hissing

[victoria nagel]

I've had my red-footed tortoise for about 7 months now whenever is go near him he hissing and puts his head in. he never used to do this and was just wondering why he is and if there is any way to make it stop. thank you

 

[crimson_lotus]

He is retreating back into his shell for safety. Tortoises need to expel the air in their bodies before retreating, and so you hear the air come out in a hissing noise

 

[Yvonne G]

Try to allow him to see you approaching so your sudden appearance doesn't startle him so. Let him see you place the food and eventually he'll come to see you as the food goddess and accept you more readily.

 

[Bee62]

Try to handfeed him his favorite food. Let him see your hand and regognize your smell. Torts are slow. Mayby you must do this for weeks before he trust you.

 

[Redstrike]

I don’t hand feed. It’s a great way for your tortoises to begin associating your fingers with food and creating a biting tort. Be patient and keep feeding the tortoise and interacting with it when you can. S/he will come around.

 

[TammyJ]

There may be something that is causing this and that is making him jumpy. A few pics of him and the enclosure might help us to help you with this problem. What conditions is he living in and other animals, etc?