Name recognition.

[PrincessToad]

Before I get negative comments about how I own a reptile and not a dog this question is based off curiosity! I wanted to know if there are methods to teach your little Dino to come when his name is called? Again just wondering!!! Thanks in advance

 

[LeopardTortLover]

Mine knows his name and about 7/10 times he will come when I call him. I just call his name all the time when I have food and he learnt that "Marley" meant food.

 

[PrincessToad]

Mine knows his name and about 7/10 times he will come when I call him. I just call his name all the time when I have food and he learnt that "Marley" meant food.

Is he an older tortoise or did you start this training as a youngster.

 

[WillTort2]

To determine if they come when their name is called due to knowing their name you would need to line up several torts and have only the named tort come when you call his/her name.

I have a fairly young Russian tort that will pick up her head whenever she hears me say "Charlotte". But, like LTL stated she may think "Charlotte" translates into food.

Good luck with your quest for tort name recognition.

 

[Levi the Leopard]

Because a tortoise doesn't hear like we do, I can't imagine they would be able to understand a name being called.
Not intending to come off rude or harsh. Just trying to literally answer your question with a "no".
But we still love em' anyway!

Heather
Sent from my Android TFO app

 

[EchoTheLeoTort]

I had a hatchling leopard tortoise named Echo who would listen to me if i said - echo come here. he'd turn around till he saw my hand and he'd come on over to me to get a head rub or to come out and get exercise. I never hand fed him and he had food access 24'7 so i don't think he associated Echo with "food". But my tort was very curious, unfriad of humans, liked to be handled, got handled every day several times, and he liked getting a head rub. He was per say a "cuddly" tort. He was only 3 months old at the time he was doing that, so I guess you get out of it what you put into it. Just understand to not get any hopes up that your animal will learn to come to you, because it's not a dog. Maybe cheesy advice but just talk to your tort alot and say its name. when you go to pick him up say the name. sooner or later i think the tort would at least recognize that when you say the name its him you are referring too. But honestly you will probably need to involve food. I think if i were you and wanted to try and achieve this i would go to the end of the cage that the tort isn't at, with a piece of food in your hand. (take out the food in the cage, or skip feeding part of the day so the torts hungry). Then get your torts attention with the food, and if it starts coming over to you say the name and then come here. for example - Echo, come here. Then it might associate that when you say those words, it means to come to your hand. You would probably need to do this multiple times a day every day for awhile to see if the tort picks up on it. either way good luck

 

[zman7590]

I bet it you said anything it would come. my parents dog you can say anything as long as its high pitched.

Sent from my SGH-T769 using TortForum mobile app

 

[Levi the Leopard]

Do you remember the recent thread about fireworks? Someone asked if the torts were bothered by them.
The answer was overwhelmingly, no.
Its because they don't hear like we do. They don't have the ear canal and ear drum like us or dogs.

They may come to your presence or your smell...but not to the name calling.

Its a sweet thought though.

Heather
Sent from my Android TFO app

---

Here is a good read
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-10120.html

Heather
Sent from my Android TFO app

 

[LeopardTortLover]

Mine knows his name and about 7/10 times he will come when I call him. I just call his name all the time when I have food and he learnt that "Marley" meant food.

Is he an older tortoise or did you start this training as a youngster.

Well, I've had him since he was 12 months and now he's 23 months - so nearly a year i've been calling his name when I've had food and he always responds either by picking his head up and "listening" or making the effort to move towards my voice/hand (when he can be bothered that is).

 

[Hybrid]

As much as I wanted to say yes, unfortunately the answer is no based on my almost 4 years old experience.

But they kind of recognize you as their owner (feeder) though. Not from sound, maybe from smell as mentioned by fellow forumer above.

 

[LeopardTortLover]

Why do tortoises need a "quiet and peaceful" environment then?

 

[FLINTUS]

My reds recognise their different names or words to them individually but probably for the purpose of food

 

[drgnfly2265]

I think Bowser hears my voice and thinks I'm going to give him food then he will walk to me, lol

 

[Madkins007]

Let's go to the science.

1. Tortoises HAVE ears, but only respond to certain sound frequencies- the noises made by hatching, combat, and mating. There is absolutely no good scientific evidence they can hear, or respond to other things. The area of the brain that deals with sound is apparently pretty small in chelonians.

1a. Quick question- what survival value would there be for a tortoise to hear? Most of its predators are silent (cats, hawks, etc.) and most of the rest of communication they do is visual (head bobbing, etc.) scent (trail marking), or vibratory (they can make subsonic sounds that carry a long way in ground or water).

2. Tortoises have a great sense of smell, sight, and sensing vibration. They also can easily learn patterns.

Therefore- it is doubtful they recognize their name., but VERY likely they connect the vibrations, sight, and smells of you with the time of day and smells of food, etc.

To test this, we can do a lot of things...
- Have a stranger go out with food at the right time and not speak. If the tortoises respond, it is the food and vibrations that are doing it- not the noises.
- Try to entice the tortoises with a tape recording or a phone call of your voice. I bet it does not work, which would suggest that the sounds are not the trigger.

To put this another way- your dog has a bigger and better developed brain, and even a basically trained dog only knows a comparatively few actual word commands- and even then you still have to use the right tone of voice and signal for a lot of them. Dogs respond MOSTLY to tone, body language, and so on. And dogs are a lot more verbal animals than tortoises.

 

[Levi the Leopard]

Thanks Madkins for wording it so well.

Heather
Sent from my Android TFO app

 

[LeopardTortLover]

Re: RE: Name recognition.

I repeat, Why do tortoises need a "quiet and peaceful" environment then?
I'm not starting a debate here, I genuinely want to know

 

[RosieRedfoot]

Because calm would mean the ground isn't being disturbed and that they could feel safe and not stressed. Lower frequency sounds can disturb them as well. When Rosie feels me walk into the room she goes to the food stone and looks up but often if others walk in or the tv subwoofer is going she hides in the far back of her enclosure. It's a closed chamber so she can't see or smell me but I know she feels the ground vibrations after her light turns on in the morning and that means food!

 

[PrincessToad]

All this information was very helpful. Thank you guys!!!!