Tortoise beaks hurt ouch

Maggie3fan

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4 stitches at 50 lbs....so I guess that would mean 8 stitches easy for 100lbs? :-0 You are lucky it did not break a bone.
You really can't take my experience with Sulcata as what will happen...I spend a lot of time with my tortoises and if you aren't on your toes things might happen...my 125 lb Bob like to bite toes with nail polish...I'm sure he thought they were strawberries...most Sulcata are big goofy animals...sort of like pit bulls...funny loving and kinda dumb
 

shellcior

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You really can't take my experience with Sulcata as what will happen...I spend a lot of time with my tortoises and if you aren't on your toes things might happen...my 125 lb Bob like to bite toes with nail polish...I'm sure he thought they were strawberries...most Sulcata are big goofy animals...sort of like pit bulls...funny loving and kinda dumb
I agree. I have had turtles/torts my whole life and never had a problem. I do however give Tank the respect he deserves as he is not aggressive but he also does not realize his size and that he could hurt someone if they are not paying attention.
 

Maggie3fan

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I agree. I have had turtles/torts my whole life and never had a problem. I do however give Tank the respect he deserves as he is not aggressive but he also does not realize his size and that he could hurt someone if they are not paying attention.
That's exactly what I meant and you said it better for me...
 

Braeden p

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Fed my tortoise some aloe, I wanted to see how strong or if my russian tortoise had a hard bite, and he clamped on pretty good to my finger as I was holding the snack! Ouch!!!! Anyone else realize how sharp/strong their bite is
My Russian bit me I guess she really wanted that carrot stick
 

Beasty_Artemis

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I’ve never been bitten by my torts I have wondered about it though ? I have also had a few close calls with toes . I’m sure some of them can take fingers or toes off given the size of the beaks and the size of the tort .

I've been bitten by all of my pet reptiles over the course of my life ( and I've owned dozens of species) so I got more and more curious about my redfoot.... so I just resisted pulling my hand away and let her give me a good nip! It wasn't too bad since she is exactly 8 inches long. Mabey he/she realized that I dont taste quite as good as some shrimp?
 
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LasTortugasNinja

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Never been bitten by a tortoise. Geckos frequently, red ear slider took a chunk out of me once, snakes occasionally confused a hand picking them up for a chance at dinner, monitor once (he actually bit THROUGH a cowhide glove!). ANY reptile bite should receive professional medical attention, just because of bacteria or other antagonistic agents in the saliva. Had a week's worth of antibiotics any time they broke skin.
 

Tony the Tort42

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I've been bitten once by a baby gecko with a stuck shed (hatched deformed sadly), and once by a pregnant gecko who I had to move (neither bled). Oh wait, and about 1,000 times by a teething labrador puppy. Not sure how you would get bitten by a tortoise, just gotta be careful...
 
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LasTortugasNinja

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I've been bitten once by a baby gecko with a stuck shed (hatched deformed sadly), and once by a pregnant gecko who I had to move (neither bled). Oh wait, and about 1,000 times by a teething labrador puppy. Not sure how you would get bitten by a tortoise, just gotta be careful...

Gecko bites don't usually bleed. They just hurt bad. Especially the larger gecko species with the jaws built to crush beetles and roaches. I remember a reptile specialty store that used to have Tokay geckos in a section of their store that had "child-friendly" species. I told them that Tokay are NOT a child friendly species. Can't hold them, and they are aggressive. Well, they ignored me since I was "just a teenager" at the time. About a month later, their Tokay geckos were put in the "experienced owners" section. Heard from another customer that a parent bought them for their kid, and the kid got a nasty bite and the parent was quite perturbed.

Teething puppies are the worst! My daughter and her husband keep bringing their little hellion to the house, and it chews EVERYTHING. Can't let her out of sight for a minute. Being young newlyweds, they don't have the $ to replace anything that beast destroys. ARRRRGHHHHH!!!!!

ok... now I gotta meditate...
 

Tony the Tort42

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Gecko bites don't usually bleed. They just hurt bad. Especially the larger gecko species with the jaws built to crush beetles and roaches. I remember a reptile specialty store that used to have Tokay geckos in a section of their store that had "child-friendly" species. I told them that Tokay are NOT a child friendly species. Can't hold them, and they are aggressive. Well, they ignored me since I was "just a teenager" at the time. About a month later, their Tokay geckos were put in the "experienced owners" section. Heard from another customer that a parent bought them for their kid, and the kid got a nasty bite and the parent was quite perturbed.

Teething puppies are the worst! My daughter and her husband keep bringing their little hellion to the house, and it chews EVERYTHING. Can't let her out of sight for a minute. Being young newlyweds, they don't have the $ to replace anything that beast destroys. ARRRRGHHHHH!!!!!

ok... now I gotta meditate...

Puppies make up for it, the chewed EVERYTHING is worth it to get a nice dog. Now our pup never bites, and shes very friendly. Teething is an inevitable stage, its made easier by their adorable cuddly faces!
 

--chele

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Hehehe I've been been bit by our sulcata. Purely by accident while I was moving food around feeding him. He immediately moved away from my hand and I jolted back thinking it was just a nick. Nope, he took a mini chunk out right above the top joint of my left index finger. I couldn't bare to look at it. No bone, blood yes, my brother took me to the ER who tried to assure me it'd heal over. It did, but you can clearly see and feel where the injury occured.

I like to think now when I'm moving food he waits till I'm done to bite. I don't like when people are afraid of tortoises because they think they'll start biting but dang it I got bit. He never never opens his mouth but to eat/chew or yawn. I think I'm preaching to the crowd here though. ?
 

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