he is performing a behavior. https://video.search.yahoo.com/sear...71fa38beae39ddd5d368c589d67bdb4f&action=click
trained tortoise - Yahoo Video Search Results
The search engine that helps you find exactly what you're looking for. Find the most relevant information, video, images, and answers from all across the Web.
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I think its also worth mentioning that constantly moving your tort from their enclosure is ultimately going to lead to them not being content. You will notice they will claw the walls and pace in their enclosure as they know there is a larger outside world that they will want to get to. I think in this scenario since the poster is living in an apartment is a larger indoor enclosure with proper lighting is what is needed. It's been my experience that tortoises are not trainable.
I'm just a dumb broad I guess, what is the vinegar towel for?
I have been keeping tortoises for about 20 years now. My main focus being Sulcata, Gopherus agassizii and American box turtles. I operated a small special needs turtle and tortoise rescue. It seems thru these years I have had only male tortoises until recently.
I DO believe some tortoises of some species are trainable, but, there's a very large difference in being " trainable" as opposed to being "tamed". Tortoises are wild animals even if they just live in your backyard. I have had different ages and sizes of Sulcata, I have been bitten a lot, the worst bite being from my beloved Bob was 16 or 17 stitches.Yes, male Sulcata can be aggressive. You would not go into a corral with a wild mustang without paying strict attention. You should not go into a Sulcata pen, especially with a large male Sulcata, without being alert and paying attention. I trained Bob to play soccer with me, to walk around in public following me and a number of other things. But as much time as I spent with him, being close to him. he's the Sulcata who bit me causing all those stitches. Tortoises are still wild animals, they need to be treated as such. Oh also, another bad bite was from a Russian male. I've had some of these box turtles for freakin years, yet they bite worse than any species. They are still wild animals, treat them as such
I have been keeping tortoises for about 20 years now. My main focus being Sulcata, Gopherus agassizii and American box turtles. I operated a small special needs turtle and tortoise rescue. It seems thru these years I have had only male tortoises until recently.
I DO believe some tortoises of some species are trainable, but, there's a very large difference in being " trainable" as opposed to being "tamed". Tortoises are wild animals even if they just live in your backyard. I have had different ages and sizes of Sulcata, I have been bitten a lot, the worst bite being from my beloved Bob was 16 or 17 stitches.Yes, male Sulcata can be aggressive. You would not go into a corral with a wild mustang without paying strict attention. You should not go into a Sulcata pen, especially with a large male Sulcata, without being alert and paying attention. I trained Bob to play soccer with me, to walk around in public following me and a number of other things. But as much time as I spent with him, being close to him. he's the Sulcata who bit me causing all those stitches. Tortoises are still wild animals, they need to be treated as such. Oh also, another bad bite was from a Russian male. I've had some of these box turtles for freakin years, yet they bite worse than any species. They are still wild animals, treat them as such
pawsplus
Active Member
Goodness. Sit in a chair and lift your legs up. Put them on the railing. This isn't brain surgery.
pawsplus
Active Member
They learn routine. My redfoot is out all day long from April - October, but I bring her in at night. It is not safe outside at night--even though she is fairly large, she is at risk from raccoons at the very least, and there are also bobcats and coyotes in my rural area. She comes in and goes to sleep. In the AM she basically begs to be taken outside by following me whenever I approach the enclosure. In the fall, it takes her a week or 2 to realize that she's no longer going to get to go outside, and she relaxes. Once we hit the spring, she gets to to outside again. She has learned this routine and is cool with it. They have not managed to survive for millennia in basically the same form by being stupid.
They learn routine. My redfoot is out all day long from April - October, but I bring her in at night. It is not safe outside at night--even though she is fairly large, she is at risk from raccoons at the very least, and there are also bobcats and coyotes in my rural area. She comes in and goes to sleep. In the AM she basically begs to be taken outside by following me whenever I approach the enclosure. In the fall, it takes her a week or 2 to realize that she's no longer going to get to go outside, and she relaxes. Once we hit the spring, she gets to to outside again. She has learned this routine and is cool with it. They have not managed to survive for millennia in basically the same form by being stupid.
I agree they do learn routine especially after having them for many years, mine live outdoor 24/7 in the warmer months weather permitting. It's just a hunch but given that this poster is a new member and with the subject of the actual post I am willing to bet this is a new/newish pet for them and there may not be as much experience on the matter as lets say you or I have. With what little details are provided on the poster's enclosure specs and the fact the tortoise is given balcony access which is not something I would do, I think its fairly safe to assume that the set up may not be up to par. My advice was to simply warn them that their tort may become restless with all the back and forth, but thanks so much for sharing your experience though.
