Does everyone's young torts give you a "hissey" fit when you have to handle them? My little boxie sounds like she has asthma attacks sometimes when I pick her up.
Hissey Fits?
- Thread starter Rhyno47
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I was taking pictures of Anouk's underside once, and she freaked out. Mine are pretty mellow though. I do a bit of handling with them. Maybe start with touching your boxie while she is the enclosure. Mine all come up to me (they know I bring treats), and they don't mind being held. Nigel on the other hand, will hiss at me to no end, if he's upset. He's my grumpy old man.
Only my youngest do. The boxie is only 5 months old. My oldest will dig at her tub if she even sees me come in the room. Its pretty annoying when you try and sleep.
Most of mine are okay except my ornate male, Frank. He hates me and sucks in (with a hiss) every time I walk up to his enclosure - even when I have food. We waits until I leave to eat.
I have one ...Three Toed, Nolie, that I think was wild caught or not handled a lot. She spends her days hidden under moss and if she sticks her head out I give her a treat with these long tweezers I have (bonsai tool). I have her over a year now and she's still very elusive. Chewy, (Eastern) is exceptionally friendly, curious, and if I lay my hand down flat in her viv, she will come to sit on it. I also think it helps when you take them out of their enclosure to feed them in a separate tub, which I'm doing now with my little Bindi (three toed hatchling).
Crush Is OKAYYY to handle although I only handle him when when needed, and some times I do pick him up to play but nope no hissy fits lol
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Scooter
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Thor doesn't seem to mind being held but if he is tired of it he will let me know by waving his front legs and head back and forth really quick.
Yep my sully does the same thing as Thor. It looks like he's running in mid-air! He's never hissed at me though.
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Scooter
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Thor has never hissed either, usually he is very good about being handled and will let me touch his face and legs. My hingeback on the other hand does not like it. She never hisses but she pulls in, if I wait long enough she will slowly peak out a little but she doesn't like it.
My sully, DonaTello is a little over a year old, how old is Thor?
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Scooter
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I am not sure of his exact age but I asked on here what people thought and the majority seemed to say around 3 months.
Yeah...Rascal peed on me yesterday when I went to bring him back inside lol
Im glad I am not the only one that has this issue. My little Leopard sounds like it has asthma too
hope is nothing to worry about. Mine is 1yr old
hope is nothing to worry about. Mine is 1yr old
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Tortoises are ground dwellers so it is their natural instinct to have solid ground below them. Not feeling a solid surface below them probably gives them the sensation that they're falling and makes them panick. Usually if they're legs and plastron are fully supported from underneath when picked up they don't flail around or panick. Pulling into their shell is a natural defense, usually done when they see something much bigger than they are or a shadow passes over them. The hissing noise when doing so is them expelling air from their lungs. They're front legs retract into the area that their lungs and other organs take up when the legs are extended.
They don't hiss at anyone, or dislike anyone, it's just very unnatural for them to be suddenly lifted up off the ground and hung in mid-air.
They don't hiss at anyone, or dislike anyone, it's just very unnatural for them to be suddenly lifted up off the ground and hung in mid-air.
The hiss is just because they retract their head so quickly is pushes air out of their air sacks and through their nose and mouth. Alot of babies do it. My adult Leopard even does it. I agree with GB... they like to feel something solid under their little feet
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