Adult Sulcata bite

[AgataP]

I woke up in the middle of the night, sick. Vomiting, severe cold sweats ugly, huh! This morning sick as a freakin dog, went out to dump a bag of produce stuff, blooms, leaves and flower Rose of Sharon, purple, .Zucchini grape leaves. So I'm not really paying attention, to Big Sam. I'm tossing all in big pile and Sam reaches out, and bit me hard. After I got my sight back, and evidently I hollered cuz I woke up my neighbor, (nurse), she's taking me to the ER, probably 3 stitches. She says I used the word, f**k in ways she'd never heard before.
So this thread is for big Sulcata bites. Let's show those relatively new to tortoises and their cute little hatchling they can be really dangerous. As an example...this doesn't look like much, the last time he bit me, it took I think 16 or so stitches, while I was typing one handed, just now the wound stopped bleeding. Whew! No ER for me.
When you newbies feed your cute little guy by hand, my Sulcata bit because he thinks my hand is food. Please do not hand feed a larger tortoise. This and worse can happen
View attachment 304571View attachment 304572View attachment 304573View attachment 304576

I had a Russian Tort growing up he was a decent size (nothing close to a sully ?) the $&@$@@&&%^++*% bit me one time. I had a triangle cut on my finger and he was holding on trying to rip the finger off with his face and paws .... oh I created also a bunch of new words

 

[Maggie3fan]

my dear maggie3fan,
I soooo know what you are talking about.
Those bites feel like...... I can not even explain??? Some bites break the blood vessels UNDER the skin and don’t bleed right away and you feel like your finger is going to explode! it is dark purple ...
OOUUUCCCHHH for you my friend .
I am grateful for your words to “ baby sulcata” owners. They need to be told ,
When they are big.... SO IS THEIR BITE!
I would rather run into a tree at full speed than get bit by my tort one more time. I think my head would explode!!!
Lesson learned....over and over again.
All I can say now is :
Neosporin
Neosporin
Neosporin!!!!!!!
I hope it feels better soon!
try to wrap the bandage tight at first so the skin can stitch together faster..
???

Oh lordy!!! You are so guilty, ouch. I think one reason it hurts so bad is they not only have a really sharp beak they don't let go. But I'm thinkin so far you are the winner of the "why we love Sulcata" trophy.

I had a Russian Tort growing up he was a decent size (nothing close to a sully ?) the $&@$@@&&%^++*% bit me one time. I had a triangle cut on my finger and he was holding on trying to rip the finger off with his face and paws .... oh I created also a bunch of new words

Please excuse my laughter, but we should be grateful we don't have Aldabs or Gallops. They seem to be slow and gentle, but what do I know???

 

[AgataP]

Oh lordy!!! You are so guilty, ouch. I think one reason it hurts so bad is they not only have a really sharp beak they don't let go. But I'm thinkin so far you are the winner of the "why we love Sulcata" trophy.

Please excuse my laughter, but we should be grateful we don't have Aldabs or Gallops. They seem to be slow and gentle, but what do I know???

I am hoping not to ever find out. I love that the baby is eating from my hand but I am also scared for the future ??

Hope it heals fast - hugs

 

[Maggie3fan]

I am hoping not to ever find out. I love that the baby is eating from my hand but I am also scared for the future ??

Hope it heals fast - hugs

Hey! You are in Seattle...that's pretty close to me. I 100% say that your baby will bite your hand when he's bigger. lol) Also, both mine will chase me to bite a painted toenail..

 

[AgataP]

Hey! You are in Seattle...that's pretty close to me. I 100% say that your baby will bite your hand when he's bigger. lol) Also, both mine will chase me to bite a painted toenail..

Hahah that’s pretty cute that they will chase you. Oh that makes me so happy someone with Sulcata lives relatively close phew that’s so nice to know !!

 

[Blackdog1714]

Adult sulcata's mouth, home to a varied tortoise diet along with the occasional adult sulcata-sized excrement vs. a chef's knife/santoku/nakiri/utility knife/paring knife.

Smart move on going to the hospital and getting that cut treated. You can never be too careful.

