Handling Tortoises

Video Transcript

"The last thing we're going to talk about today, is how to properly handle your Greek tortoise. Now, they are strong even though they are tiny little guys. So, you always want to make sure you have a firm grip on the tortoise. Generally, I like to tell people to use both hands when possible. You can use the method that I'm using right now, which is you kind of hold the main body of the tortoise. His front legs hanging out over you and his back legs are hanging out the back a little bit. And, I like to put my other hand on top just to kind of steady it. The other thing that you can do though a little bit more likely to drop, is you can hold him like this which is just your hand around the top either side. You want to make sure that you're out of the reach of his little paws. Because, he is strong and he can push your hand off you relatively easily. So, you want to make sure you've got a firm grip and you?re out of the reach of his feet so that he can't lodge himself loose and fall and hurt himself. You don't have to worry about biting so much. Though, I would recommend not to be sticking your fingers in his face. You don't want to tempt fate. A bite from a tortoise wouldn't be a pleasant experience. The last thing I want to touch on before we go today, is while you have your tortoise in his enclosure and you're watching him or if you have him out pay attention to what he's doing. And, pay attention to what he's telling you with his activities and his behavior. If he's spending a lot of time in either area of the enclosure, then take note of that. Listen to him while you have him and it's part of the fun of keeping a tortoise, is to pay attention to the wonderful things they do on a daily basis."