Tortoise connections with humans

tortoisenotturtle

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Hello everyone, I really want a tortoise. But I recognize the fact that I am still very young and that my little friend could live for a very long time. I have come to terms with the fact I may have to give him/her up someday and I want to know if they could handle it. I will do all in my power to see that it goes to a good home but as far as I know they don't really attach to people they just associate faces with food. How accurate is this and how tramatic will it be for him or her to be relocated ?
 

the_newzie

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Hello everyone, I really want a tortoise. But I recognize the fact that I am still very young and that my little friend could live for a very long time. I have come to terms with the fact I may have to give him/her up someday and I want to know if they could handle it. I will do all in my power to see that it goes to a good home but as far as I know they don't really attach to people they just associate faces with food. How accurate is this and how tramatic will it be for him or her to be relocated ?

Reptiles don't care. As long as they are housed and cared for properly, they will be fine. They don't form any sort of emotional attachment.

I think you need to worry more about the emotional attachment YOU will form with your tortoise! LOL!:D
 

Jacqui

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I think you need to worry more about the emotional attachment YOU will form with your tortoise! LOL!:D

I agree with this. Folks find a tortoise attaches itself to their lives and hearts much more then they ever dreamed it would or could. As for the tortoise, I think with a few exceptions, tortoises adapt well to new homes and human slaves. :)
 

Ciri

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Yes, they do form attachments. For that reason, it would be better to adopt a tortoise or box turtle who is already an adult, and is in need of a home. Check with your local rescue groups, turtle or tortoise clubs, Humane Society, etc. An adult that needs a home will be better able to adjust when the day comes that you have to move away.
 

mijojr

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@Ciri I will have to dissagree with you. I agree that adopting an adult is a good idea, however the reason is not because of any emotional attachment. As many experienced members have stated, the tortoise could care less. Also why would there be a difference in the emotional response between adults and babies? Assuming there is one? Please don't take offense, I'm just getting your opinion.
 

Yellow Turtle01

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I see the side of this that tortoises DO NOT form any bond whatsoever, you're just the floating hand that brings food out of the sky.
BUT, I also think that turtles and torts who regularly interact, andor owners who 'participate' in the animals lives, will remember, to some degree, the owner afterwards. I feel like they know ME, (If I'm not here to feed them, and someone else needs to, they react differently) but here it goes with the human emotions of copying and pasting onto torts.
Many torts and turtle probably won't miss you.
This is sad, though, because to some degree, if I die before most of my turtles do, I would hope they'd miss me, but then again, I'd want them to be happy and content with another owner as they were with me.
I know I will die before miss sulcata. It'll just happen. But because I interact with her frequently, every day, and sometimes for most of the day, it feels like she recognizes me, as she does treat different people in a different way.
I know that I would miss them terribly. And that after 60+ years of being in lives, knowing them, caring for them, it'd be much like the death of a child or parent... It would suck.
No matter how you think about your torts feeling spectrum, everyone will think differently in their own way, and all torts are different. :)
 

mijojr

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Good post @Yellow Turtle01. I do believe that tortoises have the ability of facial recognition. I also believe that they may respond to even there name, but as regarding to who feeds them, who cleans there cage, and gives them soaks, I believe the tortoise does not form any strong attachment to anyone. I acknowledge that there may exceptions, however for the most part tortoises would readily take food from a complete stranger.:)
 

Ciri

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I rarely ever travel, and when I did go away for a few days in the summer quite a number of years ago, I had a friend who my box turtles were familiar with take care of them. One of those turtles I had adopted at age 5, learning a week later that she had been taken from the wild. (I was very angry about that, but couldn't do anything about it – she needed medical help anyway.) So I was her one trusted human. She had shown that already, by her intense shyness around other people. At that point she'd been with me for eight years. My turtles had seen my friend around, and I'd shown my friend how to feed them, change their water, and care for them just as I normally did. I'm confident that she did everything just the way I had shown her. I called my friend on the first day I was gone to see how they were doing. They would not eat. And the one who I had adopted at age 5, had more difficulty getting back to eating while I was gone. The others, thankfully, started eating the second day. The fact that 4 turtles would not eat for one day, all at the same time, showed that they knew who they were comfortable with, and who they were not quite comfortable with. If this had been the spring or the fall, missing a day of eating would not be so unusual. But in the middle of the summer, they were not skipping meals.

I know sometimes it's hard to tell what they understand. But I find the more that I slow down and observe them, the more I'm surprised by how intelligent they are.
 

tortadise

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I did a thread on this a while back. It's difficult for humans to know the difference between an animal utilizing instincts versus us(humans) applying an emotion, feeling, or parallel comparison towards animals that relates to us. Being human I do the same things sure. But 90% of the time I try my hardest and remind myself that they do, and will not posses emotions. They are instilled with survival and instincts only.

Here's the thread on cognitive ethology with research findings of animals and "thinking" like us.
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/cognitive-ethology.104135/
 

mijojr

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I believe that reptiles do have basic emotions. I know that I can tell if my leopard gecko is stressed or is content. However as regards to tortoises developing bonds to the owner, they most likely will not have a traumatic meltdown and suffer from depression. They are simple animals and don't require the social needs that other animals such as dogs do.
 

mitsymoo0309

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I am going to disagree with everyone else and say that while we get attached to tortoises, it is the same for them! My tortoise stays at my aunties as at home I have a large dog and it is something for my auntie to do! As she is at my aunties, I rarely give her, her food but she always comes to the front of her enclosure when I see her on an afternoon! There you are my side of the story!
 

mijojr

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I am guessing that she is looking for food. It is not nessesarily emotionally attached, it just wants food.
 

Russianuncletwo

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Mine is more comfortable when she sees my face (then she'll eat if she's hungry) and knows it's not a predator lingering around.
 

Tom

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I rarely ever travel, and when I did go away for a few days in the summer quite a number of years ago, I had a friend who my box turtles were familiar with take care of them. One of those turtles I had adopted at age 5, learning a week later that she had been taken from the wild. (I was very angry about that, but couldn't do anything about it – she needed medical help anyway.) So I was her one trusted human. She had shown that already, by her intense shyness around other people. At that point she'd been with me for eight years. My turtles had seen my friend around, and I'd shown my friend how to feed them, change their water, and care for them just as I normally did. I'm confident that she did everything just the way I had shown her. I called my friend on the first day I was gone to see how they were doing. They would not eat. And the one who I had adopted at age 5, had more difficulty getting back to eating while I was gone. The others, thankfully, started eating the second day. The fact that 4 turtles would not eat for one day, all at the same time, showed that they knew who they were comfortable with, and who they were not quite comfortable with. If this had been the spring or the fall, missing a day of eating would not be so unusual. But in the middle of the summer, they were not skipping meals.

I know sometimes it's hard to tell what they understand. But I find the more that I slow down and observe them, the more I'm surprised by how intelligent they are.

Tortoises do not like change. Taking one day to adjust to a change, or a few days in the case of the shyer one, does not indicate some sort of emotional attachment. Move those turtles to a new home, and they will take even longer to acclimate. This does not mean they miss you. It means that they have been removed from where they feel comfortable and safe, and it will take time to feel comfortable and safe in the new place with the new care taker.

No doubt they learn to recognize the body language, mannerisms, care routine and face of their primary caretakers, but recognition due to classical conditioning (food provider) is a long way from forming a "bond", missing someone, liking someone, or having any sort of emotional attachment.

As I said before, if their environmental and nutritional needs are met, they don't care who you are. Your turtles weren't that upset by the change in their routine if they went back to eating the next day.
 

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