Anyone know of tortoises trained to come with dinner bell?

[mctlong]

Johnny, please keep us posted on your progress. Id love to see if you're able to bell train your torts.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

They can hear. I've seen plenty to convince me of that.
But to get their full attention, I bang on the wooden walls. Kind of a double barreled approach.
I'll bet that the bell works.

 

[JohnnyB65]

They can hear. I've seen plenty to convince me of that.
But to get their full attention, I bang on the wooden walls. Kind of a double barreled approach.
I'll bet that the bell works.

I’m fairly confident that he will come to the sound of a bell if he is hungry otherwise he will ignore me. He is so finicky about eating that he will ignore the food completely if not hungry, but will accept something red like an apple or cherry tomato. Sometimes he doesn’t eat for a couple of days and then he will follow me all over the yard until I give him something when he’s hungry.

 

[JohnnyB65]

I just wanted to add an update that my Desert Tortoise is responding to my diner bell which is actually some metal pipe chimes that I pick up and jiggle. I don’t want them to ring when the wind is blowing so I lay them down. I do have to say that it is completely on his terms and only when he’s hungry. He will not come out after he has eaten and his belly is full.

 

[leigti]

I thought we've already had this debate on whether tortoises can hear or not. They can.
My tortoises are on a feeding schedule because I am on a work schedule at least in the winter when I feed them, in the summer they eat the plants in there and closure. I knock on the side of the enclosure. Then I put the food down and walk away. They come out and eat.

 

[leigti]

And for those people who say it is the vibration of the knocking and not the sound, I can call my Russian tortoise and she will come to me when in her outdoor pen.

 

[dmmj]

one day I spent the whole day insulting my tortoise and his mom, no reaction

 

[Big Charlie]

Today I walked outside and saw Charlie heading away from me to do his daily walk along the fence. I called him, he turned around and came to me (he knew I was going to cut him some hibiscus branches.) It was obvious that he reacted when I called him. He ignored the sound of the door when I first came outside.

 

[JoesMum]

He doesn’t have a regular schedule and if I don’t feed him when he’s out, he will not eat the food when it dries out or it will be eaten by birds and other animals.

I shouldn't worry too much about it drying out.

I have noticed that, quite often, Joe eats yesterday's leftovers in preference to today's fresh. He lives outdoors 24/7 and I supplement his grazing with shop bought and picked. I have no idea why he does this.

I knew he would eat the leftovers, but experimented by not clearing up and putting the fresh next to it and there he was chomping on the wilted horrible looking stuff!

In very hot weather where he's active at dawn, before I stir, I put the food out the evening before and he'll eat it when he gets up.

He definitely reacts to sound. If I need to find him... and he's likely to be awake/warm enough... I can knock on the big plastic watering can and he'll emerge. I use a steady rhythm and assume he thinks it's another male tortoise head-butting. I use the same rhythm that he uses when butting our wheelie bin

 

[Gillian M]

And for those people who say it is the vibration of the knocking and not the sound, I can call my Russian tortoise and she will come to me when in her outdoor pen.

I am one of those who think that torts do not hear: they feel vibrations. Even if one calls a tort, there are vibrations in a human being's voice.

 

[Gillian M]

They can hear. I've seen plenty to convince me of that.
But to get their full attention, I bang on the wooden walls. Kind of a double barreled approach.
I'll bet that the bell works.

What is it that convinced you that torts hear? if I may ask.

 

[Gillian M]

I thought we've already had this debate on whether tortoises can hear or not. They can.
My tortoises are on a feeding schedule because I am on a work schedule at least in the winter when I feed them, in the summer they eat the plants in there and closure. I knock on the side of the enclosure. Then I put the food down and walk away. They come out and eat.

Yes, we did "discuss" this before. However we only went around in vicious circles.

P.S. I do not mean anyone here, ok?

 

[king_pappy]

I am not sure where this myth has come from...that tortoises can't hear.

They have perfectly good ears.

Now...I will add...that not all animals will want to do what they are capable of doing (just like people).

I have a parrot that can talk and can fly. She opts to do neither. She prefers to shriek and wait for taxi service...or, if she absolutely has to...walk.

They do not have ears for a say but they definitely sense vibrations from all noise, my tortoise loves Music with bass. Mostly smooth slow jazz

 

[jsheffield]

A number of my torts note my presence and will move over to the spot I put their food down when they see me in the morning....

J

 

[jeff kushner]

Guys, you'all know this thread is 5 years old, right? King is new and didn't notice.....rookie mistake but since from MI, we'll offer some slack as long as they aren't a Spartans fan.

LOL