Does a tortoise recognize its owner?

[Schlomo]

About a month ago, we adopted a few tortoises. One of them is a Sri Lankan star tortoise. He was very skittish for the first 2-3 weeks. Always pulling back into his shell at the first sign of movement. This past week or so, he seemed to be getting much better. Every time I go up to his enclosure he would walk towards me - I assumed he was begging for food, but he would still try to get to me even after I set the food down. I started scratching the bottom of his neck and he seems to enjoy it.

I'm always the one feeding and taking the tortoises out for walks. My wife usually doesn't do much with them. She didn't care for the Star much because he was so skittish. So yesterday I wanted to show her how much better he's doing. So I took her over to the enclosure and the Star started to walk towards us, but as soon as she tried to scratch his neck he pulled right back into his shell.

He seems to recognize my voice as well as my face. When he hears my voice he peaks his head out to see if everything is ok. When he sees my face he comes all the way out and starts walking around. But if he sees that it's my wife there, he'll just keep peaking until she moves away. Then he slowly comes out to see if the coast is clear. So now I'm thinking - hey, you're making me look bad.

I assume that he's comfortable with me now because I'm always around and am a familiar face/sound. I just didn't realize before that a tortoise could recognize people. Or was it just a coincidence and I am just imagining it?

 

[Logan487]

Id say they can, I keep my hatchling Sulcattas stocked 24/7 with food and every time I come to the habitat Ive made for them both of them are all but racing to get there before the other. It may be part to do with habitat aswell though because mine didnt start this until Id made them comfortable.

 

[Tom]

In the words of the great Phineas... Yes. Yes they can.

 

[cemmons12]

Yes I agree 100% that they do! If I give Cooper to someone new to hold he will tolerate it for about 1 minute then starts to try and get away, if I take him back he just sits there all calm and happy. And he too knows if its me talking cause he always looks around for me when he is awake. If my daughter looks into his area while he is out and about he will tuck into his shell most the time. When my wife does it he will tuck for a second then he will come back out. My wife talks to him all the time while she is at home in our room, and she sings a song that she made up for him. He always moves his legs around when she sings it to him. She has done that since about the 2nd week we got him home and he seems to really like it. He is such a loveable little sully! I hope you have a lot of good times with yours! Have a great day!

 

[Yvonne G]

We always make jokes about us being the food god or goddess, but what I REALLY think is that the tortoises look at us as the food, not the food provider.

To prove this theory, I would put down a nice big pile of food at the feeding station, then instead of moving away as I usually do, I just crouched down and stayed there. In every single pen...Manouria, Leopards, Yellowfoots, Aldabrans and desert tortoises...they all came to ME rather than the food. And if I didn't move, they would actually try to take bites out of me.

 

[ascott]

LOL....I think that they do....and Yvonne that has happened a time or two with my guys as well....very funny

 

[laramie]

I think my little guy Wilbur recognizes me. As Tom told me he knows me as the "food goddess". I am sure that your little guys/gals see you as the bringer/food master as well. But I talk to Wilbur every chance I get, hold him and pet hs head, so I think he recognizes me.

 

[Schlomo]

Thanks for the input everyone. The Star has taken a close look at my fingers a few times, but hasn't decided to take a bite yet. He's not taking to my wife at all though.

 

[Terry Allan Hall]

About a month ago, we adopted a few tortoises. One of them is a Sri Lankan star tortoise. He was very skittish for the first 2-3 weeks. Always pulling back into his shell at the first sign of movement. This past week or so, he seemed to be getting much better. Every time I go up to his enclosure he would walk towards me - I assumed he was begging for food, but he would still try to get to me even after I set the food down. I started scratching the bottom of his neck and he seems to enjoy it.

I'm always the one feeding and taking the tortoises out for walks. My wife usually doesn't do much with them. She didn't care for the Star much because he was so skittish. So yesterday I wanted to show her how much better he's doing. So I took her over to the enclosure and the Star started to walk towards us, but as soon as she tried to scratch his neck he pulled right back into his shell.

He seems to recognize my voice as well as my face. When he hears my voice he peaks his head out to see if everything is ok. When he sees my face he comes all the way out and starts walking around. But if he sees that it's my wife there, he'll just keep peaking until she moves away. Then he slowly comes out to see if the coast is clear. So now I'm thinking - hey, you're making me look bad.

I assume that he's comfortable with me now because I'm always around and am a familiar face/sound. I just didn't realize before that a tortoise could recognize people. Or was it just a coincidence and I am just imagining it?

As you're now seeing, tortoises care considerably more intelligent than most people seem to think, and if your wife puts in the time, he'll all get as friendly to her as he's starting to be to you.

 

[steveponthier]

I have a 7yr old 40# Sulcata. It comes when called by name, walks with me around the block a few times almost every day. I know he recognizes signs and people. The confirmation of this was that one day he was sitting by me, as usual, when working in front of the building. The owner of a new pastry at the corner, a half block down, came over and brought him a strawberry. The next day, we were outside again. The chef drove by and parked outside his shop and went in through the back door.
The tortoise saw him cross the sidewalk and go in. He got up and walked down the block and sat at his back door where he went in. A minute later the chef came out and seeing the tortoise, gave him another treat.
When we are walking and the chef spots us, he will call out for the tortoise who will go over to him. The chef will usually duck in and come out with a few fruit treats for him.

They can be taught simple one word commands. They are actually bright and NOT slow, as so many people find out on our outings.

About a month ago, we adopted a few tortoises. One of them is a Sri Lankan star tortoise. He was very skittish for the first 2-3 weeks. Always pulling back into his shell at the first sign of movement. This past week or so, he seemed to be getting much better. Every time I go up to his enclosure he would walk towards me - I assumed he was begging for food, but he would still try to get to me even after I set the food down. I started scratching the bottom of his neck and he seems to enjoy it.

