Other Turtle Discussion :: My Turtle is scared of me

[myrtle1123]

I got my turtle about 3 months ago..

When i walk into the room if she is on her dock she scurries off and into the water. If she is sticking her head out for some air she will go behind a rock or the pant. How can I make her less scared of me?

[SpotsMama]

Is she still pretty small? Especially with the little ones, it frequently takes quite a while for them to get really confident that you're not going to eat them. I know three months seems like a long time, but in the life span of a turtle it's not very long.

Something that someone's pointed out is that the way to a turtle's heart is through his/her stomach. Do you feed him/her every day? Eventually he/she will get the idea that you're the giver of food and then, instead of running away from you, he/she will rush to you and beg!

Industrial_girl_2000 suggests breaking the daily food allotment into 4 or 5 parts, and putting a little in the tank every time you walk by. That might speed up their understanding that you are the one that feeds them.

[myrtle1123]

Thanks your right I feed her everyday and she gets used to her regular feeding time and comes right up to the side of the tank!

[industrial_girl_2000]

The way to a turtle's heart is thru their stomach.

In the past I had a male turtle named Nelson. He was extremely snappy & mean. I did the "dividing the food up" thing that Spotsmama mentioned, and it really helped which is why I keep mentioning it. Eventually I got him to follow me around the room by holding food up to his nose when I let him out to walk (like Sheba). Nelson was one tough cookie & it took a long time, but it shows that even the meanest meanies can learn to calm down.

It's important also that you keep this up as long as you possibly can (feed a little bit every time they see you). The other part that is important is that no one in the household teases the turtle or threatens him/her in any way. Teasing can make them keep their mean side. Talk gently to them too.