Tortoise Behavior

Tortoises do mark the territory but not with urine. They assert their dominance over other tortoises (and possibly other reptiles) by butting heads rather aggressively and by biting. Tortoises bang heads and bite to claim superiority and win food and mating rights.

Tortoises can walk backwards but it is not a normal movement they do every day. Turning around is preferred but if the need arises, walking backwards is an option to get out of a tight space. It may look clumsy and slow to us, but they’re actually quite good at it.

There are 3 main reasons for a tortoise that keeps pacing: It’s a normal mating behavior designed to attract the opposite sex, it’s a reaction to the glass in some vivariums or terrariums, and finally, it may be that your tortoise is from a species that walks a lot and finds the enclosure a little small.

If your tortoise can’t open his mouth, it might be that his beak is overgrown and you need to get it trimmed. It is also possible that your tortoise’s mouth is closed due to mouth rot or a respiratory infection. In all cases, your tortoise needs to visit the vet for a proper diagnosis and treatment.

Tortoises can mate with siblings but they really should not. While inbreeding in reptiles is not as problematic as in mammals and other animals, nature shows us that there are some serious potential consequences. To increase the chances for healthy offspring, tortoise owners should not allow their tortoises to mate with siblings.

If you have tortoises (or turtles) then you may suddenly find that one day, you’ve got some eggs on your hands but are these eggs going to turn into babies? Or are they simply unfertilized eggs that will never produce offspring? Well, it turns out that it’s relatively easy to find out. Can tortoises and

Tortoises can fight when left alone but it’s unlikely that they they would kill each other. It is possible that mixing two or more species of tortoise together might result in their deaths due to disease or infection from the other species.

There is no definitive scientific answer for why tortoises poop in water. One answer is that warm water relaxes a tortoise’s bowels making it easy to release poop. Another possibility is a “hygiene mechanism” in the wild (poop in running water and bye-bye poop!)

Since tortoises are reptiles, they are not capable of feeling “love” as we humans understand it. However, tortoises do show signs of affection and appreciation for their owners. They follow their pet parents around, tolerate handling, eat directly from human hands, and come to us when they see us.

There is no specific amount of time that tortoises need to exercise. But during the waking summer months, it is good to have your tortoise exercise for at least one hour a day. Try to encourage walking, gentle climbing, and some digging. During the colder months the waking hours for tortoises are reduced significantly (or completely, if hibernating) so exercise will naturally be less.