Tortoise Nightmares??

[alex_ornelas]

At 10 pm as I was just about to lay in bed to sleep I check on Oliver and he's fast asleep. Not 10 min later I hear him make a lot of noise and what sounded like a crash. In worry I check to make sure he's ok and he had ran across his encloser and into to the corner. I took him out make sure he was ok. Normally when I go to let his head he put it out. Instead as soon as my fingers go close to even his leg. He pulled his whole body in. He's an only tortoise. And there's nothing in his encloser to spook him like that. Any ideas

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Do the lights all turn off at once? Is he used to it?

 

[alex_ornelas]

Yes and yes. The lights where already off

 

[smarch]

is it possible something near his enclosure made a noise that would have spooked him awake?

 

[Jodie]

Dogs have dreams so why not tortoises? I have never witnessed anything indicating my tortoises are dreaming, but it could be possible. Is he on a heating pad thet maybe got too hot?

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Man. Mine wouldn't run for ANY reason.

 

[leigti]

Dogs have dreams so why not tortoises? I have never witnessed anything indicating my tortoises are dreaming, but it could be possible. Is he on a heating pad thet maybe got too hot?

I agree, as far as I know there's nothing that proves they don't dream. So for now I will assume that they do scientists are continually finding out more and more about animals and the complexity of them. So I'm not ruling it out at all.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Can't rule it out, but they probably don't dream.
Aristotle first realized that higher mammals dream,such as cats and dogs but dreaming has been evidenced in rats, mice and even some birds, such as zebra finches have been studied practicing their songs in their sleep!
However, tortoises do not exhibit any dream pattern sleep, they don't enter REM sleep , not even REM A, sleep that animals other than humans dream in. Their is no sleep paralysis in tortoises, which occurs in some animals during dream state.
Tortoise twitching of limbs in sleep seems to be part of the breathing process or simply making themselves comfortable.
they simply don't have the intellectual capacity for dream state, so probably they don't and something startled your tortoise in the real world.
No, we can't actually prove they don't dream, it's scientifically very difficult or impossible to prove something doesn't exist, but there is no evidence at all that they do. it's a nice anthropomorphic thought and if it makes you happy, that's good, but they probably don't dream.
Doesn't make them less lovable though, as my bleary eyed girl in the morning is just so adorable.

 

[WithLisa]

I'm sure he woke up when you checked on him, even if he didn't react because he is used to it.
If it was not even 10 minutes later, I guess he wasn't fast asleep and it was something else that scared him.

 

[Tom]

Any animal messing with them in the dark is cause for terror. This would explain why he kept his head in.

Why he bolted across the cage, I do not know. Maybe your tortoise sees dead people...

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Oh good grief! unless there are actually dead people in the house, which one imagines is pretty unlikely, he won't be seeing ghosts.
Tortoises have zero imagination, a very human trait.
Yes, I know you're joking Tom.
Perhaps he is in training for the tortoise olympics. Tidgy is representing Morocco in the Relay and climbing impossible objects competitions.

 

[alex_ornelas]

There's no heat pad. lol and I hope there's no ghost in my house the ghost busters I think have retired from hunting ghosts

 

[Yvonne G]

Maybe a mouse or rat started to chew on him.

 

[smarch]

While dreams may not be possible or probable I personally wonder if they have the capacity to experience things like flashbacks. I mean they certainly have the capability to be stressed, and have at least some memory capacities... so in cases like my Franklin I sometimes wonder if he remembers the shipping here and ending up in a pet store. I think it is reasonably possible, but then again I don't study reptile psychology lol.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

poor Alex, first it was a ghost incursion, now the suggestion is an infestation of mice or rats!
No wonder your tortoise is afraid, so would I be. What next, burglars?

 

[smarch]

poor Alex, first it was a ghost incursion, now the suggestion is an infestation of mice or rats!
No wonder your tortoise is afraid, so would I be. What next, burglars?

well that's why we all have tortoises right? Guard torts!... no? am I thinking of another animal?

 

[leigti]

Can't rule it out, but they probably don't dream.
Aristotle first realized that higher mammals dream,such as cats and dogs but dreaming has been evidenced in rats, mice and even some birds, such as zebra finches have been studied practicing their songs in their sleep!
However, tortoises do not exhibit any dream pattern sleep, they don't enter REM sleep , not even REM A, sleep that animals other than humans dream in. Their is no sleep paralysis in tortoises, which occurs in some animals during dream state.
Tortoise twitching of limbs in sleep seems to be part of the breathing process or simply making themselves comfortable.
they simply don't have the intellectual capacity for dream state, so probably they don't and something startled your tortoise in the real world.
No, we can't actually prove they don't dream, it's scientifically very difficult or impossible to prove something doesn't exist, but there is no evidence at all that they do. it's a nice anthropomorphic thought and if it makes you happy, that's good, but they probably don't dream.
Doesn't make them less lovable though, as my bleary eyed girl in the morning is just so adorable.

Yes, my anthropomorphic thoughts make me happy. Many traits in an animals that used to be called anthropomorphic have been proven to exist. So I'm going to go with it for now this does conflict a little bit with my scientific mind but I don't care.
As far as why the tortoise suddenly ran across his enclosure, could there have been a bug that him? I fed my box turtle a meal worm that must have bitten her because when she grabbed it she all of a sudden startled and ran backwards, yes backwards very quickly. So the only thing I could come up with is that she bit the tail end of the meal worms and the head and bit her. She made quick order of that warm though so that's good. And I never fed her that big of a worm again.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Is Franklin a good guard tortoise? Does he dream ? Is he afraid of ghosts, rats, mice or gets bitten by meal worms? Is he entered for the tortoise Olympics? I think a thief would probably steal Tidgy cos she's so beautiful. Don't think she dreams though.

well that's why we all have tortoises right? Guard torts!... no? am I thinking of another animal?

 

[smarch]

Is Franklin a good guard tortoise? Does he dream ? Is he afraid of ghosts, rats, mice or gets bitten by meal worms? Is he entered for the tortoise Olympics? I think a thief would probably steal Tidgy cos she's so beautiful. Don't think she dreams though.

He'd probably be a terrible guard tortoise, he hears noise and comes out all curious looking for food. Does he dream... sure... does he really, no idea but I put human emotions to him He certainly deoesnt like those little flies that sometimes come from mulch, he used to flip over his large water dish and contraption that attempted to prevent flipping it to hide under it when they showed up.
No question he's win the Olympics for vertical wall climb, he's an expert!

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

poor Alex, first it was a ghost incursion, now the suggestion is an infestation of mice or rats!
No wonder your tortoise is afraid, so would I be. What next, burglars?

No, meal worms apparently. Your house must be purged Alex, you don't just need ghost-busters, who are reforming as a women's group apparently, so you may be able to call them soon, but pest control too. Goodness gracious!