Are my shoes a threat?

[Polli]

Hi. I’ve not been here for a while - my apologies!
Hope you’re all well
Please can someone help me?
My Taco seems obsessed with feet/shoes when I’m in the garden
Does he view them as a threat?

He tries to climb on them, now he has started prowling around them and ramming into them 😱 i tried to share a video but was struggling.

Any clues ? 🥴🤔🤔

 

[Yvonne G]

No, not a threat, but they're mighty attractive as a romantic interest!

 

[Polli]

No, not a threat, but they're mighty attractive as a romantic interest!

Oooh!! Poor Taco. Maybe he needs a partner? 🤔🤪

 

[Tom]

Oooh!! Poor Taco. Maybe he needs a partner? 🤔🤪

Some tortoises are territorial and try to intimidate other "animals" out of their territory. That is most likely what is happening. The love interest is a good possibility too.

Your tortoise does not need or want a partner. They should never be kept I pairs. If Taco is a male you would need to get two or three females of the same species, quarantine them and run fecals for several months, make the enclosure huge, and then try to introduce them. The introduction might fail, and then you'd have to separate them all and house them all individually. Unless you really want to breed them, its not worth the considerable trouble and expense.

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

If you want to share a video in the future it has to be posted on some social media or other video sharing service like youtube and then sent here as a link!

 

[Polli]

If you want to share a video in the future it has to be posted on some social media or other video sharing service like youtube and then sent here as a link!

Ah thank you for this tip!!

 

[Polli]

Some tortoises are territorial and try to intimidate other "animals" out of their territory. That is most likely what is happening. The love interest is a good possibility too.

Your tortoise does not need or want a partner. They should never be kept I pairs. If Taco is a male you would need to get two or three females of the same species, quarantine them and run fecals for several months, make the enclosure huge, and then try to introduce them. The introduction might fail, and then you'd have to separate them all and house them all individually. Unless you really want to breed them, its not worth the considerable trouble and expense.

Definitely not going down the breeding route - thanks for the details. And i’d learned from here a while ago not to introduce a female.
As long as I’m not frightening him by being in the garden that’s ok for me 👍🏽

 

[zolasmum]

Definitely not going down the breeding route - thanks for the details. And i’d learned from here a while ago not to introduce a female.
As long as I’m not frightening him by being in the garden that’s ok for me 👍🏽

My 24 year old Hermanns tortoise varies between being 'friendly' with my shoes, standing beside my feet and stroking them , getting "romantic" with them, which involves climbing on them and bouncing up and down while squeaking, - and at other times getting aggressive, biting and pulling at them.
I generally leave him alone on days like this, and he eventually calms down - I find that I can often distract him by pulling my thin trousers a bit lower round my ankles - he will spend a long and peaceful time pulling at the fabric, which is a bit stretchy - he loves to make it spring back.
All this takes place indoors, in his conservatory, with me sitting in a chair.
Angie

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

If I wear colorful shoes, especially pink, my Russian will get a taste of them 😅

 

[zolasmum]

If I wear colorful shoes, especially pink, my Russian will get a taste of them 😅

Oh yes, I forgot that - I generally wear some grey fabric shoes, with laces Zola can play with, as in the past he has been made far too over-excited by coloured shoes, especially red, and also by Crocs, with their rounded tortoise-shaped toes !
Angie

 

[Maggie3fan]

I wear Vans with red flames on them and my small male tort attacks them...lol but watch out for that red toenail polish as torts try to bite them looking like strawberries lol