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View Full Version : Tortoise attack!!!


MikeGold
08-18-04, 09:33 AM 08-18-04
Yeah basically this is a story and a question all wrapped up in one package.

So i come downstairs one day and my sister is standing there with my mom. They notice me and turn and my sister starts to tell me a very odd story. Apparently my tortoise has started attacking the dog. According to them, it was because the tortoise has had enough of all the dog attacks (i walked outside and found out that the puppy had picked up the tortoise and dropped him into our pond, and my sister tells me repeatedly of other attacks on the tortoise).

Now first off i should mention, that the tortoise is allowed to roam the house instead of being stuck in a little tank or something, and when we're home he roams the backyard. Now i took the dog out one day and let her out in the backyard with the tortoise
and as i was petting her, i noticed the tortoise almost on her leg with his jaws wide open and immediately snatched the pup out of the way. What was going on? From that day foward, they tortoise will follow the dog from room to room, at top speed trying to take a chunk out of the dog. We leave the dog locked in a room on the side of the living room with a baby fence to keep her in. The tortoise will come up, stick his head through one of the holes in the fence, and relentlessly try to attack. He'll just keep trying to force himself through the hole for, literally, hours!

We've taken him aside and tried to feed him and see if maybe he was just hungry and the smell of the dog was like that of his food (which is odd enough to begin with) occasionally he ate the food but then headed right back at the dog, occasionally he didn't eat anything, but then attacked the dog again.

According to my sister again, the tortoise ran up to attack out cat (which has the same basic colors as the dog) but once he got close, realized it wasn't the dog, and closed his mouth and walked away. I don't know how true THAT is but the rest i've seen with my own eyes.

Now my question is.. WHY?! Why is my tortoise doing this?

lordmat
11-28-04, 08:34 AM 11-28-04
maybe it just likes dogs or he knows the dog wont attack him so he attacks it my gusses

Edith
01-28-05, 04:29 PM 01-28-05
A similar thing happened to me but with my cat.

I had my little turtle named Julie for 3 years and finally convinced my mom to get a kitten. At first the turtle didn't seem mind but as my kitten kept pouncing on her she got pretty agressive.

What I decided to do is, I put Julie in her glass aquarium inside a pen with the cat. I played with the cat and gave her treats when she didn't pay attention to the turtle. At first the turtle was trying to get out and nip the cat but gradually she just got used to the cat being around without being a threat. This took something like a week, doing it about two hours a day. When the turtle stoped being in "nipping mode" I let her out with the cat watching them. Each time the turtle would try to nip I would put her back in the aquarium, finally everytime she would go near the cat and not nip I would give her a treat. After three weeks the turtle was fine with the cat being around and finally my family is at peace.

Hopefully this will be good info for you :D

Edith