My turtle follows me and seeks out affection. Biologist have reached out to me because this is not even close to normal behavior. He just started one day and has never stopped. I don’t know why.
I had a yellow bellied slider who passed away in 2019 at age 25 and he did this as well!!! He was kind of remarkable and very fast and very social. He also liked to follow my dogs around. Your turtle reminds me a lot of him, enjoy your time together!
I had a painted turtle for 11 years who was very similar! She'd greet me everyday and would follow me around, loved having her head gently pet, and was very social
I have two yellow bellied sliders. When I let them run to clean the tank, they will come and sit on my feet. They are very personable turtles! Love my girls!
I really think so! I think they’re capable of living alone or in a group and that maybe bonds can form but often don’t. I’m not a scientist or zoologist though.
There was an African tortoise at the wildlife rebar center I used to volunteer at that would follow anyone around for attention. If he started to walk away from you, he’d turn back after a few feet to see if you were following. If you weren’t, he come back up to you and try and get you to follow.
My tortoise chases me ‘round the yard And they’re like “that’s not normal, y’all!” Damn right it’s not normal, y’all I could teach you, but I’d have to charge
Same with my tortoise. He lives in the backyard and when he sees me he comes over. When I sit on the ground he tries to get into my lap. The problem is he weighs 90 pounds so it's not very pleasant.
My tortoise also comes right to see me and will follow me around. Luckily he doesn’t try to climb in my lap though. He weighs like fifty something pounds.
Yeap my red footed tortoise used to follow me around and loved sitting on my feet and it wasn’t for warmth because there were plenty warmer spots in the house. He definitely had a thing for feet, including my dogs paws. We spent a couple years apart and when he came back to me he definitely remembered and loved being around me. I miss him dearly.
I used to have neighbors who had a giant tortoise, and he would make a beeline for me and my dog when we walked by. I would always stop and wait for him and hang out. He seemed to really love human affection - I would talk to him, read to him, scratch his neck and head and paws, and my dog would try to lick him, and he was just so happy!
Lol I was gonna say, he obviously wants you to teach him ninjutsu. Ya know one thing about reddit is that it really displays how what one thought was a clever original thought actually isn't.
Not a turtle, but I own a Hermann's tortoise that exhibits similar behaviour. He will rush to me when I am in the same room and wait at my feet. He seems to love me gently scratching his shell all over and petting his head.
Would you take $10,000,000 but for the rest of your life there’s a turtle that’s trying to get you and you can’t be touched by the turtle or you’ll die?
This is so cool. Can confirm this is very rare. Owned turtles and they were grumpy most the time. Friends would even say the one even looked grumpy. Usually liked me the best when I was just feeding them.
My aunt had a turtle, if you were sitting on the floor the turtle would crawl on your lap and just chill out there. Was very curious and followed people around too
Idk… my tortoise used to chase me, my dog, my kids… she got lost once and the people who found her kept her for a few days before they were able to contact me and were surprised when I picked her up and she reached her head out to be petted. She was obviously happy to see me. They said she stayed in her shell the whole time they had her.
I had a turtle that my friend let her daughter take from the river. I rescued him from them because they didn’t keep the cage clean, etc. He would crawl up my chest and snuggle in my hair. I loved him so much, but he was a wild animal. I had to slowly isolate him and get him dependent on catching little fish and then set him free at a federally protected wildlife area.
Lmao that’s like my family cat, I don’t feed It and I don’t clean it’s litter, i just play with it and give it space when it doesn’t wanna be held, and every time I walk in from work it sprints(like full speed sprints to me) to me and starts purring and rubbing up against me. Why it does this i don’t understand fully, but I feel like every living thing understands and can distinguish when someone is a threat and when someone will show it love and affection
I was gonna say the only time our tortoises would run to us like that was when one of us had some goodies to feed them like watermelon and grape leaves. But he just loves you awww
I just saw some guy on YouTube that does turtle rescues and he got an Eastern box turtle that acts just like this! It's the strangest thing, now I've seen it twice in 2 days!
This is the coolest thing ever. Turtles are incredible creatures and yours is also a friend - it’s like some weird awesome fantasy world! Have you had it since it was hatched?
