Shelled Warriors Forums
 

Go Back   Shelled Warriors Forums > Tortoise Information > Mediterranean Tortoises - Information & Questions

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 30-03-2012, 12:15 AM   #1
**Carol**
Junior Member
Egg
 
**Carol**'s Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Edinburgh, Scotland
Posts: 25
Default Toe-biting tortoise!!

Hi, my Reggie has been acting very oddly lately and I wanted to ask around and see if anyone has observed any similar behaviour and has any advice for me?

Recently he has been very restless in his enclosure, I've been reading around the forum and think this could be to do with the mild spring weather.
However when I get him out he chases me around incessantly, trying to bite me! He runs at full speed and snaps at my feet, hands, legs (whatever he can reach).
The other day he started humping my shoe and I realised it must be something to do with sexual maturity (he's now just over 3). But will this aggressive behaviour go away?
Any advice will be greatly appreciated!
Thanks,

Carol
__________________
Carol

1 Cute Little Hermann's - Reggie
1 Naughty Black Kitten - Nala
3 Multicoloured Corn Snakes - Nacho, Salsa and Snow
**Carol** is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 30-03-2012, 01:17 AM   #2
JoesMum
Member
Hatchling
 
JoesMum's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Kent
Posts: 717
Default

Ummm.... You will get quiet times and hormonal times ... Right now he's being a hormonal teenager.

All his behaviour is classic mating behaviour and I hate to say this, but Joe's still mating with shoes, etc aged 50. You learn to defend your ankle bones from butting with the sole of your shoe. We have an easily movable fence we can put up when we want to use some of Joe's garden
__________________
1.0.0 Testudo Graeca Graeca (Mediterranean Spur Thigh) raised from very small and approximately 50 years old.
JoesMum is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 30-03-2012, 08:36 AM   #3
jeannette37
Member
Juvenile
 
jeannette37's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: worcester,Worcestershire
Posts: 815
Default

Yep mines the same and I'm with Joes mum it can change according to the weather but doesn't get any better I'm afraid,if I need to do some gardening or my granddaughter wants to play in the garden I have to pen some off or I give Bert/Spot his favourite pot tortoise and that keeps him busy for a little while,the other day he bit me on the ankle but that was my fault for not moving my foot quick enough
__________________

I don't own torts they own me
jeannette37 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-04-2012, 06:37 PM   #4
jo__
Member
Incubating
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Southampton
Posts: 221
Default

Hi,
As others have said this behaviour doesn't get any better.. I have an older male hermanns and he's 'at it' all day!! He has free run of the garden, even my cat has to look both ways before going out the kitchen door!!

One tip we have learnt is he will not bite our feet if we have socks on For some reason he hates it. An old trainer is also a definate distraction from feet.

Hope this helps a little,
Jo
jo__ is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-04-2012, 10:23 PM   #5
**Carol**
Junior Member
Egg
 
**Carol**'s Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Edinburgh, Scotland
Posts: 25
Default

Thanks for your messages everyone.
I'm actually pretty upset that this behaviour will continue. I live in a flat at the moment so Reggie doesn't get outside much where I can pen him off he usually just has the run of the flat, however Ive been finding I don't let him out as much recently because I can't get anything done when he's out, and I feel really guilty for this. Also I was sitting on the floor the other day and didn't see him coming and he bit my hand so hard it was bleeding.
I can't imagine having young children in here if he will continue to behave like that.
I don't know what to do.
__________________
Carol

1 Cute Little Hermann's - Reggie
1 Naughty Black Kitten - Nala
3 Multicoloured Corn Snakes - Nacho, Salsa and Snow
**Carol** is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-04-2012, 11:15 PM   #6
JoesMum
Member
Hatchling
 
JoesMum's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Kent
Posts: 717
Default

I'm afraid that's the way male torts behave.

You have two choices: One is to get a larger a tortoise table and accept that he cannot have a free run of your floor space (and there many who believe it is not good for them to do so) and the other is to consider rehoming your tort.

