Other Turtle Discussion :: pixi and her snapping

[pixidust]

is there any way to get my RES to stop snapping at me for every little thing?

[jay2487]

dont hand feed it. It relates the sight of you and your finger to being fed.

[roseK]

well, i hand feed my turtle and he never bites when im touching him or putting my hands in his tank.

[jay2487]

so what is your suggestion then? Discipline them?

I've had the problem before. A hungry RES that just took a pellet or shrimp from your hand is going to have trouble immediately discerning the difference if you just put your finger back close enough. They are scavengers and opportunistic feeders. Once you stop hand feeding and just letting the food fall into the tank or feeding bowl, the turtle will stop associating your hand with being fed and will cut down on trying to bite you.

[LilTurtSquirt]

[roseK]

Yes, you should discipline your turtles. a light tap on the nose and saying "no biting" firmly should do the trick.



Actually i dont think there is anything you can much do, it has much to do with the personality of the turtle and how much trust it has in its owner.

[blackforces get you]

mine actually learned after a while. they can tell the difference. my turtles know when they bite me

and once they do they instantly let go. probably wait a while and it might stop

[pixidust]

thank you for all the info, my guess is she is still probably mad at me for having to giver the shots for 2 weeks.

[jay2487]

Mine never snap like in anger or defense, I have had them swim to the edge and try to climb on water to get to my finger dangling over the side, trying to eat it. I stopped hand feeding and it died down and now they dont anymore, even when my hand is in the tank.

[Turtle_Man_Marc]

You really can't discipline a turtle. As much as I preach about them having personalities and almost human qualities, the fact is they don't have the mental capacity to understand why you're disciplining them.

All I do when I get in an aggressive or scared turtle is handle them more. Give them some one on one time and slowly get them used to being handled. It doesn't always work, but most of the time it does.

[theartbook35]

Turtles have very vivid memories. I doubt you will ever be able to get your RES to stop biting you.

Sadie is a bit "wilder" than Ty and Cane, so, I keep a close eye on her whenever I put my hands in her tank. She automatically assumed my hand is holding food whenever it goes in the water.

Ty and Cane don't really care when I put my hands in the tank, they are used to it. If I wiggled my fingers on the surface of the water, or am holding food though, they try to take a nip at me.