Aggressive or curious?

[CtTortoiseMom]

Every time I have to do something in Leia's enclosure she comes over to see what I am doing. Most of the time she stick's her head all the way out and smells my hands or arm or whatever is near her. Sometimes, i have to put half of my body across the enclosure to reach her water dish and when I do that she always forces her way through my outstretched arms. I thought all that was very sweet and I thought that she was getting really comfortable with me until yesterday she was barreling towards me so I laid my hand on the substrate in front of her and she tried to bite it. My husband said that maybe she thought it was food. But, looking back maybe what I thought was "bonding" was really aggression!??

 

[Laura]

your hands are associated with food..
it can also be a territorial thing..
biting can be a bad thing..

 

[CtTortoiseMom]

It did sometimes seem like she was trying to move me out of the way.

 

[Mao Senpai]

Well all of mine have different personalities. My big older leopard is a scardy car, and is shy until you sit there for 10 minutes and realizes you're not a threat. The smaller one is ... not shy at all and just stands still until I put it back down. I can shake it's arms and rub it's head and it doesn't even flinch. The smallest new one I got... is full of energy or something. When I pick it up, it kicks me and when I put it down it bolts and head butts whatever it is in front of it so who knows. In terms of my greeks well they just are just used to me and don't care unless I have food.

 

[CtTortoiseMom]

Well all of mine have different personalities. My big older leopard is a scardy car, and is shy until you sit there for 10 minutes and realizes you're not a threat. The smaller one is ... not shy at all and just stands still until I put it back down. I can shake it's arms and rub it's head and it doesn't even flinch. The smallest new one I got... is full of energy or something. When I pick it up, it kicks me and when I put it down it bolts and head butts whatever it is in front of it so who knows. In terms of my greeks well they just are just used to me and don't care unless I have food.

I can touch her arms, legs and the top of her head. I try to touch her often so that she will get used to me. She does pull her head in at first but once I touch her she will keep her head out. Have any of yours opened there mouth like you were food?

 

[Mao Senpai]

Hmm... I don't think so. Then again I never hand feed them. I just use a pair of chopsticks (lol) to grab the food and put it in their dish. Then they just come running!.

 

[GBtortoises]

It's very likely food association. Doubtfully territorial aggression, especially where a female is concerned. But it's not completely out of the question either since some females do show territorial characteristics during mating and nesting season. That would depend completely on the size, age and enviromental situation of the individual tortoise. Many keepers often associate a tortoise running up to them as "bonding" or affection. Both are traits (along with others) that are assumed because we humans like to associate our ability of emotional feeling to our pets. Much of what keepers perceive as tortoise "emotions" are actually just reactionary responses to a situation. They're simple animals whose lives revolve around light, heat, food and reproduction.

 

[CtTortoiseMom]

I definitely pushed my emotional reward expectations ..
onto poor Princess Leia. But, I also took her level of (what I perceived to be) comfort with me as a sign of her settling in. To think that I was misreading her telling me to "get lost" is kind of devastating. Oh my I am such a needy wuss today.
Here is my sollution... I am going to stop hand feeding her the afternoon snack and just put it on her dish like her breakfast. Then, she might take less of an interest in me when I am changing her water and hopefully won't try to bite me again!!

 

[ChiKat]

Sometimes Nelson chases my hand around his enclosure, but it doesn't seem aggressive to me. It just seems like he's interested. He probably associates me with food too.

 

[Tom]

I think its great that you have a leopard that is so fearless and engaging. Definitely the exception, whatever is motivating it. I agree with GB that its likely an association with food, but not too many have leopards that want to interact with them in any way.

A reduction in hand feeding and an increase in petting and carrying will likely settle her down.

If that were my tortoise, I'd encourage that behavior. I love feisty animals. You ought to come out here and help me wrangle my blackthroated monitors some time. I've got one that just has no fear and walks right up to people. If you reach at him he'll tail whip you sometimes. I really have a ton of fun interacting with him.

 

[CtTortoiseMom]

Tom, do you have pics of all of your reptiles/animals on this forum? I would love to see them.

Thanks for your input everyone

 

[Tom]

Tom, do you have pics of all of your reptiles/animals on this forum? I would love to see them.

Thanks for your input everyone

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-Finished-Giant-Lizard-Cage-Pics#axzz1D3HlraTg

There are more pics on page two also.

 

[african cake queen]

Hmm... I don't think so. Then again I never hand feed them. I just use a pair of chopsticks (lol) to grab the food and put it in their dish. Then they just come running!.

im with you, watch your fingers. lindy from ct.(momo)