I'm always the one feeding and taking the tortoises out for walks. My wife usually doesn't do much with them. She didn't care for the Star much because he was so skittish. So yesterday I wanted to show her how much better he's doing. So I took her over to the enclosure and the Star started to walk towards us, but as soon as she tried to scratch his neck he pulled right back into his shell.

He seems to recognize my voice as well as my face. When he hears my voice he peaks his head out to see if everything is ok. When he sees my face he comes all the way out and starts walking around. But if he sees that it's my wife there, he'll just keep peaking until she moves away. Then he slowly comes out to see if the coast is clear. So now I'm thinking - hey, you're making me look bad.

I assume that he's comfortable with me now because I'm always around and am a familiar face/sound. I just didn't realize before that a tortoise could recognize people. Or was it just a coincidence and I am just imagining it?

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

I think ours do.

 

[bigred]

Mine do for sure

 

[Madkins007]

I think it is pretty obvious that they recognize their primary food provider- probably through a combination of visual cues, scent, vibration patterns, and time of day.

I am less convinced they hear us in any real sense. Tortoises only seem to respond to a few sounds or wavelengths- mostly noises made during hatching, battle, and mating although they probably hear a lot of subsonic sounds as well.

I know it certainly LOOKS like they can hear you, but I'd bet a pretty penny that if you found a way to isolate sound from the other cues, including ground vibration, that they would ignore the sounds alone. It reminds me of our old dog that had gone deaf- but you could not tell in most day-to-day situations- she still obeyed order and so forth by using other cues.

 

[Terry Allan Hall]

About a month ago, we adopted a few tortoises. One of them is a Sri Lankan star tortoise. He was very skittish for the first 2-3 weeks. Always pulling back into his shell at the first sign of movement. This past week or so, he seemed to be getting much better. Every time I go up to his enclosure he would walk towards me - I assumed he was begging for food, but he would still try to get to me even after I set the food down. I started scratching the bottom of his neck and he seems to enjoy it.

I'm always the one feeding and taking the tortoises out for walks. My wife usually doesn't do much with them. She didn't care for the Star much because he was so skittish. So yesterday I wanted to show her how much better he's doing. So I took her over to the enclosure and the Star started to walk towards us, but as soon as she tried to scratch his neck he pulled right back into his shell.

He seems to recognize my voice as well as my face. When he hears my voice he peaks his head out to see if everything is ok. When he sees my face he comes all the way out and starts walking around. But if he sees that it's my wife there, he'll just keep peaking until she moves away. Then he slowly comes out to see if the coast is clear. So now I'm thinking - hey, you're making me look bad.

I assume that he's comfortable with me now because I'm always around and am a familiar face/sound. I just didn't realize before that a tortoise could recognize people. Or was it just a coincidence and I am just imagining it?

Tortoises are much more intelligent than most people think, as you're learning.

---

I have a 7yr old 40# Sulcata. It comes when called by name, walks with me around the block a few times almost every day. I know he recognizes signs and people. The confirmation of this was that one day he was sitting by me, as usual, when working in front of the building. The owner of a new pastry at the corner, a half block down, came over and brought him a strawberry. The next day, we were outside again. The chef drove by and parked outside his shop and went in through the back door.
The tortoise saw him cross the sidewalk and go in. He got up and walked down the block and sat at his back door where he went in. A minute later the chef came out and seeing the tortoise, gave him another treat.
When we are walking and the chef spots us, he will call out for the tortoise who will go over to him. The chef will usually duck in and come out with a few fruit treats for him.

They can be taught simple one word commands. They are actually bright and NOT slow, as so many people find out on our outings.

Tortoises are very sneaky in how they train us to do their bidding...

 

[Kvoigt]

In the words of the great Phineas... Yes. Yes they can.

LOL

 

[TortoiseMan]

I'm not sure with my tortoise - he recognises my voice, but not me - if that makes sense. I feel for me atm it seems to be a correlation with food, as whenever I speak to anyone/anything in the room, he wanders up to the food slab. Still intelligent tho

 

[bubbles01]

All of mine recognise sounds, some are picky about who they like - Niles, the little one will always go to my Son over me, even though I am the one that puts the food in with them. Fluffy will come to me if I sit outside their pen, and Bella turns her head when I call her name....

 

[Yvonne G]

I have a 7yr old 40# Sulcata. It comes when called by name, walks with me around the block a few times almost every day.

Hi Steve: Won't you take a few moments to start a new thread in the "introductions" section and tell us a bit about yourself?

 

[Madkins007]

Those of you who think they recognize your sounds- how can you show that they are not actually recognizing your scent or vibration pattern from walking, opening a door, etc.?

Sound is very important to humans, but it is not important to other species, especially those with limited sound making capabilities and other good senses. There simply was never a good reason for turtles to develop their sense of sound much- they don't find food or mates with it, and most of their predators don't make a lot of sounds (big cats, birds of prey, etc.) When they are hiding in burrows, etc., sound is muffled. Water muffles sound for aquatic species... but in both these last cases, vibrations become more important.

Actually, I think it is pretty cool that they can so easily identify us, knowing who is who, and so on using the senses they have!

 

[TortoiseMan]

Well I'm not sure if it is just other things affecting - it but the major responses is when I call mine over - so sound may play a large portion of it. But considering the location of mine vivarium I think smell may also have a certain size portion.

Off topic but my bearded dragon seems to be able to recognised me by sight and sound - and most likely smell

Cheers,
Josh