Tortoise Shyness

[mia.swain]

I've had my tortoise for about 4 years now and she's in great health but is still very shy. She's a lot more curious and outgoing in the summer, as she is able to go outside a lot more I assume. However she is still very wary of me a lot of the time and tends to hiss when I pick her up. Any ideas on how to make her more confident? Or anything I can do differently?

 

[Blakem]

Some just don't like to be handled. bit you could just try handling him a little a day. Try hand feeding him his favorite food whenever you want

 

[Maggie Cummings]

He's not really hissing at you, that's the air escaping his body as he jams back into his carapace....I handle mine at any opportunity. I believe it socializes them,
And it gets them used to me so they stop peeing on me...

 

[MPRC]

How are you approaching her? Coming from overhead can be threatening (think like a bird coming to scoop her up) I try to approach from the side and I talk to the tort so it know's I'm there. Then I put my hand on them for a second before picking them up.

 

[Speedy-1]

I try to be slow and deliberate when handling Speedy , approaching so he can see me . If I am rushing him , he lets me know he disapproves by peeing on me !

 

[Yvonne G]

What kind of tortoise?

 

[mia.swain]

Okay Thankyou, I'll try hand feeding more often and approaching more slowly. She's a horsefield tortoise

 

[Big Charlie]

Some don't like being picked up at all but they might enjoy being touched. I give Charlie treats and touch him at the same time. Hopefully he'll associate touching with good things. I've noticed that now that he has emerged from his 2 month nap, he is shyer than he was before.

 

[Gillian M]

A warm welcome to the forum.

Most torts do not like to be handled/picked up. They are not sociable animals. They also need a lot of time to get used to a new place, environment, new owner, enclosure and the rest.

Please post pics of your tort as well as her enclosure.