Is he/she a red-eared slider? I kept 3 as pets a while back and noticed they (just one actually) enjoyed chasing me when I took them out of their tanks. Very cool to that this might be a trait among some turtle species. I miss them 🥲
I had the same breed turtle from when she was like 5 weeks old, and she was super responsive and affectionate too. Unfortunately she passed away a couple years ago because my parents didn't take care of her well after I moved out :'(
I hope I’m not offending the guy, bc seriously, a turtle following an older hippie dude crawling around his house is like the most wholesome fucking thing I’ve seen in a long time.
IIRC, scientists have stated that there are brain structures in non-human animals that correspond with brain structures in humans that are activated when humans are experiencing emotion.
I've had tortoises and turtles for 30+ years. They will follow you around once they realize you occasionally drop them something to eat. My 125lb tortoise will try to climb on my lap like a dog. They will follow anything resembling a person, including my terrified mailman.
Biologists reached out to you? I don't know, in every kids movie I saw growing up, whenever scientists want to study your special animal friend, it's never a good thing.
What if the general trend for animals is that over time all complex life is supposed to gain emotional intelligence in hormone expression from evolution and eventually sentience and humans meddling with the natural world and holding some creatures captive is accelerating it?
Mine loved to escape his tank, too. One time in high school my mom was working from home and she heard a thump every minute or so and when she went to inspect, it was my turtle coming down the stairs. I miss that silly guy but he had a good life and got to do lots of traveling and ate lots of good food!
Im jealous, had two for the longest. Anytime I would let them run around they would nip me, got to the point were they drew blood. Said f that and had to give them to a reptile rescue. Broke my heart, had them since hatchlings, but couldn't risk my 3 yr getting bitten.
My Russian tortoise does this and the vet did not believe me until I took a video! He cuddles with my cats too. All the rules say that it doesn’t make sense but what can ya do, we both have cuddly turtles
He maybe recognizes your voice? I feed stray cats and when I call them, they come running to eat. They know my voice and my tone even tho they don’t have names.
I disagree, since turtles do not care for their young. They lay their eggs and leave, the babies are essentially born as mini adults fully capable to living by themselves.
When Turtles are horny they follow their SO and show their affection by biting the other one in the leg (cause there is some soft tissue). Do you have the turtle for a long time? Maybe he, she sees you like that?
We have a bird like this. Hates everybody on the planet. Screams loudly if you don't feed him on time. Screams loudly if you don't give him some of what you are eating. Tries to rip your fingers off while you are feeding him. Spills water on the floor if you ignore him. Throws seeds on the floor when he feels like it. You get the picture.
There’s so many comments this will probably be lost but our yellow eared slider (named Bo) at the outdoor education camp I work at is the same way! He will straight up ignore the food when we go to feed him cuz he wants to be picked up and given she’ll scratches and attention!
I’m not sure what you mean by “biologists” reaching out to you. Like, tenured researchers at a university? Or someone online that says “biologist here can I see some more turtle videos?”
My Franklin did this too, he would hang out with me everyday when I would come home for lunch. He would bump my shoes. He would play with my cat and sleep with my dogs.
It would seem that most vertebrate animals have ancient shared behaviors that might normally be suppressed in the wild, but can be brought out in certain individuals. Would seem that with enough patience, many types of animals (but not all) could be eventually domesticated.
When I lived out in west Georgia, there was a particular orange toad that used to hang out under our backdoor porch light to eat the inevitable bugs ,and I used to reach down and pet it ; that got to be such a habit that it would actually push back and arch up on its legs like a dog,cat,or bird would do !
My turtles wouldn’t eat their food unless I hand fed them. They could also recognize me if we were having a party at our house. 20 people in the room and they’d be calm chilling in their tank, but I would walk back into the room and they’d flip out.
The first ever domesticated turtle. In the distant future when we all have turtles, they'll make up some bullshit reason as to why the turtles would allow themselves to be domesticated. What's in it for them, they'd ask. Perhaps there was a mutual exchange, one which would support a synergous relationship with man. Perhaps man was able to provide a service to turtles by allowing them to cohabit. Security? Food?
