Other Turtle Discussion :: Biting?

[Smssms01]

Hi! I have two hatchlings, and have a random question: What is the tendency of red ears to bite?

I got sort of freaked out a few days ago because I had been feeding them and one of them mistook my hand for food (I think) and it looked like it tried to take a bite in my finger's general direction. Unless it was trying to bite me? I really have no way of knowing.

I've had them for a few months now and it never happened before then or after it, but it did make me think about this. If they do bite, how serious can a bite be when they're adults? I've never heard anything about this before, so I'm guessing they're no snappers, lol.

Thanks for the help! Btw, their names are Chip & Dale...cute, yea? ^_^

[Pizza]

Their names match, and fit your description well,

Well it really depends on the personality of the turtle, there is no way to find out if yours will or will not bite. Some turtles have known to never bite humans, even long into their adult years, while others snap at you every chance they get from birth. Some are even fairly docile until some random point (years later even), before they finally decide to make their move. As for tendency, it is generally random, but MOST turtles, if given a free shot, will go and try to chomp off what they think is live prey,

Some owners have had success by hand feeding their turtles as little hatchlings so that the turtles get used to the owner's fingers, but this hasn't always worked.

Hatchling bites generally do not hurt, they feel like a slight pinch at most, however as your turtle grows, it will start to hurt until your turtle is about 4 inches, then it may draw blood and from then on, will hurt more if you ever get bitten. I just very recently had the same question as you about the possible danger from adult turtle bites, and I learned that adult RES probably won't break off your finger if they bite (don't risk it anyways and try), but it will most likely result in bleeding, loss of some skin/flesh on your finger, and as always, pain.

A general rule of thumb for your own safety is to never place your fingers or any susceptible body part in the way of your turtle's head, or even the area around it (since turtles have really long necks, and can extend it to it's limit in a second or two), unless you want to take the risk and are willing to accept the pain should you get bitten.

[grey goose]

That's one of the drawbacks to hand feeding. Turts lunge at their food, and at the same time I think they close their eyes. I've been caught a couple times this way....

[industrial_girl_2000]

RES's are considered more aggressive than other baskers out there (painteds, etc.) but once they figure out that your finger is not food, they will not try to bite unless they are scared.

For the adult turts (like mine), if I hand feed things like sweet potato, I use a metal baby food spoon. Sheba gets so excited at feeding time & I swear she loses the ability to tell what my finger looks like vs. what the food looks like. She just bites down on anything she sees. It's not out of aggression, she just gets too excited!

[Smssms01]

Thank-you a ton for the info!

My turtles are hatchlings, so I suppose it would be now or never to try the hand feeding and get them used to me.

I'm quite a baby when it comes to pain, though I don't know if any of you know what a Roborovski hamster is, but it's the smallest type of dwarf hamster in the world. Some are too small to open their mouths wide enough to bite the skin. Mine took a nip at me, hardly left an imprint, and I stayed freaked out for the rest of the day.

Anyway, Dale is the extremely passive one (they're like night and day), so I guess I'll test out the waters with him. Thanks again!

[marisa]

For me, it seems that in their zeal to get food, when handfeeding, it's the younger turts who are more apt to bite (trying to grab the food or thinking your fingers are food), which is more like a sharp pinch than anything, than larger turtles (unless they're extremely hungry, or they're out to "get" your if they feel threatened or have been angered).