Wow my torts are so smart!

[turtlelover2495]

So I usually feed my tortoises before I go to bed at around 12:30-1am and so I go into check the temp and they are both waiting there it was really cute. And not only that I bought a large bowl and a mini bowl because my tortoise is about 5inches and my friend had just recently bought a baby redfoot hatchling a fews day ago. They both love eachother mine is a female. And I think his is a male. Neither one is dominant to one another.But I bought the smaller dish for the baby one. But they both figured out quickly which bowl is theirs I did not even train them. The little one was waiting by his dish and mine was waiting by her dish.


A lot of people like to bash animals and say that they are dumb. I beg to pardon they may not be as smart as smart an sophisticated and mechanically inclined like humans but they are still smart in their own unique way. As told by my grandmother my tortoise is a moving rock that gets fed =]! We have funny debates over if a tortoise is better than a dog and a cat sometimes!

 

[Tortus]

From all I've read here I have to believe some are smarter than others. Genetics no doubt, since I'm not sure how much you can actually teach a tortoise to learn.

One thing I give mine credit for is never flipping over, even when I had all kinds of wood in the enclosure. It would climb on the wood, and then look down and carefully place each foot in the right position so it doesn't fall over. If it couldn't get the right footing, it would take a different route. I've seen videos of torts just taking a plunge off things and falling on their heads. lol

 

[nevilspatel]

I agree that turtles are smart..

My mom feeds my turtles everyday and when she does, they all start coming out of their hiding places and move quickly to the feeding area.. When i do that, they completely ignore me.. I have seen many times that they eat their food from my mom's hand!!

 

[morloch]

I had to leave food for my guy early this morning,, had to go to work early, anyway,, I left a mix of greens and prickly pear( his favourite). When I checked on his home quickly before I left, he was already on his basking spot. But the light doesn't come on till 8.am, it was 6;30!! Ha ha.

 

[sibi]

I'd like to be a fly on the wall to hear those discussions.

We have funny debates over if a tortoise is better than a dog and a cat sometimes!
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[RedfootsRule]

Tortoises are very smart, but it is species specific...

Sometime I'm going to keep back a red foot tortoise and do a psychology experiment....Maybe next clutch ? I've seen things where people have clicker trained tortoises. I'd like to try "training" them, and see how well it works? Utter failure? Possibly. Complete success? You never know .

 

[Baoh]

I do not think I have one tortoise that will fail to achieve some measure of classical conditioning without me even trying to create particular associations.

 

[jtrux]

Yea, i'm one to believe that it's more out of habit than anything.

 

[MikeBike]

A tortoise was overheard saying to another, "oh yea, my pet human is real smart, look here she comes now with breakfast and daylight!

 

[yagyujubei]

Where do you guys get these smart tortoises? Because mine are about as dumb as can be. Doesn't mean I don't like 'em.

 

[Tortus]

I had to leave food for my guy early this morning,, had to go to work early, anyway,, I left a mix of greens and prickly pear( his favourite). When I checked on his home quickly before I left, he was already on his basking spot. But the light doesn't come on till 8.am, it was 6;30!! Ha ha.

They seem to have a routine, which is why I try to do things at the same time every day.

My leopard sleeps on an area of moss heated by a mat under the enclosure. It keeps it at 80 degrees all night, and it's always in the same spot when I turn the light on at 7:30 am, nice and warm.

One day I didn't get home until after 9 am because of a meeting, and the tort was over by its food dish in the dark all cold. 68 degrees. I can't use a timer since I keep the enclosure fully covered at night, so I turn the lights on when I get home in the morning. As long as I do everything on schedule I can almost predict its every move.

I plan on ordering one of those large pig mats to keep the entire bottom that warm in case it wanders in the dark again.

 

[Baoh]

Where do you guys get these smart tortoises? Because mine are about as dumb as can be. Doesn't mean I don't like 'em.

Mine pretty much know the hand that feeds, my fiancee, the dogs, some of the wild animals that visit, and each other. Some of the tortoises know to wait for falling blooms or ripening fruit. No differential equations for them, however.

 

[colatoise]

A tortoise was overheard saying to another, "oh yea, my pet human is real smart, look here she comes now with breakfast and daylight!

Funny