Which Tortoise Species Is More Active/Friendly

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alben909

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Hi guys, im Alec. I have brought this topic up because i want to hear the opinion of all the tort lovers out there. Which tort species is more friendly/active. I would have to say the sulcata or the russian tort. Tell me what you guys think. Even post a few pics. Dont be shy, post away!
 

MORTYtheTORTY

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Any tort may surprise you. Sulcata seem to carry more attitude just hearing others about them...I'm a newbie to torts so I haven't spent much time with them! So far it seems that the Aldabra's are the most gentle/friendly creatures :)
 

nicoleandrocky

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Almost all torts are active but it is true some are more than others. My russian is the most friendly guy ever. (except when he tries biting my fingers!)
 

alben909

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Nice to hear about the aldabra. Havent been around one but i am glad to hear that you enjoy them!
 

nicoleandrocky

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alben909 said:
Nice to hear about the aldabra. Havent been around one but i am glad to hear that you enjoy them!

Aldabra's (well most i know/seen) are gentle giants :D Big teddy bears.
 

alben909

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I have a baby russian and he is very active. He walks everywhere and he eats everything including my leg. I should of named him hannible but i named him Shelldon instead. Baby torts eat everything
 

StudentoftheReptile

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My sulcata is active, but not very friendly. On the other hand, my redfoot is friendly, but not very active. LOL, that answer your question?

Every individual tortoise is different.
 

nicoleandrocky

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alben909 said:
I have a baby russian and he is very active. He walks everywhere and he eats everything including my leg. I should of named him hannible but i named him Shelldon instead. Baby torts eat everything

haha, hannibal is cute :)
I was going to name rocky GAMMERA
Gamera1.jpg

But rocky was more fitting i though :)
 

Blakem

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I would like to see your baby Russian! I have never seen one in the pet/reptile stores.
 

MORTYtheTORTY

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alben909 said:
Nice to hear about the aldabra. Havent been around one but i am glad to hear that you enjoy them!

It's just what I seen...Aldabraman's lol and youtube and google. I've never seen one up close and personal.
 

alben909

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IMG_20120313_200750.jpg
IMG_20120313_200829.jpg Ok here are some pics of little shelldon!:D

IMG_20120313_200835.jpg

Lol so right:D
 
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Tom

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I'm glad this is in the debatable section :). Opinions will vary on this and not everyone has much experience with multiple species, so comparisons are all relative. From what I have seen sulcatas win, hands down. I also like the south African leopards, hermanni, Russians, and I'm told that the Burmese stars are great too, but don't have any personal experience with them yet.

Also realize there will be big differences between adult behavior and babies.
 

ALDABRAMAN

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O my, hard question with many various possible answers based on personal perspectives. I have kept many species, however we only focus on two at this time. We find both of our species to be very friendly overall and active. Most of our aldabras seem to be more friendly than our radiateds.
 

alben909

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I posted some pics of my new baby russian a few posts above. Also i do agree that the attitude changes. I personaly think its because they get smarter and more aware what is around them. My sulcatas get scared when i walk up behind them but come right out when they see me. BTW. SULCATAS FIRST NIGHT OUTSIDE IN THEIR NEW ENCLOSURE. WISH THEM LUCK!!!!!!!:shy:
 

l0velesly

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StudentoftheReptile said:
My sulcata is active, but not very friendly.

Mine is like that too.. he's becoming very territorial and loves to flick dirt all over the place. He definitely is full of personality, but friendliness isn't part of it.
 

alben909

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Ya my sulcata isnt "friendly" she is more active. Exept she does have her lazy side. If its not 70° she is lazy. Same with my other sulcata. They sit in the back of their home.

FUNNY :tort:
 

hlester22

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My sulcata is active but a little chicken. Easily startled and pees almost every time he's picked up. My redfoot is not very active but very friendly.
 

Neal

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From my experience with several different types of tortoises my opinion is that there are significant behavioral differences between them, absolutely, but what one considers friendly could mean something else to a different person. That is to say, there are different types of "friendly". The level of activity is pretty static between species, a lot of it having to do with how the tortoise was raised and it's overall health as opposed to the type of species it is.

Example: our adult leopards have a very mellow and laid back personality. They'll let you pet their heads and they'll eat out of your hands, but they don't push each other out of the way or knock each other around to get your attention. I refer to them as being like a mature dog, they're still friendly in the sense that they don't hide from you and will follow you around the yard, but they don't crawl all over you like a puppy. Now, when we approach our indian star enclosures, they usually climb all over each other and act aggressively towards each other trying to get to us, which is similar to the sulcatas that we have had. We also have redfoots, and have had greek tortoises in the past. All have great, different personalities.

Here's one of our male indian stars showing off his curious side. The pictures I've deleted from this round were of a female climbing over him trying to bite at the camera.

Male.jpg


If you're trying to consider a future tortoise to purchase, my question would be, what type of personality are you looking for in a tortoise?

If you just want to know everyone's favorites, I'd have to go with the leopards. :)
 
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