While turtles don’t have teeth they do have sharp beaks and a strong bite so if these animals bite you the bites will definitely be painful.
Not only will the bites be painful, the encounter may also leave you confused as to why this happened.
This article looks into why your turtle tried to bite you.
Table of Contents
Why does my turtle try to bite me?
Turtles are known to be slow-paced and have a placid and relaxed demeanor, they may seem harmless but they can actually be quite aggressive and bite you.
This article looks into why your turtle tried to bite you.
It feels threatened:
These animals are taken as prey by a variety of different animals so they are always on high alert and always on the defense.
Humans, especially humans that they don’t know, are seen as a threat to turtles and if you get into your turtles space then the animal may bite you to defend itself.
This behavior simply means that the animal feels vulnerable and this triggers the biting response. The animals may also have this response if you approach too quickly or pick it up too suddenly.
What to do:
The animal will react this way in the early stages when you first bring it home but it should warm up to you the longer it lives with you.
You can help get the animal used to you by regularly talking to it, feeding it, and playing with it.
Approaching your turtle slowly and calmly is also recommended, this will keep it from feeling threatened around you.
It sees you as food:
Another reason why your turtle may try to bite you may be because the animal sees you as food.
These animals associate people and places with food. If your pet sees you leaving food in its enclosure then it can think that your fingers are food and bite you when it sees your fingers.
What to do:
The animals may smell food on your hands and associate them with food because of this, you can combat this by washing your hands before you handle your pet.
You should also avoid hand-feeding your pet as this may make the animal associate your fingers with food.
It is sick:
Sickness is another reason why your reptile may be biting you. Sicknesses will cause distress and pain in your pet.
A sick and distressed turtle will want to be left alone even if it’s already used to you. If you get near the sick animal it may try to bite you to get you to leave it alone.
What to do:
There are a variety of illnesses that may be affecting your pet. You may be able to diagnose the animal by taking note of the turtle’s other symptoms but this may take time, time that your pet doesn’t have.
For this reason, it is recommended that you rather take your pet to the vet, or better yet, to the herp vet, for an examination, diagnosis, and treatment
If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other turtle/tortoise related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: What Kills Pet Turtles?, Do Turtles Eat Their Babies?, Male Turtle Biting Female Neck, Why Is My Turtle Attacking My Other Turtle?, Why Is My Turtle Biting The Other One?, Turtle Biting Other Turtles Head Off, Do Male Turtles Eat The Eggs, Turtle Scratching Shell On Toothbrush, Why Do Turtles Put Their Feet Up At Night?