Tuttles can get attached to their owners indeed. They don’t act like a cat or dog because their affection level is not as high and dogs and cats love to be cuddled and hugged.
Once turtles recognize and trust their owners, they do build up an emotional bond with you. The way they show their affection is different from most other pets though.
Do Turtles Get Attached to Their Owners?
Most people think of turtles as being sluggish and slow. However, they can move quite quickly when they want to and they are placed on the floor. Like any other pet, turtles become attached to their human that provides their food, water, and treats.
If only one person is tending to the turtle, it will become attached to you. If several family members tend to your turtle, it may take longer for them to get attached to one specific person.
Turtles need 5 main things for their survival and if you make certain they get these things, it will bring your pet turtle much closer to you. They need warmth, enough space, exercise, healthy food, and mating. When a turtle is happy, it can make some sounds so that you know it is content.
Can Your Turtle Recognize You?
The first step of a turtle attaching to its owner is recognition. When you get a new pet turtle, it doesn’t know you yet, so it will take a while for it to recognize you.
Turtles have keen senses of smell, hearing, and eyesight. They can recognize a specific person by their voice even if they are in another room.
By sight, turtles can recognize their owners because they compare their height and weight to any other people they see to distinguish their favorite human.
Turtles also have a great sense of smell to know who their owner is as well. Many turtles will swim up to the top of the water level to greet their owners as well.
Can A Pet Turtle Learn Its Name?
Many turtle owners believe their pets know their names and will come to them when called. Their keen sense of hearing seems to support this theory. They go to their owners when they see them, so they should go to their owners when they hear them too.
It’s not a proven fact that turtles can learn their names, and it could be that they go to you when called to get a tasty treat or some rubs on their heads, but if your turtle is attached to you, it will likely go to you whenever it sees or hears you.
Do Turtles Like Being Petted?
Most turtles don’t like you to touch their shell and they will tell you this very quickly by hissing at you, much as a cat hisses, or biting you. If you want to handle your turtle, there are some ways to do it correctly, though.
You should always approach your turtle from the front so it can see you. If you suddenly put your hand in the tank or enclosure, it can scare your pet.
Turtles feel safe when they are on the floor because it is a low surface. It’s best not to put them on a table or any other surface that is up high–or what seems very high to a pet turtle.
You can try petting the very top of your turtle’s head. But watch its body language. If it lifts its head at the time you touch it or it hisses, then that’s the way it tells you to quit that motion because it doesn’t like it.
If your turtle is receptive to having the top of its head petted, you can try to very gently pet the cheeks and chin.
Then you can move on to massaging its neck and gently stroking its shell while keeping in mind that the shell is a very sensitive area, so you must be gentle.
Do Turtles Show Affection?
Turtles do show affection, but differently than most other household pets. They don’t run toward you to hug you, but instead, they follow you around with their head or eyes whenever they see you. When you walk into the room where your turtle’s tank or environment is, the turtle will immediately start following you and watching you.
If you walk to one side of your turtle’s tank, he will walk or swim over to that side of his habitat to meet you. This is one way they show affection and also how they beg for a tasty treat.
Turtles can also show affection by rubbing their heads and necks against their owners. In the wild, this is how turtles convey that they trust others and a way to use a natural behavior to show affection to their owners.
Your turtle will also follow you around when you take him out of his habitat, even though it may take them a while because most of the time they do move slowly to conserve their energy. Some turtles even like their owners to pet their shells, but not all turtles like this.
If you slowly pet your turtle’s shell and it walks away, it’s best to leave it alone because it isn’t happy with this action.
How Do You Get a Turtle To Like You?
Being consistent with your turtle can help it bond with you and become more affectionate towards you.
You should always feed them consistently to get your pet turtle to respect you and enjoy your presence. This is because they associate you with the positive action of getting fed.
Your turtle will become attached to you much faster if you give it a treat or two in between meals. Turtles love treats and will love you for supplying them with them. You should also play with your turtle every day, at least once a day.
You can take your turtle out of the tank and let them be in the open for some exercise and to be able to experience their surroundings.
Make sure you put your turtle in the house in a room where there are no other pets, like dogs or cats, to make certain it is safe.
Being calm and quiet around the turtle’s tank helps them to get to know you as well. Since they have a heightened sense of hearing, loud noises seem very loud to them and it can lead to them being under a lot of undue stress.
What’s The Best Way To Handle a Turtle?
Each turtle is an individual and they may or may not like certain things. They may also be fine with you petting them one day and hissing at you the next day. It takes time to bond with your pet turtle.
Remember that the head and legs are very fragile, so you must be gentle when handling a turtle.
To pick up a small turtle, you should place your hand with an open palm under its belly while you make sure its legs can touch your hand. This helps to show them you are letting them climb up into your hand by themselves and it calms them.
You should always pick up a turtle from the back and not the front. If you lift them from the front, it will scare them and they will most likely bite you.
Be sure that you handle your turtle gently because, even though its protective shell seems very hard, some can be scratched pretty easily and then your pet becomes susceptible to getting a fungal infection.
Never place your turtle on the edge of any surface, such as a table or countertop. They can actually walk off the edge of the surface, fall to the floor, and injure themselves badly.
What Makes Pet Turtles the Happiest?
By tending to all of your turtles’ needs and watching its body language you can get it to be more affectionate to you. Your turtle must be happy to show affection and an attachment to you.
Turtles are more receptive to being happy when they are warm. They also have more energy when they are warm.
The heat lamp in the enclosure provides warmth for basking. When you see your turtle basking, it’s a good time to handle it. As a note, also remember that your turtle needs natural sunlight too to prevent bone diseases.
Offer your turtle treats that are high in protein for good health and make sure that it gets to walk around on the floor for some time each day to get its exercise. Another item you can look at for the turtle enclosure is a hanging turtle ramp shelf where your turtle will love basking.
Final Thoughts
So to answer your question of “Do turtles get attached to their owners?” yes they certainly do, just as any other pet that you take care of.
They show affection in many different ways than other household pets, but they can certainly be a loving pets when given time.
