General Care Discussion :: Whats the best way to get a turtle to let go of a finger...

[TheComputerGremlin]

Might I suggest, since Niko is still relatively small, that you start feeding using tweezers? That way, you still have the interaction with him (and Niko won't notice the difference between tweezers and fingers) and when he gets older, he won't take off a chunk of your finger.

[bradmeisel]

i've used the smack method. i also put chompy on her island and she waits to be fed (until she realizes shes not). One thing I do is push her a little from the back of her shell when she comes over. THis seems to get her to stop trying to bite or I watch her and pet her on her head with my other finger when she starts "stalking" my other hand.

Before I realized she would latch on she once bit me on the back of my tricep while I was fixing something deep in the tank. Screaming and shaking seemed to get her off but that hurt alot.

[MoreBloodWine]

Niko only tries to nip me when I hand feed but it's not like he/shes trying to bite me on purpose. It's only because the Mazouri is so small it's hard for Niko to get it without nippin the tip of my finger. That aside hand feeding is probably the best thing anyone can do to get a turtle use to them. As for biting when moving stuff around in the tank, some turtles just have weird attitudes, as for Niko... I never get bit when movin stuff aorund just a happy turtle swimming around my hand goin whatcha doin whatcha doin.