Tortoises and sound

[Dr Darwin]

Hi. I have a few questions regarding tortoises and sound.

1. Can tortoises be trained voice commands or come when their names are called? as I would like to train Darwin to stay when told and to come when his name is called or told to stop I would like him to stop.

2. Can tortoises have preference to certain songs or music types as Darwin appears to enjoy the tron legacy ost!

3. Can tortoises have ways of communicating things as Darwin barks almost when he can't find food and is hungry.
I would like to know if other torts communicate things.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

It's a topic that comes up often.
Tortoises do not hear like, say, a human does.
They hear low frequencies and vibrations and little else.(from the internet)
I call my tortoises and tap on the sides of the wooden pen and they all come scampering out.
Maybe it's my deep voice. Maybe it's the tapping.
Many others have also reported their tortoises responding to a voice.
What they actually hear...What part if it..... I do not know.
Please ad your experience in a post later on.

 

[GingerLove]

My tortoise is... unfortunately... too dumb for voice commands. Unless I say "wake up" when she's sleeping, because then she wakes up. Suprisingly enough, though, she seems to learn where I want her to play and where I do not. I've called "No Ginger" when she's heading for a hole in the fence, and now I watch her from inside my window, and when she heads for the hole in the fence... she pauses and acts super guilty. Sometimes she goes ahead and tries to fit through, but if I get to her in time, I can simply say, "Ginger" and she turns around. She knows I'm going to move her!
And that's so funny, I never thought they would enjoy music!!! My tortoise seems to get really antsy if I play the radio for too long.
And lastly, I do believe they have ways of communicating. When my tortoise gets excited, she bobs her head like a dog panting. However, she never makes any verbal noises.
Sounds like you have a cute, spunky little tort. Do you have more pictures?

 

[JoesMum]

Joe has a deep-rooted urge to attack our lawnmower and emerges without fail when I start it.

If need to call him without the lawnmower then I bang on the side of our watering can with my hand using a steady rhythm similar to that he uses when head-butting the wheelie bin. I am pretty sure my mature make Greek responds to what he thinks is the sound of another male in his patch.

After 46 years, I am not convinced he responds to voice at all. But then I am female and my voice has a higher pitch so maybe that's it.

 

[Dr Darwin]

My tortoise is... unfortunately... too dumb for voice commands. Unless I say "wake up" when she's sleeping, because then she wakes up. Suprisingly enough, though, she seems to learn where I want her to play and where I do not. I've called "No Ginger" when she's heading for a hole in the fence, and now I watch her from inside my window, and when she heads for the hole in the fence... she pauses and acts super guilty. Sometimes she goes ahead and tries to fit through, but if I get to her in time, I can simply say, "Ginger" and she turns around. She knows I'm going to move her!
And that's so funny, I never thought they would enjoy music!!! My tortoise seems to get really antsy if I play the radio for too long.
And lastly, I do believe they have ways of communicating. When my tortoise gets excited, she bobs her head like a dog panting. However, she never makes any verbal noises.
Sounds like you have a cute, spunky little tort. Do you have more pictures?

Here is Darwin! He also has a little kink in his shell from hatching. This is the reason I got him as he is a rescue. Although I think this adds to his qwerkines.

 

[Dr Darwin]

Thank you for all your replies! I am now going to try to teach Darwin to come to me as it will provide something for me and him to do over the summer probably whislt listening to his favourite music! Also if I could teach him to bark when told to it would be amazing and my grandad loves reptiles and amphibians and always sees Darwin when he comes to my house.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

If you can teach him to bark.
It WOULD be amazing.
I can't teach mine to simply stop crapping in the food.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

If you can teach him to bark.
It WOULD be amazing.
I can't teach mine to simply stop crapping in the food.

I can.
But bark ?
No.

 

[Dr Darwin]

It will be hard. But I'll give it ago! Darwin's training begins tomorrow!

 

[BrianWI]

I had a chaco that knew his name and would come when called. He never learned anything else though.

 

[Gillian M]

Here is Darwin! He also has a little kink in his shell from hatching. This is the reason I got him as he is a rescue. Although I think this adds to his qwerkines. View attachment 182471

An adorable tort!

 

[Gillian M]

Hi. I have a few questions regarding tortoises and sound.

1. Can tortoises be trained voice commands or come when their names are called? as I would like to train Darwin to stay when told and to come when his name is called or told to stop I would like him to stop.

2. Can tortoises have preference to certain songs or music types as Darwin appears to enjoy the tron legacy ost!

3. Can tortoises have ways of communicating things as Darwin barks almost when he can't find food and is hungry.
I would like to know if other torts communicate things.

Personally I do not believe that torts can hear. I think they feel vibrations. And I confirmed when I called my tort (Oli), had the TV on, the washing machine, the vacuum cleaner......you name it. I saw no reaction whatsoever from Oli.

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

My Stanley,(sulcata male) seems to recognize BY SITE people but by sound? Hmmmm? I would have to question that at this stage. I've had tortoises for on some 40 years and I've never questioned their ability to identify individual food, "gods" but to here and respond to their names? Not so much for this here Cowboy. Even with my current girlfriend who has zero experience with tortoises but has learned what to feed, he sees her and charges over looking for handouts from her.

 

[Kenno]

Isn't there any research that has been done on tortoise hearing? Everything I've seen posted is anecdotal.
My wife is convinced that our desert torts can hear, but I can't be sure.

 

[Dr Darwin]

It might be that Darwin enjoys the beat of the music.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Isn't there any research that has been done on tortoise hearing? Everything I've seen posted is anecdotal.
My wife is convinced that our desert torts can hear, but I can't be sure.

Lots.
For example and WARNING!!!!
Some gruesome photos included which sensitive types might find disturbing.
https://www.researchgate.net/public...se_Testudo_hermanni_Gmelin_1789_as_an_Example

 

[Kenno]

The WARNING! Is well founded here, dissection photos are included.

This study suggest that torts hear very low frequencies and that the frequency range varies between species.

I'd still like to know the range of my desert torts' hearing, and add that it seems unlikely that they can be trained beyond coming to get food.

 

[BrianWI]

Try:
https://www.researchgate.net/public...se_Testudo_hermanni_Gmelin_1789_as_an_Example

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Try:
https://www.researchgate.net/public...se_Testudo_hermanni_Gmelin_1789_as_an_Example

er, I linked that above, Brian!

 

[BrianWI]

It was so good it deserved to be posted twice! LOL