General Care Discussion :: Human Agressive RES

[xchristina80x]

How can I teach my turtles that my fingers are not food? Anytime they are taken out of the tank it is somewhat of an ordeal for them and me. I have to make sure that when I pick them up I grab them no higher up than mid-shell, keep my fingers tucked under and generally not hold them for long. I cannot even put my hand below their shells to offer them a more secure feeling (thinking feeling safer = less agression) without ending up getting bitten repeatedly. As soon as they come out of the water they open their mouths then, when they see fingers they start whipping their heads around and snapping to get at them. I even thought that with all the feeder fish they had that perhaps whatever part of my arm/hand I submerged into the tank resembled food but, after the feeders were gone it still happened. The two turtles are not agressive towards each other at all though (however, this month I will be separating them because you never really know what will happen with two turtles sharing a tank even when it is correctly sized). Are some RES just like this? Is there anything I can do to correct this problem? Many years ago as a child I had a western painted turtle (Timmy the Turtle!) who was never agressive and love being handled but, perhaps maybe that is just that particular breed of turtle.

[josephkr]

I didn't have trouble with my turtle biting me, but with him scratching me when I picked him up around mid shell. I've realized the best way to hold him is picking him up behind his back legs. There he'd never be able to bite, his claws can't get you, and you can still get a lot of your hand under his belly to help him feel secure.

[devilduck]

This is completely normal. RES are curious and will bite everything near them.

You should be able to pick up your turtle by grabbing them between their front and back feet. A slider should not be able to bite you from that position. Be sure to hold tightly as they will flail their arms and legs. Some turtle are naturally calmer than others.

Some people say you can try to get them used to being handled by picking them up and handing them a few minutes each day. Not sure how effective this is. They may calm down once they get larger/older.

[n00bEmpty]

Well it also depends on how long you've had them. Sometimes they'll react to you differently as they learn that you're their source of food. Mine will actively bask infront of me but one of them will calmly allow me to pick it up while the other will just flail until I let it down.