Your tort is doing what comes naturally to him. They don't all bite... but it is a risk with males. You just can't tell which ones will
__________________
1.0.0 Testudo Graeca Graeca (Mediterranean Spur Thigh) raised from very small and approximately 50 years old.
JoesMum is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-04-2012, 08:40 PM   #7
janeL
Senior Member
Sub Adult
 
janeL's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: northampton
Posts: 1,435
Default

Hehehe I think he lurrrvvves you!!!
__________________
www.urbantortoise.co.uk
For Tortoise Food, Plants and Pre Alpin info & sales

Hermanns THB 2:3:0
Algerian TGG 1.2.3
Ibera TGI 0.1.0[/CENTER]
janeL is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-04-2012, 11:15 PM   #8
**Carol**
Junior Member
Egg
 
**Carol**'s Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Edinburgh, Scotland
Posts: 25
Default

He doesn't have free run a lot, he just gets out for a trundle about every now and again.
I don't have the space for a larger table at the moment, and I know he's growing out of the one he's in now. But I don't want to give up a family member. I'll have to have a think. We were thinking of moving soon anyway, this may be the push I need to get out of this flat and into a bigger one with a garden and a room reggie can have for himself with a big tortoise table in!
xxx
__________________
Carol

1 Cute Little Hermann's - Reggie
1 Naughty Black Kitten - Nala
3 Multicoloured Corn Snakes - Nacho, Salsa and Snow
**Carol** is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-04-2012, 04:41 PM   #9
lin3ie
Junior Member
Egg
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 11
Default

My tortoise - Tintin - does exactly the same, we've had him for just over 7 years but by his size and weight (150mm and 700g) we think he's probably around 10 so I'm guessing he's just a mardy teenager?

This behavior has only started in the last 6-9 months and like you my tortoise is allowed to roam free in the house, mostly because if we keep him locked in he incessantly butts the door until someone opens it and lets him out!!

The aggression started with my husband, Tintin literally chases him out of the room if he's in that sort of mood whereas with me he just likes to follow me around and usually sits on top of my foot - only a few weeks ago he started to bite me, one day sneaking up behind me and drawing blood out of the back of my ankle. I'm convinced he's learned that my husband retaliates (usually with shouting something like "sod off you little bugger") and puts him back in the viv, whereas I talk to him and pet him. His other favorite 'hobby' is wrestling me for my socks, usually started by him trying to nibble the end of my toe!

We have a dog and the tortoise walks up and down along the front of the dogs bed biting the hard plastic (he's never attempted to bother the dog, and we NEVER leave them alone together) - does anybody know why he might be doing this?

I wondered whether getting him a female companion would stop him being aggressive towards us?
lin3ie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-03-2015, 09:57 PM   #10
Silversurreal
Junior Member
Egg
 
Join Date: Mar 2015
Posts: 2
Angry

PLEASE HELP! I have exactly the same problem and its so bad I'm at the end of my tether!

I am seriously thinking of giving him up, but I love him and so want him to stop this aggressive sometimes disgusting behaviour! I spent all my life wanting a tortoise and now as a 13/14 year old he's driving us all bananas, so much so I dread letting him out!

In winter he was always mainly in his viv, but now he's shown he likes to roam the house - which was fine until all the attacking us and ejaculating over the carpet, its getting to the point that I am constantly rejecting him because I dread him being in the same room (and this is the cute little boy who used to snuggle up to me for warmth and like his chin tickled and expand his legs in relaxation) Now he hunts us out, approaches mouth open like a tyrannosaurus ready for the kill, he literally runs across the house chasing us biting us, ruining shoes, socks and even biting a hole in my daughters backside of her school trousers and several hems! I'm sick of cleaning his semen off the carpets! He's had an old shoe who has been his "partner" for years and it used to be funny when he first started squeaking and mating shoes, but now he seems almost as if he's turned "wild" and its really bothering me.

Before you say, yes he needs to be outside more, I guess he desperately needs to mate and no I dont hibernate, which I know I should but am scared of losing him, as nowhere suitable to maintain correct temperature! Please help, I really dont want to get rid of Speedy Gonzales but as I've said I cant take much more! I want him but I need him to change or at least stop hunting us so we cant relax in our own home, I want my loving boy back again not this wild creature, please reply, kind regards Julie ps had him about 9 years and since about age 8 he's been this way getting progressively worse!

Last edited by egyptiandan64; 04-03-2015 at 08:37 PM.
Silversurreal is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 11:19 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.