Taming my Leopard

[Pimlico]

Hi all,

I collected my tort last friday and he was obviously quite shy but how long will it last and are there any ways to encourage him to be mroe friendly. He is about 15 months old and has not eaten much since I had him either. Just worried I am missing something obvious. (His name is Jenson)

Any advice would be very welcome

thanks in advance.

 

[kimber_lee_314]

Give him a little time. It's stressful for them to be moved into a new environment, and it's not unusual for them not to eat right away. As he gets comfortable with you, and learns you are the food goddess, he will more than likely become friendlier.

 

[Neal]

A big help is to handle him frequently. There are good ways to handle small tortoises, like holding them in the palm of your hand so they don't feel suspended in the air like if you hold them on their sides. Some people don't like to handle their tortoises much and that's fine. I like to do it because it helps them relax a little bit when I examine them.

Another big help is when/if the tortoise begins to recognize you as the food giver. You could try to hand feed your tortoise from time to time. That's always a good bonding experience.

 

[Tom]

It might also help to post pics and info about your set up. Sometimes if things are too cool or somehow or other not quite right, it will really slow them down too. Often it just takes a lot of time and size for them to feel less threatened. I use the hand feeding method too sometimes.

 

[Pimlico]

Thanks. I have been holding him every day and trying to hand feed him but he puts his head back into his shell. I will keep trying.

 

[Jacqui]

Like I keep telling myself, patience is a virtue. Your taking the right steps, just have to keep it up.