I have 2 Sulcatas and they are very friendly and outgoing. Im assuming that different species will have different personalities. Can you guys give me a little info on the disposition of other species?
FranklinAndTara said:I have 2 Sulcatas and they are very friendly and outgoing. Im assuming that different species will have different personalities. Can you guys give me a little info on the disposition of other species?
ALDABRAMAN said:[size=large]Aldabras are gentle giants!
mctlong said:Wow! Love the pics of that aldabra.
I've found CB deserts to be outgoing and personable.
I've only worked with one Russian, Indy, so I don't know about the species as a whole. Indy is the most personable reptile I've ever encountered. He's like a little shelled puppy. If anyone, friend or stranger, walks by his enclosure, he'll zooms towards them and try climbing the walls to get to them (undoubtedly hoping for a treat). He's WC, so my husband and I joke that when the trappers came, he was the first to greet them.
HLogic said:Manouria emys ssp. are also very outgoing and personable, even most wild caught specimens after acclimation.
terryo said:That's Pi. She's an Eastern Box Turtle. My son took that picture. She is looking up at me and I'm telling her that she had her worm for the day and isn't getting another one. She never stopped looking at me while I talked....eventually I gave in, of course, and gave her another worm.
Neal said:We actually just had an awesome debate about this topic a couple of weeks ago. Here is the link:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-Are-Leopard-Tortoises-Shy#axzz1RrL9Bi2V
The thread is specifically about leopard tortoises, but there are a lot of good comments in there that can be applicable to other species as well. Basically there are so many factors involved it's difficult to say if one species of tortoise is more personable than another. A lot depends on your perception of personality as well as factors related to the way the tortoise was raised, whether it was captive bred or wild caught, etc...
Terry Allan Hall said:FranklinAndTara said:I have 2 Sulcatas and they are very friendly and outgoing. Im assuming that different species will have different personalities. Can you guys give me a little info on the disposition of other species?
These are the species I've had, over the years:
Hermann's tend to be very friendly and interactive from the get go, much like a sulcata, but more compactly. They are my favorites, obviously.
Greeks are a little more shy, as first, but usually warm up, given time.
Russians are little hooligans, but in an amusing way. I always think of Jimmy Cagney (am I dating myself? )
Leopards are often quite shy, but some eventually do get dog-tame.
My daughter's Ornate box turtles are like night and day...Andromeda is sweet-natured and very friendly. Orion is not friendly at all and will bite you, given half a chance (in his defense, his previous owner was a cruel little brat who'd kick the poor thing across the floor...Orion was a mercy buy).
Tom said:I think Jacqui and Neal both hit the nail on the head.
I also concur with Terry Allen Hall's assessment of the species he mentioned. I don't have a lot of experience with Greeks or Hermann's, but Terry's opinion of them has been unanimous among the breeders and keepers I have asked about them. My experience with Russians and Leopards also mirrors his.
Still... sulcatas generally have my favorite tortoise personality.
wrmitchell22 said:mctlong said:Wow! Love the pics of that aldabra.
I've found CB deserts to be outgoing and personable.
I've only worked with one Russian, Indy, so I don't know about the species as a whole. Indy is the most personable reptile I've ever encountered. He's like a little shelled puppy. If anyone, friend or stranger, walks by his enclosure, he'll zooms towards them and try climbing the walls to get to them (undoubtedly hoping for a treat). He's WC, so my husband and I joke that when the trappers came, he was the first to greet them.
Lol, I can totally picture a russian running up to the captors "take me, take me, I could use an automatic feeder"
HLogic said:Manouria emys ssp. are also very outgoing and personable, even most wild caught specimens after acclimation.
-EJ said:You've never had an aldabra... puts Sulcatas to shame.
HLogic said:Manouria emys ssp. are also very outgoing and personable, even most wild caught specimens after acclimation.