Why do some tortoises dance when their shell is scrachted or squirted with water?

[ZEROPILOT]

Someone told me if you scratch a torts back end and it danced, that meant it was a girl! Must be the stimulation. I have not seen mine do this yet.

My most energetic dancer was a male Redfoot. I still have a video of it, but it wont post here.

 

[NDevon]

Where do you scratch them to find out if they are a male?

Ha! I'm not going to answer that...

 

[Tom]

I do not know why tortoises dance. Mine (Darwin) does not dance when scratched but raises his butt when I squirt him but does not dance. If anyone knows why they do it or how to make them do it please respond. PS this s is Darwin after eating a strawberry.View attachment 169349

They do this to tell you to leave them alone. Its their expression of irritation. Its the equivalent of a male toad or frog croaking when you encircle their waist with your thumb and forefinger. The toad is saying, "Hey Dummy. I'm a male. Let go." Your tortoise is saying, "Hey Dummy. That annoys me. Knock it off."

And I would not feed your tortoise strawberries. They are not good for them. Some people recommend small amounts of fruit once in a while as a "treat". Why? If its so bad for them that they should only get a little bit, once in a whir, why give it to them at all? Tortoises don't need treats. They need a varied, balanced diet. Sugary treats disturb the delicate balance of their intestinal flora and fauna.

 

[SamuelM]

Here is a different take on this. I don't believe our Tortoises like to be sprayed by water, at all. They look a little agitated when this happens. They do the swivel dance. Isn't this a defense mechanism? These are large reptiles and being brushed up by the relatively sharp edges of the shells may cause a little discomfort. There is a lot of weight and strength to back up this movement. The motion seems to lack a differentiation between an actual predator touching it.This is not a reference to rubbing against an inanimate object. That's is most likely a whole different scenario. PS: There were a couple of Skunks out back, and I believe one put his nose or foot in the wrong place. We heard this squeal. My guess is that a skunk got a pinching of his life. I once received quite a blood blister, trying to lift one of them. Don't underestimate their strength. Have a good one. I'm new here also and haven't even written an introduction yet - browsing and saw this post.

 

[motero]

I think it is quite similar to when a female is trying to shake of a male. I spray them anyways it is funny. I don't think it is the water they don't like it is the feeling of something on the back of their shell where they cant see. If i am spraying out water dishes or watering plant or grass they they will try and walk through the water. Its so hot and dry in AZ, they love the water.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

That doesn't seem to mesh with them self scratching against branches, etc and doing the same wiggle movement against the branch and stream of water and not away from it. Otherwise it would seem to make sense.

 

[annabell.the.sulcata]

My sulcata tortoise will dance to music, she bobs her head and moves her legs

 

[SarahChelonoidis]

I have seen my male elongated occasionally scratch his hind shell on overhanging branches. It's possible he wasn't seeking out a scratch though, and instead just walked under it, it touched him, and he did a little shimmy to get it off. It looks like he's having an itch though - he could just walk away otherwise? He also raises up tall on his back legs if I rub the new growth on his shell but he doesn't do the little 'dance'. I don't know how involuntary it is or if it's associated with positive or negative sensations for him.

It would be interesting to keep a document of this behaviour in sex confirmed specimens to see if there are differences there.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

This is very interesting.

 

[motero]

I have seen my male elongated occasionally scratch his hind shell on overhanging branches. It's possible he wasn't seeking out a scratch though, and instead just walked under it, it touched him, and he did a little shimmy to get it off. It looks like he's having an itch though - he could just walk away otherwise? He also raises up tall on his back legs if I rub the new growth on his shell but he doesn't do the little 'dance'. I don't know how involuntary it is or if it's associated with positive or negative sensations for him.

It would be interesting to keep a document of this behaviour in sex confirmed specimens to see if there are differences there.

Exactly what I was thinking, the branch touched them first, then they shimmy.

 

[Gattu N'Coco]

My sulcata tortoise will dance to music, she bobs her head and moves her legs

She's just breathing

 

[enchilada]

I remember someone actually wrote a paper about radiata tortoise dances when sprayed water on butt