I had a turtle we picked up off the side of the road in Kentucky in the EARLY 90’s. We had that thing for 15+ years. Every morning he would chase my mom and once she would notice, she would stop and sit and he would climb up her terry cloth like robe and sit on her shoulder for affection.
It’s definitely your neighbour who had acquired the ability to morph into any animal they touch from an alien that had crash landed on earth. They’re trying to warn you there is a slug in your brain!
Please note these rules:
I had a yellow bellied slider who passed away in 2019 at age 25 and he did this as well!!! He was kind of remarkable and very fast and very social. He also liked to follow my dogs around. Your turtle reminds me a lot of him, enjoy your time together!
I had a painted turtle for 11 years who was very similar! She'd greet me everyday and would follow me around, loved having her head gently pet, and was very social
What was his name? He sounds cool
A “Yellow bellied slider” sounds like an old-timey derogatory name for draft dodgers.
I thought this said spider and I was very alarmed
25?! Woa i did not know turtles can live this long! I only knew tortoises can live up to 60 years LOL
I have two yellow bellied sliders. When I let them run to clean the tank, they will come and sit on my feet. They are very personable turtles! Love my girls!
Biologist here, I've been trying to reach you about your vehicles warranty.
😂😂😂I legitimately laughed out loud thank you
😂😂😂
The doors Orion Story has opened.
Sweet. Thanks for choosing Mariott Hotels!
My mind just tripped itself. 😂😂
My tortoise chases me around the yard, but I always figured it was because he likes toes or thought I had food for him.
I really think so! I think they’re capable of living alone or in a group and that maybe bonds can form but often don’t. I’m not a scientist or zoologist though.
Perhaps the turtle and to cuddle and/or see you as a heater (like my cats)
There was an African tortoise at the wildlife rebar center I used to volunteer at that would follow anyone around for attention. If he started to walk away from you, he’d turn back after a few feet to see if you were following. If you weren’t, he come back up to you and try and get you to follow.
love is a fundamental part of reality all beings can experience it
My tortoise chases me ‘round the yard And they’re like “that’s not normal, y’all!” Damn right it’s not normal, y’all I could teach you, but I’d have to charge
Maybe you are warm and have turtle chow in your pockets?
I wonder how much of this is something we're actually selecting for. It wouldn't surprise me if there were a wild/captive divide growing.
Tortoises definitely show affection to humans, for turtles like this it's unheard of.
Same with my tortoise. He lives in the backyard and when he sees me he comes over. When I sit on the ground he tries to get into my lap. The problem is he weighs 90 pounds so it's not very pleasant.
My tortoise also comes right to see me and will follow me around. Luckily he doesn’t try to climb in my lap though. He weighs like fifty something pounds.
Yeap my red footed tortoise used to follow me around and loved sitting on my feet and it wasn’t for warmth because there were plenty warmer spots in the house. He definitely had a thing for feet, including my dogs paws. We spent a couple years apart and when he came back to me he definitely remembered and loved being around me. I miss him dearly.
I used to have neighbors who had a giant tortoise, and he would make a beeline for me and my dog when we walked by. I would always stop and wait for him and hang out. He seemed to really love human affection - I would talk to him, read to him, scratch his neck and head and paws, and my dog would try to lick him, and he was just so happy!
Mine does the exact same, food or no food. Stretches his little head/neck out towards me till I pet it and his eyes get sleepy.
He loves you. LET HIM LOVE YOU!
petthedamnturtle
The little head kiss at the end though
great opening scene to a ninja turtles movie
Definitely a prequel.
Do you have goddamn Kunkka as your profile picture?! Damn, haven't even thought about Dota in over 8 years....
Serious Casey Jones vibes from that dude.
Lol I was gonna say, he obviously wants you to teach him ninjutsu. Ya know one thing about reddit is that it really displays how what one thought was a clever original thought actually isn't.
Not a turtle, but I own a Hermann's tortoise that exhibits similar behaviour. He will rush to me when I am in the same room and wait at my feet. He seems to love me gently scratching his shell all over and petting his head.
I hear tortoises like to have their shells gently brushed with a soft toothbrush, you know anything about that?
Wait tortoise and turtles can feel on their shell? I know it might sound stupid but I thought the shell wasn’t like attached to their body
Thanks for letting us know you are not a turtle
All tortoises are turtles but not all turtles are tortoises.
