Biting normal?

[Amchugh]

Hello there! I'm a first time mom to two sulcata hatchlings. They are four months old. ( I didn't know at what age they are not considered hatchlings anymore) we have had them for a couple months and kept them a secret from my kids. They were their Xmas present! they love them SO much! My son wanted to see them on the living room floor for a couple minutes. While I sat with him in the floor with them one of them walked right up to him and bit his hand! Then he bit his pajama pants, then he was walking and stopped and bent his head down and bit the rug!! Is this a normal thing for them to do? Is there a such thing as a aggressive tortoise that I should be concerned about? Thanks so much!!!

 

[russian/sulcata/tortoise]

hey, i don't really think he was being aggressive, sometimes my torts mistake my hand for a carrot and they bite me. but when sulcatas get a little bigger they are know to ram people pretty hard. heres a vid i found on youtube of some sulcatas fighting

 

[russian/sulcata/tortoise]

are the sulcatas housed together?

 

[mike taylor]

He's hungry haha They are babies they test things with their mouth . All my tortoises will try and bite my shoe or something . But I wouldn't considerate aggressive behavior .

 

[Gillian M]

Welcome to the forum! I don't think that the bite was intentional either. My beloved Greek tort once bit me whilst I was hand-feeding it. So don't worry.

 

[Blakem]

As said, don't worry. Please keep an eye on your children. As with any pet, the child can really stress the animal out. Let them know that two hands must be used when holding the baby. What you do now to care for your babies can determine their future, so please treat it with care, as I'm sure you are! Some may bit certain things based on the color. Bright colors are of interest sometimes.

Welcome to the forum and I'm glad you found us to better learn about the well being of your babies. May we see a picture of these cuties?!

 

[Tom]

Most tortoise species are drawn to color and will bite at things like painted toenails or colorful clothes. Its a food response, not aggression.

Your tortoises should not be on the floor. It is much too cold down there for this tropical heat loving species, and there are far too many hazards. Here are some threads to help you out:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.78361/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/closed-chambers.32333/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/pairs.34837/

 

[Amchugh]

Here is one of our babies! a lady bug got into their cage...he doesn't look amused...lol

 

[Amchugh]

Thank you so much for all the replies. Yes, he didn't seem aggressive when he bit my son, it seemed like he was just tasting him. I was just curious if it was a common thing for him to do. And yes both of them are housed together. Here is a pic of their cage.

 

[russian/sulcata/tortoise]

Thank you so much for all the replies. Yes, he didn't seem aggressive when he bit my son, it seemed like he was just tasting him. I was just curious if it was a common thing for him to do. And yes both of them are housed together. Here is a pic of their cage.

they should to be housed together, sulcatas like most tortoises have there own territory and will defend if from intruders. when 2 are kept together one of them almost always becomes dominant usually the bigger one and will stress out the smaller one.