Mirror in enclosure

puffy137

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I haven't ever placed a mirror in with my torts , but the thought has crossed my mind . In fact after this little ding dong I might give it a shot , as long as I am there to supervise. If my torts react in the same way they react to each other , then all will be well . They have never fought each other & I'm pretty sure they will be just as blase about a mirror image too. I know Greeks seem to have a gotten a bad rap here, which is such a shame. I can only conclude that these aggressive little 'monsters ' as they have often be called here , were not raised in a good home environment . Yes I am blaming the parents !!!:):tort: greeks:tort::)
 

dmmj

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Ever see a cat react to a mirror? a dog? animals don't have the ability to know it is them in the mirror, that includes tortoises. The mirror is gone, case closed, onto "friends". Tortoises for the most psrt don't want or need friendsm, they are not pack animals like dogs, need a pride like cats. We see tjhe budeos all the time of a tortoise charging other animals, dogs,cats, even people.niother to toise is seen as something to fight or mate with often times both. Your tortoise can live a happy life all nby itself.
 

Yvonne G

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Wow, Alex - you've really struck a chord with us here on the Forum! I hope all this chastisement hasn't turned you away. We really do LOVE to have folks from different countries as members here. It's great to have all kinds of ideas and husbandry practices that we all can learn from. Please keep posting and maybe show us some pictures of your tortoise and his habitat.

We all don't usually gang up on new members, but I guess this subject just pushed a few buttons.

Please accept my apology for all from all of us. We really don't mean to sound like we're picking on anyone.
 

leigti

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I haven't ever placed a mirror in with my torts , but the thought has crossed my mind . In fact after this little ding dong I might give it a shot , as long as I am there to supervise. If my torts react in the same way they react to each other , then all will be well . They have never fought each other & I'm pretty sure they will be just as blase about a mirror image too. I know Greeks seem to have a gotten a bad rap here, which is such a shame. I can only conclude that these aggressive little 'monsters ' as they have often be called here , were not raised in a good home environment . Yes I am blaming the parents !!!:):tort: greeks:tort::)
I really hope that you did not mean anything you said and that you or just being funny.
 

crimson_lotus

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When I used to let my tortoise roam my room (I don't let her anymore, though) she would go to the mirror I had on my wall and just sit there staring at herself. Not sure why, really. It was strange, to say the least, as she would sit there for 10 to 20 minutes and just look at herself, no hostile head bobbing movements or anything. Maybe she would have exhibited signs later on, I don't know because I didn't continue it.

I understand about being territorial and the mirror causing stress NOW, but I didn't know at the time. She seemed pretty chill with it.

This is just my experience. I also feel having a mirror in there isn't a good idea, especially if your little guy is showing signs of aggression. Looks like you took care of it and all is well.

Here's an old picture of my girl in front of the mirror that I still think is adorable (any picture with her in it is adorable, though!), despite this being a hot topic at the moment.
013.JPG
 

Gillian M

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Next time maybe he'll say "please understand something"
Very true. However much knowledge a member in the forum may have, there's always a diplomatic way to pass the info/message to someone. I'm awfully sorry to say that some members lack this diplomacy.
For my part, and I think Tom will agree, I don't practice PC. I don't believe either of us intend to be rude or condescending but neither of us have a fear of telling the truth. We are here for the tort's welfare not the owner's. Please try to understand that even someone with the best intentions doing something contraindicated is someone doing something contraindicated and will likely be told as much in a direct fashion from the two of us.

It is more unsettling to me to be 'massaged' in the commonly accepted nouveau politeness than to be told "you're wrong!". Call me older fashioned!
 

Gillian M

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Wow, Alex - you've really struck a chord with us here on the Forum! I hope all this chastisement hasn't turned you away. We really do LOVE to have folks from different countries as members here. It's great to have all kinds of ideas and husbandry practices that we all can learn from. Please keep posting and maybe show us some pictures of your tortoise and his habitat.

We all don't usually gang up on new members, but I guess this subject just pushed a few buttons.

Please accept my apology for all from all of us. We really don't mean to sound like we're picking on anyone.
Great to read that someone has apologized! Please don't take this personal Yvonne, but I did notice that some members are hurtful, harsh...you name it-when giving advice and I keep wondering why.. This is definitely not the way.
 

johnsonnboswell

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People who post in a seemingly disagreeable way are probably impatient because the stakes are so high. It takes a very long time to compose a tactful answer, and that time isn't always available. The result of a softened answer can be that there seems to be wiggle room on a topic. The result of certain care practices is nothing less than death of the animal. It can take years, so even though "it's been working so far" may be true, it is no guarantee that it it will continue to work.

It's easy to misinterpret stress and stressors.

I've been keeping Chelonia for nearly 39 years, still have the original one. Still learning from my mistakes. My long experience leads me to appreciate Tom's advice, the value of its content, and find nothing offensive in his tone, without him having to state his credentials.
 

Lyn W

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Mirror in enclosure? Sounds like it could lead to a case of mistaken identorty!
 

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