Glad you clarified you're not a turtle /s
You’re being hunted and you don’t even know it
Why are you playing so hard to get? He just wants some affection.
Would you take $10,000,000 but for the rest of your life there’s a turtle that’s trying to get you and you can’t be touched by the turtle or you’ll die?
That’s one speedy turtle!
My toes are delish!
You fool!
I babysit a friend's tortoise when he's on vacation and that tortoise follows me around and will climb in my lap if I sit on the floor.
The mental image of a turtle blowing snot bubbles out of his nose made me laugh loudly enough to startle my guinea pig, thank you XD
My snake crawls into my lap then he sleeps on me. Its pretty neat. Reptiles are cool
Do you normally carry around any drugs that are popular among turtles?
No, but I do carry pizza and katanas
Well someone’s dropped acid with this turtle
🍄
This is so cool. Can confirm this is very rare. Owned turtles and they were grumpy most the time. Friends would even say the one even looked grumpy. Usually liked me the best when I was just feeding them.
My aunt had a turtle, if you were sitting on the floor the turtle would crawl on your lap and just chill out there. Was very curious and followed people around too
In a world of Raphaels, be a Michelangelo
Idk… my tortoise used to chase me, my dog, my kids… she got lost once and the people who found her kept her for a few days before they were able to contact me and were surprised when I picked her up and she reached her head out to be petted. She was obviously happy to see me. They said she stayed in her shell the whole time they had her.
Mine were just flighty. They also knew I had food so part of being friendly was also that too.
Mine would hiss at me if I tried to pick them up.
TIL I got lucky with our turtle. He’s pretty friendly and will follow you around the house like this video and rest on top of your feet.
I got a wild turtle when I was young and he liked me. I have him grape tomatoes.
I had a turtle that my friend let her daughter take from the river. I rescued him from them because they didn’t keep the cage clean, etc. He would crawl up my chest and snuggle in my hair. I loved him so much, but he was a wild animal. I had to slowly isolate him and get him dependent on catching little fish and then set him free at a federally protected wildlife area.
That is wonderful of you <3
Thank you so much for returning him to where he belongs!
Before anyone asks, it’s not because of food. I don’t even feed him, my wife does.
Your wife trained him to wipe you out
Your wife feeds him and you get all the affection. I'd be fuming.
Lmao that’s like my family cat, I don’t feed It and I don’t clean it’s litter, i just play with it and give it space when it doesn’t wanna be held, and every time I walk in from work it sprints(like full speed sprints to me) to me and starts purring and rubbing up against me. Why it does this i don’t understand fully, but I feel like every living thing understands and can distinguish when someone is a threat and when someone will show it love and affection
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I was gonna say the only time our tortoises would run to us like that was when one of us had some goodies to feed them like watermelon and grape leaves. But he just loves you awww
Maybe he is the next step of turtle evolution, emotions
…so it’s sexual then.
Does he follow your wife or just you
I just saw some guy on YouTube that does turtle rescues and he got an Eastern box turtle that acts just like this! It's the strangest thing, now I've seen it twice in 2 days!
Do you hold him to keep him warm? Warmth is my guess from someone who has owned reptiles and turtles.
This is the coolest thing ever. Turtles are incredible creatures and yours is also a friend - it’s like some weird awesome fantasy world! Have you had it since it was hatched?
My turtle was like this. He took a keen interest in me, I thought it was food he was after but when I would feed him he just ignored it
Is he/she a red-eared slider? I kept 3 as pets a while back and noticed they (just one actually) enjoyed chasing me when I took them out of their tanks. Very cool to that this might be a trait among some turtle species. I miss them 🥲
My turtle Sherlock does this too, he’s like a puppy!! My other turtle Watson is a straight-up psychopath
I had the same breed turtle from when she was like 5 weeks old, and she was super responsive and affectionate too. Unfortunately she passed away a couple years ago because my parents didn't take care of her well after I moved out :'(
Name of turtle please? As in first name.
Mr. Mostly Mittens
I hope I’m not offending the guy, bc seriously, a turtle following an older hippie dude crawling around his house is like the most wholesome fucking thing I’ve seen in a long time.
