Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm going to have to admit it, I was wrong.

A while ago I had a post in a thread talking about how much I hate aquariums because none of my torts do well in them. I cited things like humdity problems and temperature problems (which for the most part can be fixed with some plexiglass to cover up some of the screen top), but I had also stated that tortoises will try to walk through the glass because they don't understand what it is.

Now I'm sort of leaning towards the idea that whether or not they understand the concept of glass has to do with what they were raised in.

My little baby russian that recently hatched has gone into an aquarium (it was what I had laying around), and I was expecting him to have the same reaction to it as my other tortoises usually have to glass....endlessly trying to push through it. For the past two weeks that he's been in the tank I have not once seen him push himself into the glass in an attempt to go through it. He will walk the perimeter of his tank without ever touching the glass, and this leads me to believe that he must understand that there is a barrier there.

So I guess it must have more to do with what they were raised in, and familiarity to glass.

Thoughts/opinions?

P.S. I still like cattle troughs and stock tanks better

I think they really have a higher capacity to learn too. We don't give them the credit they deserve. Most animals can adapt to many situations as long as basic care needs are met.

Though certainly, some are more adaptable than others. : )

Living in New Hampshire, I don't have a choice other than to keep my Leopard indoors most of the year. He is in a big 150 gallon glass tank. He was walking into the glass all the time until I put a 6" wide strip of wood all around the bottom of the tank. He stopped walking into the glass right away & it hasn't been a problem ever since.

You have the right idea. Tortoises will never gain the concept of glass. If they can see a place they want to, they do the best they can to get there. If you are going to stay with a glass aquarium for now, put a border of wood or paper tall enough he can't see over on the outside of tank.

Sulcata Owner,
Famrihill

I beg to politely disagree. Some do and some don't. Probably more torts feel comfortable with the banding, but not all "need" it. I've kept mine in a home made glass setup since 1989. I've never had any trouble with them trying to climb through the glass, or banging into it. I think it depends on several factors. Personality of the tort. Whether they were wc or cb. Age of the tort when introduced to the setup. Some species are probably more adaptable than others.

In my case I have a Bell's hinged back that enjoys watching what goes on around her. I think she knows and feels safe in there, because the first thing she does when I take her out is try to climb back in!

Neither my hermann's tortoise nor my box turtle try to climb though the glass of their tanks. They walk up to it when they see me but don't bang it or climb it. In fact they both often sit and watch whats going on around them. The hermann's likes to watch the cat.

That's called experience.

It is not a cut and dry issue.

>>I'm going to have to admit it, I was wrong.
>>
>>A while ago I had a post in a thread talking about how much I hate aquariums because none of my torts do well in them. I cited things like humdity problems and temperature problems (which for the most part can be fixed with some plexiglass to cover up some of the screen top), but I had also stated that tortoises will try to walk through the glass because they don't understand what it is.
>>
>>Now I'm sort of leaning towards the idea that whether or not they understand the concept of glass has to do with what they were raised in.
>>
>>My little baby russian that recently hatched has gone into an aquarium (it was what I had laying around), and I was expecting him to have the same reaction to it as my other tortoises usually have to glass....endlessly trying to push through it. For the past two weeks that he's been in the tank I have not once seen him push himself into the glass in an attempt to go through it. He will walk the perimeter of his tank without ever touching the glass, and this leads me to believe that he must understand that there is a barrier there.
>>
>>So I guess it must have more to do with what they were raised in, and familiarity to glass.
>>
>>Thoughts/opinions?
>>
>>P.S. I still like cattle troughs and stock tanks better
-----
Ed @ Tortoise Keepers
Trying to keep the fun in Chelonian care

I always draw from my experience, and my experience up until this tortoise was that tortoises don't understand the concept of glass. This wasn't something I read on a website or in a magazine. My three russians never understood the concept of glass, and neither did any of the tortoises I worked with at work. This is the first tortoise I've ever had personal experience with that has been so accepting of a glass terrarium, and it really suprised me.

However, in the past couple of days, i've noticed him bump into the walls once or twice, but that's a lot less frequently than the other tortoises I've worked with, most of which would try to push through the glass for the majority of the active portion of their day.

The point was that in this hobby there are no deffinitives for the most part. It all depends on the species and the individuals.

There's another post here that summed it up nice in that tortoies can and do learn invisible barriers just as well as they learn visible barriers (and how to circumvent them).

>>I always draw from my experience, and my experience up until this tortoise was that tortoises don't understand the concept of glass. This wasn't something I read on a website or in a magazine. My three russians never understood the concept of glass, and neither did any of the tortoises I worked with at work. This is the first tortoise I've ever had personal experience with that has been so accepting of a glass terrarium, and it really suprised me.
>>
>>However, in the past couple of days, i've noticed him bump into the walls once or twice, but that's a lot less frequently than the other tortoises I've worked with, most of which would try to push through the glass for the majority of the active portion of their day.
-----
Ed @ Tortoise Keepers
Trying to keep the fun in Chelonian care