Has yet tortoise ever bit you?

[fifthdawn]

If they have, did they let go, whats your story?
They really don't look like they bite...

Well my tortoise never bit me but just now, my one of my turtle did. For the first time in 5 years, my little (or big, 7 inches) turtle locked on to a pinch of flesh on my palm and wouldn't let go. I have no experience with this and have only read about it in the past. I heard run cold water on its head from the sink. That didn't work. I tried putting food infront of her, put her in water, pet her head, rub her neck, squeeze her jaws from the size. Nothing worked.

Its still biting on to me right now as I type. lol No I'm jk, she let go already. Honestly, I totally forgot how she let go. I was just so relief that she did lol.

It was my first time getting bit and I own lots of turtles, otherwise I woulda taken a picture. lol I'll definately grab my camera next time I get bit...

 

[Tom]

I've had lots of aquatic turtles ATTEMPT to bite me, but never a tortoise. Often its a mistake on the tortoises part when some one tries to hand feed to small of a piece of food.

Having said all of that, Maggie will tell you some great Bob stories!!!

 

[fifthdawn]

lol She always try to bite me when I take her out for feeding. I'm usually quick enough. Guess I got over confident this time and she beated me lol

 

[DoctorCosmonaut]

Whenever I have held something in my hand for my RFs to eat, they probably would bite me if I was in the way, but mostly because they can't differentiate me from the food and they aren't that coordinated in a sense.

 

[terracolson]

A hermit crab did that to me once... it kept that part of my skin

 

[Nay]

Hi,funny story I have about biting torts. I work for a vet and we have a client who comes in regularly to have her 2 boxes beaks trimmed. One of the little buggars tries to nail us all the time. I have been pretty good about being savey about not getting bit.The last time she brought them by I was showing a new girl how it's done(or not done) I got his head and trimmed the beak with a dremmel, I was just turning him around somehow and he lashed out and grabbed the side of my left wrist, I was holding him with my right hand. I know exactly what your talking about Fifthdawn, we could not get him to release. I (we) got down on the floor thinking if he felt the ground on his feet he would think,run!! No way. He hung on for what seemed like a very long time. Everytime I would try and do something, he would suck in that little head and bite harder. I don't know what finally prompted the release, but he finally did. And the kicker, here's 2 grown women on the floor and no one at my job even gave us a second look. I had a bruise for a long time. Can't wait till he comes in again!!
Glad you lived through yours
NA

 

[ChiKat]

Nelson bit me once, shortly after I first got him. He's a "taste-tester" and when I have him out of his enclosure he likes to try to bite things to see if they're edible.
Well he marched right over to my hand and grabbed hold of my finger!
He was a 4-month old hatchling at the time so it really didn't hurt, but I was certainly surprised! And I had a hard time getting him to let go too!

 

[sammi]

Ernie has gotten me a couple of times, but he doesn't do it anymore. He used to do it all the time when he thought EVERYTHING was food...fingers, toes, anything green, and anything red. He never held on for more than a second..I would jump out of pain and I think that would scare him because he'd let go right away..

 

[Yvonne G]

I wear a pair of rubber bright yellow clogs when I clean out the tortoise pens. My Asian tortoises ALWAYS chase me around trying to bite those shoes. This a.m. the largest one finally DID get a good bite when I wasn't paying attention. It didn't hurt because the rubber is pretty thick, but I had a heck of a time making her let go.

 

[kimber_lee_314]

My big desert tortoise was snacking away on a flower I was holding and accidentally bit me. It hurt! My dad's evil RES always tries to bite me when I take him in for the night - he's never got me though!

 

[jlyoncc1]

I had a Russian tort get me once while hand feeding. It was an accident on his behalf. Hurt like he** though. My sons parakeet that we got last week bit the back of my knuckle the first day and wouldn't let go. I still have a mark. That hurt wayyyyy worse.

 

[Stephanie Logan]

Hahahahahaha! These stories are hilarious!

All I can picture are people jumping around with tortoises hanging from their hands or feet!

 

[Homerist]

My Star will mistakenly attempting to bite my fingertips when i am handing feeding him but he never succeed, too slow! haha. I believe my fingers smell of the greens and cactus hence the instinctive action by him. =)

Hey Roachman26 i have the exact opposite experience with aquatic turtles!
a couple of years back, i had a 4inch RES, Dayu, who was a energic boy, swimming, basking, climbing and escaping from his tank all day long! haha when i hold him up he would flap his arms and legs but never attempt to bite.
And something that still amaze me is that somehow he understood when I'm reprimanding him.
when he's flapping and misbehaving, i point my index finger at him from a distance (not so close as to stress him out), and say, "no no, be good." when he saw the finger and maybe my expression, he would hide his head in with his eyes open and the flapping will stop! at least for a few mins. =)

......how i missed him.

 

[Nay]

Ralph, you'd better watch out, that statement about your Star being too slow sounded like a challenge to me!!

 

[TortieGal]

My uncle gave my sister a box turtle when we were kids and it would try to bite us all the time, one day it latched on to my sisters finger and with out thinking she flung the poor guy across the room.Thank goodness he was ok. He ended up excaping and I'm sure he never looked back, he didn't seem to like us much.

 

[Homerist]

Ralph, you'd better watch out, that statement about your Star being too slow sounded like a challenge to me!!

hahah well i don't mind if he really bites me one day. I believe he doesn't mean it. Anyway dog owners do get bitten by their dogs as well as cat owners being scratched.
So we will be bitten-clamped!
ahahah

Cheers. =)

 

[-ryan-]

I have heard aquatic turtles have a greater tendency to bite. Tortoises seem to be a little more laid back. My male russian bit my toe one when he was younger and I had him outside. He was just seeing if it was edible. He quickly realized it was not

 

[Weloveourtortoise]

Charlie has not bitten me or Matt but has clamped on to my night shirt, a zipper on my shirt, the side of the lap top, a birthday card for Matt, a braided rug, a carton that was green. It is hilarious to see his expression when he realizes that what he just clamped down on is not edible!

 

[DemonDrug95]

my three torts are taste tester too..:B

 

[muddled]

One of my redfoots always tries to taste everything, so naturally she tried to nip at my fingers to see if its food. It does hurt for such a little beak! She knows my fingers aren't edible now so she ignores them :>