❤️
"Older" and the dude looks to be about 40.
No, but you're offending those of us who are older than this dude - and don't think of ourselves as "old" quite yet. lol
Older? This guy can’t be more than 5 years older than m—
I mean, minus the “older” comment.
Dude does indeed look very chill
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https://www.theonion.com/area-turtle-owner-enjoys-special-daily-turtle-time-1819564742/amp
Turtle treadmill manufacturers hate this one trick
LMAO
Biologists hate him, even Obama is angry
Tortoise vs the hair
LMAO
I’m trying ‘huff’ to reach you ‘puff’ about your cars extended ‘gasp’ warranty !
“Hey, come here, I just want turtle you something!”
Haha nice!
Stuff like this reinforces my belief that we have greatly downplayed and misunderstood the consciousness of our animal brethren.
IIRC, scientists have stated that there are brain structures in non-human animals that correspond with brain structures in humans that are activated when humans are experiencing emotion.
Millions of upvotes!
That, or it's our tendency to anthropomorphize everything.
Me muttering "Stop and pet him. Stop and pet him. Dude Stop." And now the people next to me on the bus are staring at me.
Quick, pet your neighbor
petthedamnturtle
I've had tortoises and turtles for 30+ years. They will follow you around once they realize you occasionally drop them something to eat. My 125lb tortoise will try to climb on my lap like a dog. They will follow anything resembling a person, including my terrified mailman.
I’m concerned that your mailman only resembles a human.
Hahahahhahaah your poor mailman being pursued by a fairly slow massive bro is hilarious
Biologists hate this one simple trick!
Biologists reached out to you? I don't know, in every kids movie I saw growing up, whenever scientists want to study your special animal friend, it's never a good thing.
You end up with your house under a big tent, scary dudes in white suits and your baby sister riding a bicycle past the moon.
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Ahem! *psychologists
facts
petthedamnturtle
Look at the guy who made friends with an octopus. Maybe all animals have some sort of emotional attachment to things and people.
You might know this already, but octopuses are extremely intelligent! They can remember someone they don't like.
Didn't some European country decide that Octopuses were sentient?
Plants absolutely can’t recognize people dude. That and them reacting to your mean/kind words has been a debunked myth for years.
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Plants do not recognize people, that is completely nonsense.
Trees talk to each other as well.
Hi! Biologist here.
“What kind of dog is this?” “This is a tortoise.”
Terrapin actually
Literally every pet red eared slider I’ve ever met does this
Yup had one myself years ago
Do you hand feed it?
No, my wife does
Plot twist: they were talking about OP, not the turtle. 😂
What if the general trend for animals is that over time all complex life is supposed to gain emotional intelligence in hormone expression from evolution and eventually sentience and humans meddling with the natural world and holding some creatures captive is accelerating it?
Either it's a dog or it thinks you're a leaf.
Pet the damn turtle already you monster!
Time to pull out 4 different colored bandanas and begin training.
I had a turtle just like yours. He would escape just to come find me. I thought that was unusual because he loved his huge freshwater tank.
Mine loved to escape his tank, too. One time in high school my mom was working from home and she heard a thump every minute or so and when she went to inspect, it was my turtle coming down the stairs. I miss that silly guy but he had a good life and got to do lots of traveling and ate lots of good food!
Im jealous, had two for the longest. Anytime I would let them run around they would nip me, got to the point were they drew blood. Said f that and had to give them to a reptile rescue. Broke my heart, had them since hatchlings, but couldn't risk my 3 yr getting bitten.
I like turtles
my roomates turtle is the same, but he likes feet. Only feet.
Don’t kink shame
What biologists have reached out to you?
My Russian tortoise does this and the vet did not believe me until I took a video! He cuddles with my cats too. All the rules say that it doesn’t make sense but what can ya do, we both have cuddly turtles
He maybe recognizes your voice? I feed stray cats and when I call them, they come running to eat. They know my voice and my tone even tho they don’t have names.
What did the biologist say?
Nothing, he just clapped along with everyone else.
“Ugum boogum.”
Turtles are fast man
Put em in the water. They get a bad rap but they're pretty amazing in their natural environment.
Turtle whisperer!
Hello, turtle whisperer.
