Morbid subject heading, I know, but I assure you this is a legitimate question. I have noticed that tortoises and box turtles (more so than pond turtles) understand that they should be wary of heights. They may be willing to do a small face-plant, but when approaching a high enough ledge, they look over the edge, but know not to jump. I've read that the reason pond turtles are more willing to go over an edge is that they are accustomed to jumping off a log safely into the water. Terrestrial turtles, on the other hand, instinctively know that things don't work that way on land.
However, today I took my Russian tortoises into the front yard, and the male approached the edge of the sidewalk. Like most sidewalks, it is 4 inches high. To my surprise, instead of turning around he stepped forward and did a face-plant onto the pavement below. I looked him over carefully to make sure he was all right, and sure enough there's not a mark on him. He's behaving normally and feeding well, so I think he's fine. I would have thought that he would have drawn the line at about 4 inches, but he did not.
So my question is, at what height would a tortoise or box turtle no longer be willing to go over the edge?
However, today I took my Russian tortoises into the front yard, and the male approached the edge of the sidewalk. Like most sidewalks, it is 4 inches high. To my surprise, instead of turning around he stepped forward and did a face-plant onto the pavement below. I looked him over carefully to make sure he was all right, and sure enough there's not a mark on him. He's behaving normally and feeding well, so I think he's fine. I would have thought that he would have drawn the line at about 4 inches, but he did not.
So my question is, at what height would a tortoise or box turtle no longer be willing to go over the edge?