Can you teach your pet turtle tricks?
Many people believe that turtles are not smart enough to learn turtle tricks and are pets that are more for show than anything else. The truth is that although their brains are a bit more primitive than a dog’s, it is still possible to teach them skills and tricks, but I say this knowing that it will not be an easy journey for the loving owner. Invest time and effort to teach your turtle these new skills.
In fact, there are three things that I think you will need to make it easier to teach your turtle new things and these are…
1) The age of the turtle
Young tortoises are much easier to teach tortoise tricks than more mature ones. Unfortunately, it’s a case of not being able to teach the old turtles new tricks because the older ones get stuck in… yep, you guessed it, their old ways. Younger turtles around the age of one are ideal to start practicing with and if you are patient and make it a routine you will notice progress.
2) The species of turtle
Some species of tortoises are more intelligent than others and trying to train them will be easier. A snapping turtle, for example, will be much more difficult to train than a box turtle, since box turtles are reasonably intelligent turtles. Most turtles can learn new things, but some are a bit slower than others.
3) How good is the bond you have with your pet
To really help your turtles’ development, you need to have a good bond with them. If your turtle is uncomfortable or scared of you, it will be hard to even get him to come out of his shell around you. If your turtle bites you when you try to touch it, this is also a clear sign that it doesn’t trust you, so in cases like this, you should take the time to build trust between you and your turtle and only then can you take things . further by teaching them turtle tricks.
Leave a Reply