Are the long nails on his front feet normal? I’ve never seen this on a turtle.
“Biologists have reached out to me…”
Biologist are right to point this out. Crawling around a living room on all four’s being chased by a turtle is definitely not normal behaviour.
and then all the biologists applauded.
How exactly do you show affection towards a turtle?
A lot of turtles like when you pet their shell.
Imprinting behavior.
I disagree, since turtles do not care for their young. They lay their eggs and leave, the babies are essentially born as mini adults fully capable to living by themselves.
Maybe!
All animals understand affection. Humans have the weirdest way to show it.
Full grown ass man with a beard, on the ground n playing with his turtle. I love it, the wholesomeness.
When Turtles are horny they follow their SO and show their affection by biting the other one in the leg (cause there is some soft tissue). Do you have the turtle for a long time? Maybe he, she sees you like that?
We have a bird like this. Hates everybody on the planet. Screams loudly if you don't feed him on time. Screams loudly if you don't give him some of what you are eating. Tries to rip your fingers off while you are feeding him. Spills water on the floor if you ignore him. Throws seeds on the floor when he feels like it. You get the picture.
Pet the damn turtle.
There’s so many comments this will probably be lost but our yellow eared slider (named Bo) at the outdoor education camp I work at is the same way! He will straight up ignore the food when we go to feed him cuz he wants to be picked up and given she’ll scratches and attention!
That’s a once in a lifetime pet. No replacing that dude.
I’m not sure what you mean by “biologists” reaching out to you. Like, tenured researchers at a university? Or someone online that says “biologist here can I see some more turtle videos?”
My Franklin did this too, he would hang out with me everyday when I would come home for lunch. He would bump my shoes. He would play with my cat and sleep with my dogs.
If his babies do the same thing you might have a lot of money on your hands, and I’ll be your first customer
Do you owe him money? Could be that.
GET CHO PUNK ASS BACK HERE!
he’s gonna get fed up one day & bite the shit outta your lip
He loves my eyes…so probably he’s going to bite them..
You didn’t call him Andy, right? Cuz then you’ve gone dug yourself a username hole, sir.
His name is
My tortoise always follows me about
You look like you emit strong turtle vibes. I mean that only in a good way. The turtle picks up on the posivibes and thinks you are just a big turtle.
It would seem that most vertebrate animals have ancient shared behaviors that might normally be suppressed in the wild, but can be brought out in certain individuals. Would seem that with enough patience, many types of animals (but not all) could be eventually domesticated.
Maybe this is how wolves became dogs, next we'll have little turtle terriers running around.
My parents have those SAME EXACT end tables! I’ve never seen them anywhere else before. Lol
When I lived out in west Georgia, there was a particular orange toad that used to hang out under our backdoor porch light to eat the inevitable bugs ,and I used to reach down and pet it ; that got to be such a habit that it would actually push back and arch up on its legs like a dog,cat,or bird would do !
Because this is not even close to normal behavior for what the turtle or the human? Or both.
My turtles wouldn’t eat their food unless I hand fed them. They could also recognize me if we were having a party at our house. 20 people in the room and they’d be calm chilling in their tank, but I would walk back into the room and they’d flip out.
The first ever domesticated turtle. In the distant future when we all have turtles, they'll make up some bullshit reason as to why the turtles would allow themselves to be domesticated. What's in it for them, they'd ask. Perhaps there was a mutual exchange, one which would support a synergous relationship with man. Perhaps man was able to provide a service to turtles by allowing them to cohabit. Security? Food?
DO NOT SLEEP IN THE SAME ROOM WITH IT. IT IS NOT HERE FOR AFFECTION. I CAME FROM THE FUTURE.
I had a turtle we picked up off the side of the road in Kentucky in the EARLY 90’s. We had that thing for 15+ years. Every morning he would chase my mom and once she would notice, she would stop and sit and he would climb up her terry cloth like robe and sit on her shoulder for affection.
Let me know if you ever catch him wearing a bandana, eating pizza, or if a rat starts teaching him ninjitsu.
It’s definitely your neighbour who had acquired the ability to morph into any animal they touch from an alien that had crash landed on earth. They’re trying to warn you there is a slug in your brain!