While bites … If you are interested to find out you should check the article out. Now that we know that a tortoise will bite, let’s take a closer look at the situations where it will bite, how powerful the bite is, and what to do and what not to do if you are bitten. Your email address will not be published. Thanks to John Chitty for his advice on urination, hiding and biting. Why does she do this? While this behavior may seem odd, it’s actually extremely common, especially in male tortoises! Generally speaking the herbivores won’t bite as hard as a carnivore will. I’m Devin Nunn, an average joe that just so happens to have a deep love and passion for everything to do with reptiles. My box turtle was a full grown adult when he bit me, so a bite shouldn’t normally be more powerful than the one I experienced. "How dare you," I say. Source(s): Personal experience. When tortoises get into disagreements of any kind, one of the most common ways to communicate their anger with the other tortoise is to bite it. They don't normally show aggression to humans, animals or other tortoises. Now let’s move to the next common case when a tortoise will try to bite you. It will depend on the species. Cola has for the last year displayed very masculine traits.. she chases me (and I mean run's full pelt) trying to bite my feet and when she catches me she continues to bite me, then proceeds to mate my foot, complete with the mating sqeak! Overall I would say that the pain you feel when your box turtle bites your finger is the same pain you will feel if you were to bite your finger, it’s not an unbearable pain, it’s more of a discomfort. Just make sure that you wash your hands before you do anything else. I understand that you might feel awkward with this unnatural act of your son. Although the behavior can be improved by making changes to your tortoise’s environment and stimulating it mentally with toys and trips outdoors, the best way to cope with the behavior is to wear socks or shoes. My Setup The enclosure is made of Wood and is two feet wide by four feet long. If you see any blood you should drop everything that you were doing and go disinfect the wound, even if the wound is small it can still get infected, and that can be very dangerous. She likes to roll over and have her belly rubbed then she'll "hug my hand" and soon bring it to her mouth and chew on my nails. In captivity, these cute tortoises act shy, hide often, or burrow; this is usually a stress response when around predators. Climbing on top of another turtle is a fairly easy way to accomplish this. Males will often bite females during the mating process. Head banging indicates that your tortoise is feeling territorial; it’s a way to assert dominance.eval(ez_write_tag([[250,250],'reptilejam_com-banner-1','ezslot_9',111,'0','0'])); This is a pretty clear sign of aggression. do you have an aggressive hermann's tortoise or other type of reptile? It can be a result of hormones during mating season, hunger, or a way to claim territory or protect itself against a perceived threat. The male didn't do anything to provoke her. If a tortoise is hungry it will try to eat anything that it’s remotely similar to food. It’s important to give your pet time to get used to its enclosure, and to not handle it too much in the first couple of weeks. Minutes later, I feel his jaws clamping down on my toe. If your bare toes are wiggling on the carpet, your cat might mistake them for something tasty and stalk your toes until kitty pounces and bites. TurtleOwner.com is owned and operated by The Turtle Owner Team. But I can still remember an episode of the television series 'Little House on the Prairie' in which two of the girls were in their shared bed and one of them had her foot up to her mouth and was biting her toenails - and the other sister was threatening to tell their parents! ReptileJam.com also participates in affiliate programs with Bluehost, Clickbank, CJ, ShareASale, and other sites. It is a very common occurrence when the dog is young. Hi, So I have a Hermann's tortoise that is roughly 5 years old, and he has gotten into the habit of going after shoes and feet - he bites my dogs feet, my dad's, everyones'. All I’m saying is turtles can be awesome cute BUT they need a lot of attention and help to be healthy.-My wild caught male RES is actually quite tame, but that is because I rescued him at an early age. I soon adopted a little male, Roz. In the last few days she has also taken to trying to bite me, walking up to my feet or hands and trying to take a bite! The most common situation in which a tortoise will bite to show dominance is when a new tortoise is introduced into its environment. In general, tortoises are very approachable and friendly, which is part of the reason they’re so popular as pets. A tortoise is generally able to tell the difference between a human and a small piece of meat or a vegetable, but under certain circumstances they can easily mistaken one of your fingers or toes for something that kind of resembles with something that they would normally eat. It’s your tortoise’s way to communicate that this is its space, not yours. And if you keep your turtles in an outdoor enclosure and you walk through it with slippers on you can expect them to bite you thinking that your toes are food. eval(ez_write_tag([[728,90],'reptilejam_com-box-3','ezslot_6',107,'0','0'])); Read on to find out exactly why tortoises bite feet and what you can do to cope with this aggressive behavior. (with Bite Facts and Videos), in this article, as the title implies, I talk about how dangerous snapping turtles are, I give more informations about their bite, and I also explore the reasons why they are a lot more aggressive than other turtles and tortoise species. Tortoises typically bite feet because of hormones, hunger, a need to claim territory, or as a means of protection. Your pet may also bite you because it mistakes you for food! Why might she be doing this! If you want to protect your toes then you should hide them, so don’t wear slippers, or any kind of footwear that will keep them visible. Many tortoise owners explain that it’s also very common for a male tortoise to choose one of your shoes to “mate” with. Shell (overall) - Cannot fully retract into shell: Obesity - Mites or ticks: Parasites - Red tinge or streaks: Septocemia. When I let her wonder she always chases after my toes and when she gets them, she always bites them, continuously! Now that you have an idea of what a bite feels like, let’s see what to do and what not to do if you get bitten by a tortoise. But in general your tortoise will not bite you without any good reason. Your email address will not be published. Every year TurlteOwner.com makes the world a better place for thousands of pet turtles, but right now we