Chefs knife and it was the whole tip of my left middle finger and 1/4” from the end. Pressure people Pressure it is your best friend for bleeding wounds. Cleaning every wound is very important since heck what was living on your skin when it happened! ?

 

[cav2108]

I woke up in the middle of the night, sick. Vomiting, severe cold sweats ugly, huh! This morning sick as a freakin dog, went out to dump a bag of produce stuff, blooms, leaves and flower Rose of Sharon, purple, .Zucchini grape leaves. So I'm not really paying attention, to Big Sam. I'm tossing all in big pile and Sam reaches out, and bit me hard. After I got my sight back, and evidently I hollered cuz I woke up my neighbor, (nurse), she's taking me to the ER, probably 3 stitches. She says I used the word, f**k in ways she'd never heard before.
So this thread is for big Sulcata bites. Let's show those relatively new to tortoises and their cute little hatchling they can be really dangerous. As an example...this doesn't look like much, the last time he bit me, it took I think 16 or so stitches, while I was typing one handed, just now the wound stopped bleeding. Whew! No ER for me.
When you newbies feed your cute little guy by hand, my Sulcata bit because he thinks my hand is food. Please do not hand feed a larger tortoise. This and worse can happen
View attachment 304571View attachment 304572View attachment 304573View attachment 304576

 

[Srmcclure]

Chefs knife and it was the whole tip of my left middle finger and 1/4” from the end. Pressure people Pressure it is your best friend for bleeding wounds. Cleaning every wound is very important since heck what was living on your skin when it happened! ?

I had one of my coworkers do that with a pair of our grooming shears! Its amazing how much more pale a redhead can get hahaha

 

[EllyMae]

Wow!

I have a list of animals that have bit me, that most people would think is crazy since tortoise is included.
Horse
Dog
Cat
Duck
Tortoise
Human
Chicken
Cow
Goat
Pig
Fish
Goose


My pet snake hasn’t bitten me yet, but it will eventually. It’s funny that of all the animals I currently own: dog, cat, horse, tortoise, snake,
That my safest pet is the one people would most likely to be afraid of: my snake.

 

[cav2108]

i have always fed mine by hand. When they were small, that beak could still cut me like a razor. I would always say OW! loudly, and tap them on the head with a finger. Over the years, they apparently learned to be more careful when my hand was present in the vicinity of their food. Often, they still get a grip on a finger or thumb, but it is always pretty gentle and as their mouth closes I can clearly see that they are looking at my face for a reaction before biting down the rest of the way. They are really smart guys and certainly have some understanding of what's going on. The oldest is 16 now (Popeye) and she is clearly the most careful when my hand is in the area of her food. Most of the bites in the early years were caused by me, re-positioning the food I was holding after the tortoise had already made the decision where to bite (which would probably have avoided my fingers). Certainly, once your hand is within a certain distance of their mouth the position of the eyes doesn't allow them to actually see what they are closing their jaws on. Anyway, that's how I got mine to be more careful about their food-biting when my hands are in the vicinity. That head can strike with all the speed of a rattlesnake though, so you do need to be careful if the target is something they really really like! Such wonderful and intelligent creatures!

 

[Ink]

I hope you feel better!

 

[Maggie3fan]

YOU???!!! NOOOOoooooooOOOOOOoooo... I would never have suspected...

You above all people. So funny. Yeah, I remember that one post

 

[Maggie3fan]

I totally agree with you...but I love watching Coyote's "Bite Zone" episodes!

I just really don't know why. I also like Dr. Pimple Popper... ? ?

I love Dr Pimple Popper...in the same way I see a car accident, and I can't look away...

 

[Maggie3fan]

Chefs knife and it was the whole tip of my left middle finger and 1/4” from the end. Pressure people Pressure it is your best friend for bleeding wounds. Cleaning every wound is very important since heck what was living on your skin when it happened! ?

I lost the tip of my left pointer finger using my trimmer. So you can't tell anybody that they are #1 anymore???
What was brewing in the tort's mouth that he just put in my blood vein??? Yes, the small wound bled like a stuck pig. And it looks real small in pictures, but it's not small, and this morning when I woke up, my big cat was on the bed, we played for a few, and he bit me with a tooth that went right in the tort bite. Oh hell no...owwwt that @(*^%$&#$)*&^%$#@!!~! ing cat!!!

