Tortoise Disposition

Status
Not open for further replies.

FranklinAndTara

New Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jun 27, 2011
Messages
224
Location (City and/or State)
Satellite Beach, Fl
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?
 

Jacqui

Wanna be raiser of Lemon Drop tortoises
Moderator
10 Year Member!
Joined
Aug 28, 2007
Messages
39,941
Location (City and/or State)
A Land Far Away...
:D so much really depends on the animals, where they came from, how much you interact with them, and ages just to point out a few.

My most "personable and personality filled" tortoises species here have been a Desert tortoise, sulcatas, and Erosa hingebacks. I have a Leopard who would be right up there with them, but as an individua,l as my other Leopards are not that way. I have a few Homes hingebacks which are also in the top rankings, but others Homes who are less shy bring the species rankings here at my place down.
 

FranklinAndTara

New Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jun 27, 2011
Messages
224
Location (City and/or State)
Satellite Beach, Fl
Thanx Jacqui! I was surprised by how friendly Franklin was when we found him. within an hour or so he came out of his shell and checked us out. I wasnt sure if it was a Sulcata thing or if its widespread among tortoises.
How about Red Foots? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?
 

ALDABRAMAN

KEEPER AT HEART
10 Year Member!
Joined
Nov 5, 2010
Messages
28,446
Location (City and/or State)
SW Forida
Aldabras are gentle giants!

14vhj7.jpg


33oil9d.jpg
 

terryo

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Aug 24, 2007
Messages
8,975
Location (City and/or State)
Staten Island, New York
EVERYONE wants to go play on that farm. :D
My oldest Cherry Head, Pio, is very friendly and will come up to anyone who has food in their hands. If I sit next to his garden, he will come up and sit right next to my feet. My smaller one, Solo, isn't as friendly toward strangers as Pio is, but will come when she see's me, expecting some food. Those are the only two tortoises I have to compare. But I have to say, that my box turtles are the friendly ones. They are very comical, and make me laugh all the time. They're always doing something silly, and funny, and aren't afraid at all. All I have to do is walk by their garden, and they all come out from whereever they're hiding. They stretch their necks and look up at you and wait for a hand out. I have seven Box Turtles, and each one has a different personality. Sometimes they remind me of cartoon characters. OT...I think if someone put a nail through one of my boxies, or tortoises, like they did in that news article, I could very well be capable of murder, because I love them so much, and they give me so much joy.
003-54.jpg
 

terryo

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Aug 24, 2007
Messages
8,975
Location (City and/or State)
Staten Island, New York
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

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Apr 15, 2010
Messages
4,967
Location (City and/or State)
Arizona
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

Active Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Apr 21, 2010
Messages
4,009
Location (City and/or State)
The Republic O' Tejas
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. :p

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

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,264
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
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.
 

-EJ

New Member
10 Year Member!
5 Year Member
Joined
Jan 10, 2008
Messages
983
Location (City and/or State)
Georgia
Dude... you are going to sell many aldabras with photos and advertising like this... very nice.

ALDABRAMAN said:
[size=large]Aldabras are gentle giants!



the kid with the carrot... the tortoise is a male... did you get it from parrot jungle?
 

mctlong

Moderator
5 Year Member
Joined
Oct 17, 2009
Messages
2,653
Location (City and/or State)
SF Valley, SoCal
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.
 

wrmitchell22

New Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jun 4, 2011
Messages
901
Location (City and/or State)
Southeast Arizona
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" :D
 

HLogic

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
May 31, 2010
Messages
1,034
Location (City and/or State)
Florida, USA
Manouria emys ssp. are also very outgoing and personable, even most wild caught specimens after acclimation.
 

-EJ

New Member
10 Year Member!
5 Year Member
Joined
Jan 10, 2008
Messages
983
Location (City and/or State)
Georgia
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.
 

FranklinAndTara

New Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jun 27, 2011
Messages
224
Location (City and/or State)
Satellite Beach, Fl
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.

how could you deny that sweet little face? you gotta give in :)

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...


OOOHHHH thanx im gonna check it out!



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. :p

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).

Fernando posted a video of his Russians.... I was laughing out loud and my sister came to watch too.. those little guys were hilarious. like little bitty shelled pit bulls. youve gotta watch them!

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.

Sulcatas are my first.... and they have opened the door to the wide world of tortoises for me. My friends were here for a party on the 4th and they were all as surprized a I was about their personalities!

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" :D

"hey guys, uh, whatcha got in that box there? is that food? for me??? Score!!!..... How'd I end up in a pet shop?? hmmmm... Oh LOOK! FOOD!"
im sure this is the internal monolog(sp?) of a Wild Caught Russian Tortoise

HLogic said:
Manouria emys ssp. are also very outgoing and personable, even most wild caught specimens after acclimation.

they are the Burmese Mountain Tort right? Ive seen them online... Beautiful creatures

-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.

If i had a bigger backyard i would probably venture to aldabras!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

New Posts

Top