My small Red Foot does like to sit on my lap, at times. And sometimes even be held for a bit.
But for any extended period of time, he gets pretty restless.
But for any extended period of time, he gets pretty restless.
Holding your tort
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My two redfoots have pretty distinct personalities at this point. Darwin is still pretty shy at 4", and he won't really let me pet him or anything like that. At 5.5", Harper loves attention. She'll walk circles around my feet and likes be petted. Neither one particularly enjoy being lifted up though.
As for holding, I do only very occasionally nowadays, because very often they'll poop on me.
As for holding, I do only very occasionally nowadays, because very often they'll poop on me.
Please don't criticize, as I've heard it all before......but..... Pio (my female Cherry Head) has lived with my box turtles, who are the same age as she is. When she was three months old I kept her with a Boxie of the same age until they were two years old. Then for the first Summer she was outside she was with box turtles in her garden, and then again while I was renovating my yard she had to share her garden with them. She is extremely friendly, and will go to any stranger coming to see her, allows me or anyone to pet and scratch her shell, and will come right over to me and sit on my foot....but..Solo who was raised alone is not as friendly and won't let anyone she doesn't know come near her. She is also very nasty to Pio and I'm having a hard time keeping them together. I don't know what all this means, but for a person like myself, who doesn't believe in handling them, I really think living with the box turtles helped her be more outgoing and friendly.
My adult RT is almost never picked up, but he's hand fed often and is very tame.
I'll pick up my sully hatchling once a day to place her in her soaking dish, but I try not to handle her too much - don't want to stress her. I talk to her and hand feed her regularly to get her accustomed to being around people.
I'll pick up my sully hatchling once a day to place her in her soaking dish, but I try not to handle her too much - don't want to stress her. I talk to her and hand feed her regularly to get her accustomed to being around people.
Do they require human handling? Absolutely not. A tortoise will be perfectly fine living on its own in a properly set-up habitat with the most minimal interaction from its caretaker (spot-cleaning feces, bringing/taking away food, changing water, etc.).
Do they benefit from it at all? Will they get stressed out from getting handled?
My simple answers are no and yes (respectively to each quesiton in that order!), and this is why. Getting picked up in the wild usually means they're about to be torn apart and eaten by a predator, probably while still alive. Tortoises typically prefer to be on firm ground. However, in captivity, some tortoises acclimate well to the presence of their owners, and some indeed seem to seek out human company. This, in my opinion, is mostly stemmed from hunger, as the tortoise in question associates its keeper as the "bringer of good eats" and likewise will tromp eagerly in their direction whenever they're in sight in hopes of fulfilling that desire (i.e. hunger!). And there are possibly some cases of tortoises learning to associate their keeper with warmth and/or security, and not necessarily food.
Bottom line: You should not force yourself on the tortoise, trying to get them to conform into the pet you want them to be. Some tortoises do not like to be petted, and certainly do not like being handled or picked up as much as others. INstead, YOU should conform to the unique nature and personality of your tortoise. If it enjoys human interaction, great; slowly cultivate that behavior. But if it doesn't, do not pout because your tortoise "doesn't seem to like you." We're talking about creatures that are still essentially wild animals, not domesticated. They have basic instincts and behaviors that mostly replicate what they would do in their natural environments.
If regular handling is something that is important to you, perhaps you should look into a reptile that is more conducive to that, like a bearded dragon or a cornsnake.
Personally, my tortoises are fascinating to me for their appearance, personalities and behaviors. My enjoyment comes from watching them tromp eagerly from their huts every morning as I bring them food, or simply letting them explore my yard. I have a ball python if I want to hold something reptilian in my lap.
Do they benefit from it at all? Will they get stressed out from getting handled?
My simple answers are no and yes (respectively to each quesiton in that order!), and this is why. Getting picked up in the wild usually means they're about to be torn apart and eaten by a predator, probably while still alive. Tortoises typically prefer to be on firm ground. However, in captivity, some tortoises acclimate well to the presence of their owners, and some indeed seem to seek out human company. This, in my opinion, is mostly stemmed from hunger, as the tortoise in question associates its keeper as the "bringer of good eats" and likewise will tromp eagerly in their direction whenever they're in sight in hopes of fulfilling that desire (i.e. hunger!). And there are possibly some cases of tortoises learning to associate their keeper with warmth and/or security, and not necessarily food.
Bottom line: You should not force yourself on the tortoise, trying to get them to conform into the pet you want them to be. Some tortoises do not like to be petted, and certainly do not like being handled or picked up as much as others. INstead, YOU should conform to the unique nature and personality of your tortoise. If it enjoys human interaction, great; slowly cultivate that behavior. But if it doesn't, do not pout because your tortoise "doesn't seem to like you." We're talking about creatures that are still essentially wild animals, not domesticated. They have basic instincts and behaviors that mostly replicate what they would do in their natural environments.
If regular handling is something that is important to you, perhaps you should look into a reptile that is more conducive to that, like a bearded dragon or a cornsnake.
Personally, my tortoises are fascinating to me for their appearance, personalities and behaviors. My enjoyment comes from watching them tromp eagerly from their huts every morning as I bring them food, or simply letting them explore my yard. I have a ball python if I want to hold something reptilian in my lap.
StudentoftheReptile said:
Well said.
I had a 3 toe box turtle, from childhood to adulthood, which I used to handle a lot. She certainly seemed to enjoy it, she would become animated at the sight of me, follow me like a puppy, and climb up my shirt to "snuggle" and settle in the crook of my neck. She was my best friend.
My current red foot, though, which I've raised from hatchling, is still slightly skittish with me, as though "today's the day the big human is gonna hurt me!". lol. I don't force myself on her, she seems more at ease with my kids so they help out a lot. And no worries, no one get near the tank without a safety training lecture from my 5 year old! Safety first is her motto, she loves her tortoises :-D Slowly but surely, she's coming around, on her terms, I'm more than ok with that.
The 3 toe hatchling already seems comfortable with all of us, very much interacting and climbing us
My current red foot, though, which I've raised from hatchling, is still slightly skittish with me, as though "today's the day the big human is gonna hurt me!". lol. I don't force myself on her, she seems more at ease with my kids so they help out a lot. And no worries, no one get near the tank without a safety training lecture from my 5 year old! Safety first is her motto, she loves her tortoises :-D Slowly but surely, she's coming around, on her terms, I'm more than ok with that.
The 3 toe hatchling already seems comfortable with all of us, very much interacting and climbing us
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