are having trouble keeping the site online. i moved the mud turtle but my turtle seems to be in shock despite no injuries except for some scales hanging on his tale. It will depend on the species. This is my tortoise Lola, watch him bite me HARD!! The bites of the hermann tortoise were somewhat easier to endure, but the difference was not that significant. But when yours came home, he might still be exhibiting this type of behavior. So as I said, even if it seems counterintuitive, the best thing to do is to peacefully wait until the tortoise releases the bite. There are three general situations in which tortoises bite each other. Typically, chasing is actually a positive behavior that indicates that your pet is happy to see you or is eager to be fed. This can lead your pet to ram into you during feeding or handling time. Although they have good eyesight, they can mistake your leg for a shrub and try to bite it.they can also mistake your toes for berries or even worms. I have two Russian tortoises, one male and one female. As you can expect I’ve been bitten by both of them multiple times, and I can easily tell you how it feels. A lot of people believe that turtles smell bad, but this couldn’t be farther from the truth. I would also recommend to go to the doctor after you have disinfected it. The diet. Update: Does anyone know why my chicken would be pecking my feet!? And the origin of the tortoise is also very important, if the tortoise comes from the wild it will definitely be a lot more defensive, and it will try to bite a lot more often than a tortoise that was raised in captivity. So much for the theory of the selfless tortoise. A doctor will be able to tell you if any further treatment for the wound is needed. There are many ways to lessen aggressive behavior, such as allowing time outdoors and providing toys and other ways to keep your pet occupied. Females grow slightly larger than the males and males have a slightly longer tail that is tucked to the side. After a tortoise bites you you have to be very careful what you do with your hands, do not put them near your mouth, or near food. It can sometimes leave a few bruises but they should probably go in a few hours ,or in a couple of days in the worst case scenario. He goes around the foot and will also bite at the heel. We are a passionate group of writers and researchers who write about pet turtles and turtles in general. This is because they are extremely territorial during this period as they search for a good spot to lay their eggs. Why Does My Puppy Attack My Feet? Tortoises are herbivores and very docile in nature. As I said in the beginning most tortoises will try to bite a human if they feel that they are in danger or if they mistaken them for food. My tortoises were the exception! TurtleOwner.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Despite not having teeth, their beaks are strong, and they can bite. This type of bite typically doesn’t cause too much damage, although you should separate the tortoises after they mate if biting takes place. So why does my tortoise bite my feet? At this point you have to remember that turtles and tortoises are opportunistic feeders, regardless if they are pets or wild, so when they see something that they think that they could eat, they will jump and bite it without hesitation. The name “snapping tortoise” might be an automatic disqualifier for families with small children. If you want to protect your toes then you should hide them, so don’t wear slippers, or any kind of footwear that will keep them visible. You can also learn more about aggression in tortoises in general, how it is displayed, and its causes and possible solutions. Find a brief explanation of these reasons below. If I were to rank the pain from a box turtle bite as a 4, I would have to rank the pain from a hermann tortoise as a 3.5, there is a small difference, but nothing major. If a tortoise bites you because it’s stressed, don’t stress it any more. 0 0. curiouscat. Find answers now! Recently, I have started seeing some biting from the female. You can see aggression displayed in tortoises through their body language. Together, you and your vet can address your cat's erratic behavior. When it comes to handling pet tortoises you have to remember that it’s origin and its age are also very important. Samayo ; March 23, 2019 ; Dog Training; Share on facebook. The wound is cleaned with all aseptic measures. How do I know what sex my tortoise is? Fights, a need to show dominance, and the mating process can all be reason enough for a tortoise to bite. She just started it, no biting though but I am hoping that is not aggression beginning. The short answer to “why does my cat bite me?” is that they’re trying to tell you something. I only wish i had access to this information before I purchased my 2nd tortoise 2 years ago. I would look to keeping them apart but I live in the UK so it is not warm enough to keep them outside, and my current living arrangements mean that I don't have the space for a second enclosure. As herbivores they don’t bite as hard as a carnivore will. However, a territorial tortoise can engage in chasing behavior if it wants to get people or animals out of its personal space. Your tortoise may bang its head on anything and everything in its enclosure, or it could even bang its head against you if you’ve done something to make it feel stressed. Again my biggest concern is that he is not drinking,eating, or excreting waste.Any help will be very much appreciated and will certainly relieve me and my tortoise. Just leave the area and leave it alone. There are a number of things that you can consider when trying to figure out why it bites … No. Tortoises don’t care how they get their food as long as they get it. By Kylie Ora Lobell June 30, 2020 Your new puppy is so ... Usually, puppies learn through this not to bite as much. Your tortoise will feel it is necessary to tell the other animal that they were there first, and this is their space. Even If I couldn’t find any reliable informations about the power of a tortoise bite, I can still tell you about my first hand experiences with tortoise bites. He ,can be quite aggressive .? My dog too!! Although the reptile looks small, its bite can cause immense discomfort and pain. If you want to know more about that you can read my article right here: Are Snapping Turtles Dangerous? @Shannon, i have the same issue but my turtles are fairly new to eachother only about 2 months but my original turtle is just recovering from a respiratory infection and he just started getting attacked by my mud turtle. The case where they feel in danger is a little more obvious, but the one with the food is a little stranger, so let’s start with that one. 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