Shell scratches

[Tim Carlisle]

As a career animal behaviorist, it seems pretty obvious to me that the "kabuki dance" thing is the tortoise showing annoyance at the least. Kind of like when you grab a male frog or toad around the waist and they start croaking. They are telling you: "Hey dummy! I'm not a female, Get OFF me!"

I've yet to see a tortoise walk up and "ask" for a scratch like that, or stick around for one after it happens.

I'll admit right up front that I could be wrong about this, but one of my early mentors told to to always trust your gut. Him following that advice is how he avoided being eaten by big cats or dismembered by large apes. My gut tells me that those tortoises flinging themselves side to side don't like what you are doing. That sort of flailing in any other reptile is usually a predator escape mechanism.

That was my impression as well, but difficult to say for sure. None of my turtles/torts seem to appreciate and appear rather apprehensive about the ordeal. Others I've seen "appear" to really be into it (from a human perspective). Be nice if they would teach chelonian psychology in college. lol