 

[Maggie3fan]

Wow!

I have a list of animals that have bit me, that most people would think is crazy since tortoise is included.
Horse
Dog
Cat
Duck
Tortoise
Human
Chicken
Cow
Goat
Pig
Fish
Goose


My pet snake hasn’t bitten me yet, but it will eventually. It’s funny that of all the animals I currently own: dog, cat, horse, tortoise, snake,
That my safest pet is the one people would most likely to be afraid of: my snake.

Holy Cats...Ladies and gentlemen...WE HAVE A WINNER!!! Man, you are one tuff broad!!!

 

[Srmcclure]

Wow!

I have a list of animals that have bit me, that most people would think is crazy since tortoise is included.
Horse
Dog
Cat
Duck
Tortoise
Human
Chicken
Cow
Goat
Pig
Fish
Goose


My pet snake hasn’t bitten me yet, but it will eventually. It’s funny that of all the animals I currently own: dog, cat, horse, tortoise, snake,
That my safest pet is the one people would most likely to be afraid of: my snake.

Jeez!!! Horse bites hurt like a mother....

 

[Lwilliams]

I woke up in the middle of the night, sick. Vomiting, severe cold sweats ugly, huh! This morning sick as a freakin dog, went out to dump a bag of produce stuff, blooms, leaves and flower Rose of Sharon, purple, .Zucchini grape leaves. So I'm not really paying attention, to Big Sam. I'm tossing all in big pile and Sam reaches out, and bit me hard. After I got my sight back, and evidently I hollered cuz I woke up my neighbor, (nurse), she's taking me to the ER, probably 3 stitches. She says I used the word, f**k in ways she'd never heard before.
So this thread is for big Sulcata bites. Let's show those relatively new to tortoises and their cute little hatchling they can be really dangerous. As an example...this doesn't look like much, the last time he bit me, it took I think 16 or so stitches, while I was typing one handed, just now the wound stopped bleeding. Whew! No ER for me.
When you newbies feed your cute little guy by hand, my Sulcata bit because he thinks my hand is food. Please do not hand feed a larger tortoise. This and worse can happen
View attachment 304571View attachment 304572View attachment 304573View attachment 304576

Wow you got hit with a double whammy! I hope you feel better soon. I think many of us have been bit by hand feeding our tortoises, but few are the size of Big Sam! Glad he didn’t get a bigger chunk.

 

[Tom]

i have always fed mine by hand. When they were small, that beak could still cut me like a razor. I would always say OW! loudly, and tap them on the head with a finger. Over the years, they apparently learned to be more careful when my hand was present in the vicinity of their food. Often, they still get a grip on a finger or thumb, but it is always pretty gentle and as their mouth closes I can clearly see that they are looking at my face for a reaction before biting down the rest of the way. They are really smart guys and certainly have some understanding of what's going on. The oldest is 16 now (Popeye) and she is clearly the most careful when my hand is in the area of her food. Most of the bites in the early years were caused by me, re-positioning the food I was holding after the tortoise had already made the decision where to bite (which would probably have avoided my fingers). Certainly, once your hand is within a certain distance of their mouth the position of the eyes doesn't allow them to actually see what they are closing their jaws on. Anyway, that's how I got mine to be more careful about their food-biting when my hands are in the vicinity. That head can strike with all the speed of a rattlesnake though, so you do need to be careful if the target is something they really really like! Such wonderful and intelligent creatures!

Why would you do that??? Just move your hand out of the way...

 

[Tom]

In all these years, starting with my first box turtle in 1979, I have never been bitten by a tortoise. Or turtle. And some aquatic turtles have given it a good try...

 

[Skip K]

Thankfully it wasn't as bad as it could've been. At least it wasn't a bite from a snapping turtle.

I still cringe whenever I think about this video:

Have to laugh at this Einstein. About as brilliant as the clip from the guy from Jackass letting a snapping turtle bite his ***. Makes you wonder...