KSeaman
Member
That is an excellent suggestion, they come as short as 24" the tallest are at least 48".They make portable dog exercise pens that you could possible use to keep your tort to one specific area
That is an excellent suggestion, they come as short as 24" the tallest are at least 48".They make portable dog exercise pens that you could possible use to keep your tort to one specific area
I was just thinking you could also work on conditioning him/her to just the boots or shoes. Set the boots or shoes down with your feet up on a foot rest and treat him/her around the shoes. It would be interesting to know if it's the intrusion of a person or actually the shoes!Keep in mind they are territorial however, you don't want to have to run from your tortoise either. What has worked for me in the past, and I no longer have a problem is the following:
These are the supplies I used:
REALLY GOOD FAVORITE TREATS>
Towel soaked in vinegar>
Spray bottle filled with JUST WATER>
1. Figure out what your tortoise REALLY likes to eat, a special treat and NEVER give it to them except when you are out in their area. As soon as they head your way toss the treat in front of your tortoise (BEFORE he gets to you), when they are eating but almost finished toss another treat. In my case I was lucky Knuckles really liked pansies and squash so cheap and easy to come by.
2. Sounds stupid but I also soaked towels in vinegar and kind of draped them around my chins so they hung down past my feet just in case he actually did bite. Now if your tortoise likes vinegar, I guess it's possible, then this won't work.
3. I carried a spray bottle of water and watched Knuckles very closely, if he moved in for a bite I sprayed him with the water, since he was not a fan of the water spray he would move off at which time I would toss a pansy. (Keep in mind, this is a correction and I tried very hard to not have to use it, I didn't want to give him a reason to not like me.) If you do need to spray DO NOT SAY ANYTHING they will figure out when I get to close to a person's leg it starts raining, it should be their decision.
I made a point to "train" at every opportunity, not just wait until I was out there and not prepared.
Tortoises ARE trainable, you just need to figure out what they want so you can use it as reinforcement. Many tortoises will head towards their owners when it's feeding time. Intentional or not that is "training", you have conditioned them to come for food.
I hope this helps, Good luck.
I am not saying you can train them to do complex behaviors but take a look at this link for example. He clearly understands that if he touches the target he gets something, he is not randomly nose touching her shoe or knee he is performing a behavior. https://video.search.yahoo.com/sear...71fa38beae39ddd5d368c589d67bdb4f&action=clickI had Joe 47 years and can confirm torts are not trainable
Some of the suggestions in this thread are appalling... dangerous and/or stressful.
Tortoises of both genders are territorial. They will fight and they will bite.
Males are particularly bad. Joe got so bad he stopped eating and drinking, made himself very sick and had to have a Suprelorin implant to control his testosterone levels. (See here)
Are you sure Tori is female? (A clear photo of a the underside including the tail will help is confirm)
I know you think you are doing your best by moving your tortoise to get daylight in your apartment, but she will be happiest and healthiest in a proper sized enclosure with proper lighting.
Do not let your tortoise roam the floors of your apartment. There are too many hazards and you only have to be distracted for a moment.
With a UVB lamp there is no reason to move her to the balcony.
Goodness. Sit in a chair and lift your legs up. Put them on the railing. This isn't brain surgery.I only have a small balcony. I want to give Tori some space to roam around. Even a couple of hours a week. I like to take her out and play with her. If I'm intruding on Tori's space I'll have to leave her out alone. I'll really miss calling her and rewarding her with a bite to eat.
They learn routine. My redfoot is out all day long from April - October, but I bring her in at night. It is not safe outside at night--even though she is fairly large, she is at risk from raccoons at the very least, and there are also bobcats and coyotes in my rural area. She comes in and goes to sleep. In the AM she basically begs to be taken outside by following me whenever I approach the enclosure. In the fall, it takes her a week or 2 to realize that she's no longer going to get to go outside, and she relaxes. Once we hit the spring, she gets to to outside again. She has learned this routine and is cool with it. They have not managed to survive for millennia in basically the same form by being stupid.I think its also worth mentioning that constantly moving your tort from their enclosure is ultimately going to lead to them not being content. You will notice they will claw the walls and pace in their enclosure as they know there is a larger outside world that they will want to get to. I think in this scenario since the poster is living in an apartment is a larger indoor enclosure with proper lighting is what is needed. It's been my experience that tortoises are not trainable.
They learn routine. My redfoot is out all day long from April - October, but I bring her in at night. It is not safe outside at night--even though she is fairly large, she is at risk from raccoons at the very least, and there are also bobcats and coyotes in my rural area. She comes in and goes to sleep. In the AM she basically begs to be taken outside by following me whenever I approach the enclosure. In the fall, it takes her a week or 2 to realize that she's no longer going to get to go outside, and she relaxes. Once we hit the spring, she gets to to outside again. She has learned this routine and is cool with it. They have not managed to survive for millennia in basically the same form by being stupid.