Today I swapped out the old tupperware lid we were using to feed our Sulcata on for a flat stone that blends and looks a lot better in his home. As soon as I finished placing the stone my tort came out quickly and began trying to bite or eat the stone. I went and put some food there for him and he couldn't have cared less, he was way too busy with the stone. Is this normal? Is this just a personality trait, or is it common behavior in Sulcatas? Is he trying to tell me something?
Tortoise behavior?
- Thread starter Brian
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My tort tries to eat everything new in his enclosure. After a couple test bites he determines it's not food and leaves it alone. That is a possibility for you. Did he leave it alone after awhile?
After watching Fred do that I agree with Kate. But sometimes Fred will bite the rock again later. I asked my hubby if maybe Fred was checking to see if it had turned edible yet? 
Dawna
Dawna
If he obsesses over it too much, you might need to remove it. he might feel threatened by it? Since tort really 'play' he should leave it alone, but its obviously bothering him./
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Maggie Cummings
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I personally think that most Sulcata are very intelligent curious tortoises and they need to investigate anything new added to their habitats...I'd just leave it alone and let him figure out what it is...it sure gives him something to do...
maggie3fan said:
Agreed! Wouldn't want the tort getting bored.
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Maggie Cummings
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My 73 pound Sulcata is Bob and he has 2 balls that he plays with. I switch them out so he doesn't get bored with one. He rams them hard then chases them down and rams again. In my tort table I have put a couple of ping pong balls in for my smaller tortoises to play with and it's like watching them play soccer. I do believe they enjoy playing with different stuff...I also move the rocks and driftwood around in the tort table again just so it's different for them...
I give my tort different things to climb over and around, and different substrates for the sensory experience (along with the aspen there is slate, his water dish with steps, coconut fiber chips (moist), and rocks. It took him 2 days to figure out the coconut fiber chips weren't food, but fun to walk over.
Maggie-Good idea about a ping pong ball. I imagine Trevor would love that when he's a little bigger! We let him run around the living room today since it was warm in the house and he had pooped/peed. He had a hoot running around and exploring. I think he understands the difference between his enclosure and getting out around the house (we take him to watch TV with us sometimes).
Maggie-Good idea about a ping pong ball. I imagine Trevor would love that when he's a little bigger! We let him run around the living room today since it was warm in the house and he had pooped/peed. He had a hoot running around and exploring. I think he understands the difference between his enclosure and getting out around the house (we take him to watch TV with us sometimes).
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Maggie Cummings
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tortoisenerd said:
Paint the ball red...they seem to be attracted to stuff that's red, food and toenails are sure to get bitten if they are red!!!
Brian do you have a cuttle bone in his enclosure? My experiance is that Sullys tend to like to arrange their enclosures to suite them. So rearranging there furnature seems pretty natural. Dust off the slate and set his food there. Once he gets the hang of what the slate is being used for he may think its the best thing on earth.
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