Russian tortoise biting?

[hunterk997]

My female Russian tortoise is beginning to try and bite me. I have had her for about two weeks. I read while doing research that they do this because I am the supplier of food. Is there a way to make her stop? Or is it just a phase? My sister came into the room I was walking my tortoise in and my tortoise literally chased after her feet. Any suggestions?

 

[GeoTerraTestudo]

There are a few reasons an herbivorous tortoise or an omnivorous box turtle would bite another creature. Because these animals don't perceive animals their size or larger as food, it could be due to aggression, courtship, or a learned behavior.

It's pretty rare for a tortoise or box turtle to be actually aggressive toward humans. That's more in the realm of snapping turtles and softshell turtles, both of which are carnivores with a strong urge to bite and defend themselves. Sometimes tortoises may be aggressive to other household pets closer to their own size, but humans are huge compared to most tortoises, so that's probably not it.

It's also unlikely that your tortoise is courting you. This is partly because it's female, but even if it were a male, it might try to "court" a shoe, but probably not a whole human being. Again, we're just way too big.

So, that leaves learned behavior. It's unlikely that a tortoise would lash out due to fear, because their response is usually withdrawing into their shell, not trying to bite someone. So, it is possible that your tortoise has associated food with humans, as your other source says. This sort of problem is pretty rare, but if that is the case, then I think the way to deal with it is to break the association between food and people. In a way, this is disappointing, because a lot of people get joy from watching their pets approach them at feeding time. However, if your tortoise is overzealous about food to the point of "attacking" you, then I think retraining her is in order.

The way to do that is make her forget that you're the bringer of food. At mealtime, instead of placing new food directly in front of her, put the food in a designated location every time. That way, the tortoise will associate food with the location instead of you. It's better if you only feed her in her enclosure, and never while she's out of her enclosure. And put the food in a specific food dish in that enclosure, and never anywhere else. It's also better if you feed her at about the same time everyday, so that she doesn't expect food at just any old time, but only at the appropriate time.

If the tortoise still hasn't learned that food is only available in that spot, and still tries to get food from you directly, you can remove her from her pen before feeding her. Let her walk around for a few minutes, and after she has stopped looking for food, put her back home where she will find her food waiting.

It's okay for your tortoise to forage while she's outdoors in nice weather (assuming there are no pesticides or herbicides in your garden). However, when she's in her pen, offer her food only on her dish at the same time each day. And when she's walking around the house, do not feed her. She should get the idea fairly soon - in a few days to a couple weeks. Hope that helps. Let us know how it goes.

 

[Torts4Life!]

I agree with GeoTerraTestudo, I think he has associated you with food!

 

[GeoTerraTestudo]

You see this all the time with squirrels and other wildlife that people feed in parks. It's cute at first, but after a while the squirrels come to expect the treats, and if they don't get them, they can become aggressive. Ditto for ducks, geese, rabbits, goats, foxes, coyotes, you name it.

Again, it is unusual for tortoises to develop these "entitlement" issues, but if they have, then they should be made to feel like they're foraging on their own instead of getting fed.

 

[SmileyKylie623]

You see this all the time with squirrels and other wildlife that people feed in parks. It's cute at first, but after a while the squirrels come to expect the treats, and if they don't get them, they can become aggressive. Ditto for ducks, geese, rabbits, goats, foxes, coyotes, you name it.

Again, it is unusual for tortoises to develop these "entitlement" issues, but if they have, then they should be made to feel like they're foraging on their own instead of getting fed.

My RT hatchling has bitten me twice now which is definitely more shocking then it is painful! It's only been when I am handfeeding him and he goes for my pinky instead of the actual food. Is he thinking I am a carrot in that case haha? If I go to just stick my hand in there to pet him he doesn't even try to eat my fingers.

 

[GeoTerraTestudo]

My RT hatchling has bitten me twice now which is definitely more shocking then it is painful! It's only been when I am handfeeding him and he goes for my pinky instead of the actual food. Is he thinking I am a carrot in that case haha? If I go to just stick my hand in there to pet him he doesn't even try to eat my fingers.

I have never been intentionally bitten by a tortoise or box turtle. Hand-feeding is usually fine, but on a couple occasions when they did bite me, it was only because they were trying to bite the food I was holding and they missed, biting my finger instead. A bit painful, but no big deal. It's not that they thought my finger was food, or that they were being aggressive. It was just a mistake, and no harm done. They never made a habit of it.

 

[mctlong]

I have never been intentionally bitten by a tortoise or box turtle. Hand-feeding is usually fine, but on a couple occasions when they did bite me, it was only because they were trying to bite the food I was holding and they missed, biting my finger instead. A bit painful, but no big deal. It's not that they thought my finger was food, or that they were being aggressive. It was just a mistake, and no harm done. They never made a habit of it.

Same here. I've never had a tortoise bite me out of aggression, but I've had fingers, toes, and articles of clothing mistaken for food.

While I've never been bitten out of aggression, I do have a particularity mean Russian who is very territorial and aggressive toward other tortoises and other animals. He shows no aggression toward people (he's actually very outgoing and affectionate toward his food bringers), but he'll ram and bite other tortoises if they dare enter his territory and I've seem him try to chase cats, birds, and squirrels out of my yard. He's kind of a jerk, but we love him anyways.