I do! My dogs and cats have always done it! Every single one I have had. Torts are little harder to watch bcs mine are usually in their caves at nite but the times I have been able to watch they assume different positions and do move, blink they eyes in their sleep. I totally believe they form memories of their experience which then find reflection in their sleep brain patternsI watch him when he sleeps and sometimes his little legs will get to moving. It just makes me think what is he dreaming about lol. Anyone else ever think the same thing or does ur tort move around a lot when they sleep?View attachment 210348
I totally agree with you. Where there is a brain, there is some learning, memory, feelings, perceptions... (of fear, pain, contentment, energy and fatigue.. etc) there are very likely to be dreams! I'm going to have to pay more attention to mine sleeping! Very interesting topic! Thanks fir bringing it up!Neither Elsa nor Jacques appear to move when they sleep. But I believe anything with a brain that is capable of learning and memory must dream in some way. This is a fun idea.
This is what I was thinking too. More than wondering what they dream about, I am wondering if they dream at all. I don't know the answer.Hm, Ive never thought about it. I wonder if they even dream. You never know!
Thanks Mark for putting it in a "nice package" for us. It totally makes sense.One theory (explanation) of dreaming says the dreaming is an extension of the learning process. There has been enough study to show considerable evidence that all vertebrates probably "dream" and the brain is using that time to solidify some learnings of the day. If we are to accept that, then I could conclude that when I see my dog's legs "running" while asleep, he may well be chasing that ball I threw today for him. I see his tail wagging in a dream it could be of my return home and greeting.
Rats have been studied and shown to have all the brain waves of dreaming. Matching closely the same patterns that existed earlier that day in maze tests but in a much more compressed timeline. It indeed seems likely that dreaming is fortification of learning.
In that vein, it would then be logical to see that a tortoise may "dream" of food locations and how to get there. Predator threats, soaks in tubs!!
Interesting food for thought!