How social is your Russian tortoise?
- Thread starter Oxalis
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Especially at the beginning, it is very normal for a tortoise to be shy. He/she is adjusting to a new environment, and wants to feel safe before he checks out his new world.
Different tortoises have different personalities - Timmy, my big female, whom I've had the longest, still won't eat out of my hand. She prefers to do her own thing. Roz, my male, is a greedy little pig, and he will RUN up to any person dangling their hand over the edge. He's bitten me a few times in his eagerness to eat out of my hand. My two new females are so different, too - Mila is Mrs Snootypants, and MIGHT take a nibble or two of something I'm holding, while Jill seems to WANT me to hold her food for her.
My Greek tortoise, Boo, was kept in some pretty bad conditions by his previous owner, he had a ring drilled into his shell and was kept tethered in the yard in the Summer, and the rest of the year was in a small 20gal aquarium without UVB. He is the most ACTIVE of all my tortoises, but whenever I reach into his tort table, he always pulls his head into his shell. I don't blame him - and he'll learn eventually that I'm not going to hurt him, but I try to give him his space.
Bottom line: just be patient, give your tortoise some space, calmly put food in and take him out to soak 1-2x weekly. He'll eventually get used to the new 'normal' and will become more friendly.
Different tortoises have different personalities - Timmy, my big female, whom I've had the longest, still won't eat out of my hand. She prefers to do her own thing. Roz, my male, is a greedy little pig, and he will RUN up to any person dangling their hand over the edge. He's bitten me a few times in his eagerness to eat out of my hand. My two new females are so different, too - Mila is Mrs Snootypants, and MIGHT take a nibble or two of something I'm holding, while Jill seems to WANT me to hold her food for her.
My Greek tortoise, Boo, was kept in some pretty bad conditions by his previous owner, he had a ring drilled into his shell and was kept tethered in the yard in the Summer, and the rest of the year was in a small 20gal aquarium without UVB. He is the most ACTIVE of all my tortoises, but whenever I reach into his tort table, he always pulls his head into his shell. I don't blame him - and he'll learn eventually that I'm not going to hurt him, but I try to give him his space.
Bottom line: just be patient, give your tortoise some space, calmly put food in and take him out to soak 1-2x weekly. He'll eventually get used to the new 'normal' and will become more friendly.
Oxalis said:
I have a female russian (Sky) when I first brought her home she was super shy and hid all the time now I can walk up to her enclosure and call her name and she's come walking on over and look up at me. 
she will attack anyone holding a dandelion haha
she will attack anyone holding a dandelion haha- Status
