I have a Reeves turtle, he's over 100 grams. His name is Tiny.
Everything is great with him except one thing; he likes to nip me as I siphon in the tank.
When he was a baby, I would wiggle my finger to lure him in and I'd hand feed him some food, to get him used to me. Now, I don't really mind if he's nibbly. He's a little guy and doesn't hurt when he bites. He has started to try to bite my palms and the sides of my hands if he cannot reach my finger, haha. I enjoy having him in the tank while I do water changes. He has more exposure to me when he is in the tank while I clean. However, I am afraid that this nibbling will become acceptable behaviour if he is handled by others in or out of the tank, and with others this would probably not be okay with him acting this way. He's awesome to handle out of water, loves to have his head rubbed as well as his chin. He's got a great disposition. Is there anything I can do to discourage the biting without discouraging him to come to me? I'd like to do this without having to remove him from the tank while I'm in it for minor things.
This is strange to ask but if anyone can assist, it'd be appreciated. Thank you
Everything is great with him except one thing; he likes to nip me as I siphon in the tank.
When he was a baby, I would wiggle my finger to lure him in and I'd hand feed him some food, to get him used to me. Now, I don't really mind if he's nibbly. He's a little guy and doesn't hurt when he bites. He has started to try to bite my palms and the sides of my hands if he cannot reach my finger, haha. I enjoy having him in the tank while I do water changes. He has more exposure to me when he is in the tank while I clean. However, I am afraid that this nibbling will become acceptable behaviour if he is handled by others in or out of the tank, and with others this would probably not be okay with him acting this way. He's awesome to handle out of water, loves to have his head rubbed as well as his chin. He's got a great disposition. Is there anything I can do to discourage the biting without discouraging him to come to me? I'd like to do this without having to remove him from the tank while I'm in it for minor things.
This is strange to ask but if anyone can assist, it'd be appreciated. Thank you