Playing outside

[Tom]

It takes time and finesse. You can't just walk up to a wild caught tortoise who is afraid of you and shove food in his face and expect everything to be A-OK.

First you have to determine what his favorite foods are. Many tortoises are highly attracted to yellow, red or orange. Try some dandelion flowers or red hibiscus. Then you need to just sit with him for long periods of time and let him get used to the sight of you and your normal movements. After many days of you NOT eating or harming him, he will come to realize that you are not a threat. At this point you may catch him looking at you contemplatively and this is when you can produce the colorful treat. Don't shove it at him. Rather hold it where he can see it or just set it down in his path and let hem decide to come to it.

All tortoises are different. Some will come around in one day. Others won't come around after weeks of trying. Technique does matter, so give some thought to how you can be less threatening (from the tortoises point of view) and more inviting.

 

[A.Yaj]

It takes time and finesse. You can't just walk up to a wild caught tortoise who is afraid of you and shove food in his face and expect everything to be A-OK.

First you have to determine what his favorite foods are. Many tortoises are highly attracted to yellow, red or orange. Try some dandelion flowers or red hibiscus. Then you need to just sit with him for long periods of time and let him get used to the sight of you and your normal movements. After many days of you NOT eating or harming him, he will come to realize that you are not a threat. At this point you may catch him looking at you contemplatively and this is when you can produce the colorful treat. Don't shove it at him. Rather hold it where he can see it or just set it down in his path and let hem decide to come to it.

All tortoises are different. Some will come around in one day. Others won't come around after weeks of trying. Technique does matter, so give some thought to how you can be less threatening (from the tortoises point of view) and more inviting.

I'm sorry I don't SHOVE it in his face. I put it in his plane of view and see if he is interested. Of course he's frightened why would I not know that? I be patient and make sure he's comfortable.

 

[lynnedit]

Every tort is amazingly different. What you do know about your tort is that he is independent, likes to do his own thing, forage for food, at least for now. He loves being outside. He actually sounds pretty cool, and self sufficient.
I have 4 RT's.
MeanGirl loves to be hand fed, runs up to me all the time.
BigGirl does her own thing, prefers to forage, walk around, not happy if I spy on her. No interest in hand feeding.
LittleGuy runs up to me so I will let him OUT to walk around (probably to look for females). Could care less about being hand fed. He wants to WALK.
LittleGirl- not sure; the newest. Currently dug down in an outside enclosure that is dry for a few weeks to get it out of her system. She had a rough winter.

So, I just have to learn their ways; each one's personality. I think torts are fun to create enclosures for, as close to something in their native environment as possible (maybe better, because I hope I protect them from predators), but they are more naturally wild, unlike domesticated cats, dogs, birds.
I think of myself as their keeper (sometimes their slave, lol), but they are not really pets, if that makes sense.

 

[A.Yaj]

Every tort is amazingly different. What you do know about your tort is that he is independent, likes to do his own thing, forage for food, at least for now. He loves being outside. He actually sounds pretty cool, and self sufficient.
I have 4 RT's.
MeanGirl loves to be hand fed, runs up to me all the time.
BigGirl does her own thing, prefers to forage, walk around, not happy if I spy on her. No interest in hand feeding.
LittleGuy runs up to me so I will let him OUT to walk around (probably to look for females). Could care less about being hand fed. He wants to WALK.
LittleGirl- not sure; the newest. Currently dug down in an outside enclosure that is dry for a few weeks to get it out of her system. She had a rough winter.

So, I just have to learn their ways; each one's personality. I think torts are fun to create enclosures for, as close to something in their native environment as possible (maybe better, because I hope I protect them from predators), but they are more naturally wild, unlike domesticated cats, dogs, birds.
I think of myself as their keeper (sometimes their slave, lol), but they are not really pets, if that makes sense.

I'm glad to know that and this is very interesting. I hopefully will make an outdoor enclosure when it gets warmer out.