Can someone explain this? (tortoise chases ball)

[Eva C]

Tortoise chases ball:

Is he going after it because he thinks it is something to eat, or is he actually playing? And, how do I get my tortoise to chase a ball?

 

[ZEROPILOT]

One word..
Aggression!
Russian tortoises HATE sharing space with anything else.

 

[WithLisa]

The poor guy is totally stressed out. The ball looks like an intruder and tries to "run away" when he bites it, so he is frantically chasing it.

 

[Tom]

Neither. He is attacking it as if it is an intruder in his territory. Quite common behavior for a russian tortoise. They are very scrappy and territorial. Tortoises don't "play".

It is also very bad to let them roam loose in the house like that, and slick floors are not good for their legs either.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Some tortoises will push a ball. My Redfoot used to.
Certainly a solo Russian will. But it may just cause unneeded stress to the animal.

 

[Eva C]

One word..
Aggression!
Russian tortoises HATE sharing space with anything else.

Thanks, that makes sense.

 

[JoesMum]

I agree. That is not playing. That is a tortoise trying to remove an intruder. It looks nothing like a tortoise to you, but believe me mine was aggressive towards buckets, the lawn mower ( a particularly hated foe), the wheelie bin... and tried to mate with shoes, small balls, rocks, shoes, the drain cover... did I mention shoes?

Tortoises aren't very bright. These things are stressful. And I never advocate putting any animal through unnecessary stress

 

[Eva C]

Neither. He is attacking it as if it is an intruder in his territory. Quite common behavior for a russian tortoise. They are very scrappy and territorial. Tortoises don't "play".

It is also very bad to let them roam loose in the house like that, and slick floors are not good for their legs either.

Disappointing, but way more plausible. Thanks so much for the info!

 

[Eva C]

The poor guy is totally stressed out. The ball looks like an intruder and tries to "run away" when he bites it, so he is frantically chasing it.

Thanks so much for the info. I am a new tortoise owner and don't know their behaviors yet. I had a feeling this video wasn't all its cracked up to be.

 

[Eva C]

Some tortoises will push a ball. My Redfoot used to.
Certainly a solo Russian will. But it may just cause unneeded stress to the animal.

Is maybe a little stress good for them though? Keeps them from getting bored and more like their situation in the wild? Like I give my dog a steady supply of toys to destroy, which is agression but is natural behavior, and it keeps her from getting bored. Just a thought.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Thanks so much for the info. I am a new tortoise owner and don't know their behaviors yet. I had a feeling this video wasn't all its cracked up to be.

Look up "tortoise wiggling butt"
Spraying them with a garden hose makes them dance and the jury is still out as to if it's a pleasure response or something else.

 

[JoesMum]

No stress isn't good for them. There is no excuse for putting a wild animal kept in captivity under any more stress than is necessary.

They are not social creatures, they are territorial loners.

Character building is a human thing. It doesn't apply to wild animals.

Tortoises are wild animals. They are not domesticated in any way.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Is maybe a little stress good for them though? Keeps them from getting bored and more like their situation in the wild? Like I give my dog a steady supply of toys to destroy, which is agression but is natural behavior, and it keeps her from getting bored. Just a thought.

A bored tortoise seems to be a happy tortoise.
(IMO)
Remember that dogs actually enjoy playing

 

[WithLisa]

Is maybe a little stress good for them though? Keeps them from getting bored and more like their situation in the wild? Like I give my dog a steady supply of toys to destroy, which is agression but is natural behavior, and it keeps her from getting bored. Just a thought.

If you want to keep your tort from getting bored build him a large outside enclosure and give him new things to explore every once in a while. New plants, stones, logs, hay, a heap of moss,... whatever.
But a ball on slick floor is a bad way to keep them occupied. The tort in the video can never really reach the "intruder" to sniff, taste and explore. Looks extremely frustrating to me.

 

[Tom]

If you want to keep your tort from getting bored build him a large outside enclosure and give him new things to explore every once in a while. New plants, stones, logs, hay, a heap of moss,... whatever.
But a ball on slick floor is a bad way to keep them occupied. The tort in the video can never really reach the "intruder" to sniff, taste and explore. Looks extremely frustrating to me.

I agree.

Its the flailing horizontally held legs that are the most disturbing part of it for me.

 

[Eva C]

No stress isn't good for them. There is no excuse for putting a wild animal kept in captivity under any more stress than is necessary.

They are not social creatures, they are territorial loners.

Character building is a human thing. It doesn't apply to wild animals.

Tortoises are wild animals. They are not domesticated in any way.

It is my understanding that reptiles are very different types of creatures, not emotional like humans and other mammals. So while it is probably not appropriate to use terms like "bored", and "playful", what I was suggesting was the possibility that facing small challenges could benefit a tortoise for the very reason that it more closely mimics their situation in the wild. In general, when we create our tortoise habitats there is the assumption that the closer it is to their "natural" environment, the better.

 

[Eva C]

If you want to keep your tort from getting bored build him a large outside enclosure and give him new things to explore every once in a while. New plants, stones, logs, hay, a heap of moss,... whatever.
But a ball on slick floor is a bad way to keep them occupied. The tort in the video can never really reach the "intruder" to sniff, taste and explore. Looks extremely frustrating to me.

Yes this is more the kind of thing I was thinking about. I agree that the video is not the way to go about it.

 

[Eva C]

I agree.

Its the flailing horizontally held legs that are the most disturbing part of it for me.

Yes I agree the tortoise is under way too much stress.

 

[Gillian M]

No, I do not think your tort is playing either.

I once put a small bouncing ball into Oli's enclosure to see his reaction. He ignored it and didn't seem to be in the least interested.

 

[Franco F]

I can’t imagine the amount of dust that must be on that wood floor, too. Definitely a health hazard