7 Reasons Why Your Tortoise Is Aggressive (+What to Do)

Normally tortoises are very calm and harmless creatures that wouldn’t harm a fly. But sometimes they can become very aggressive and try to bite anybody that gets close to them. So, why is this happening?

A tortoise will usually become aggressive when it feels threatened. In the case of pet tortoises, aggressive behavior is usually caused by improper handling, stress, or improper living conditions.

There are quite a few things that can make a pet tortoise become aggressive towards you. To make things easier I will split all of them up into 7 different causes. And we will start with the most common one, stress.

Stress

Tortoises get stressed very easily. They can get stressed by excessive noises, by other pets, improper handling, and many other things. And in response to stress tortoises can become aggressive.

Aggressiveness is not the only thing that tortoises do when they get stressed, they might also stop basking and eating, and sometimes they will even try to escape from their tank.

As for what can be the cause of the stress, well, there are a lot of possibilities. A loud stereo system that is placed right near their enclosure can cause a lot of stress for a tortoise. A cat or a dog that is always trying to get in the enclosure can also cause a lot of stress. The best way to figure out if something is stressing the tortoise is to try to put yourself in the tortoise’s place. If you think that something would stress you, then it stresses the tortoise.

After you eliminate the stress sources your tortoise should start to calm down soon, and it will go back to its normal behavior.

Mating Period

This one only applies to male tortoises.

When the mating season comes, male tortoises will try to establish their dominance over other tortoises, or if there are none nearby, over other beings, in this case, you.

Different tortoise species have different mating periods, but for the most, it happens between March and July.

Unfortunately, there is not much that you can do in this case, you have to wait for your tortoise to calm down. From my experience, the aggressive behavior shouldn’t last the entire mating season, just for a week or two. But every tortoise is different so in some cases it might stop sooner, and in some cases, it can last longer.

Pregnancy

This one only applies to females.

A pregnant tortoise will act very strangely, she will stop eating, she will stop basking, she will try to dig everywhere, and she will try to escape the tank, or they might become aggressive.

Pregnant tortoises don’t do this not because they don’t like you, they do this because they want to protect their eggs.

Tortoises usually lay their eggs in piles of leaves or holes that they dig, but never in water. So the tank is definitely not a suitable environment for this.

The first thing you have to do if you want to know if your tortoise is really pregnant is to find out if it’s a male or a female, so you should read this article that is going to tell you if that’s the case: How to Tell If Your Tortoise Is Male or Female (with Pictures).

And if your tortoise is a female, and you want to know if she is pregnant, then you should read this article where you will find all the info you need: How to Tell if Your Tortoise Is Pregnant.

If your tortoise is pregnant there is nothing that you can do to make her calm down. You will have to wait for her to lay the eggs.

One important thing about tortoises is that they can get pregnant even if there is no male around. The difference is that the eggs won’t be fertilized so no baby will come out of them. So even if you only have a female tortoise she can still lay eggs.

No Basking Area

If you are a complete beginner when it comes to tortoises and you don’t know too much about them, then it’s possible that you don’t know that tortoises need a basking area.

A basking area is an area close to the tank where tortoises can stay on dry land and get UVB light and heat for their body.

If you don’t have a basking area for your tortoise you should get one immediately, so I strongly suggest you read this article that talks in more detail about how you can make a proper basking area: Guide for Lighting and Heating a Tortoise Tank and Basking Area.

In the wild tortoises are used to compete for a good basking spot, so the complete lack of one can make them more aggressive.

Basking Area Temperature

If the basking temperature is too high or too low, your tortoise won’t be able to bask properly, which can make them become more aggressive.

If the temperature is too high your tortoise can get burnt, and they will avoid the basking area. If the temperature is too low then they won’t be able to properly heat themselves.

This is probably the easiest thing to fix. Start by checking the temperature of the basking area with a thermometer. If the temperature is too low, then move the heating bulb slightly closer to your tortoise, or get a more powerful bulb. Be careful not to bring the bulb too close, it can burn the tortoise if it’s too close.

If the temperature is too high, you can either get a less powerful heat bulb or move the bulb further away from your tortoise.

In general, the temperature should be between 90 – 95°F (32 – 25°C). But depending on the species of the tortoise the temperature can slightly differ.

If you are not sure how to properly manage a basking area you should read this guide Best Turtle Light Bulb (Illustrated Buyers Guide) . There you will find every information you need, including the exact temperatures, how far the heat bulb should be from the tortoise, and much more.

Scared

If you just got your tortoise, then it’s absolutely normal for it to be somewhat aggressive.

Tortoises can get scared very easily, and moving from one place to another can be very frightening for them. They will go from a small cramped tank, that they share with multiple tortoises, to a new spacious tank where they can live alone. And if they were sent through the mail, they will be even more scared.

If this is the case for your tortoise, you just have to let your tortoise calm down a little. After about a week your tortoise will get used to the new environment and will stop being aggresive.

There is not much that you can do in this situation, you just have to make sure that you don’t scare your tortoise any further.

Improper Diet

While tortoises are not very pretentious when it comes to food, if you don’t feed them enough food, or if you don’t give them the right food, they can either try to bite you due to hunger or because they feel more vulnerable since they are weakened.

To solve this problem you have to adjust the amount of food you give to your tortoise as well as the food itself.

How Much Food to Give Your Tortoise

The best method to feed your tortoise is to find a container that is about the same size as the shell of your tortoise and fill it completely with food. But don’t fill it over the top. Then simply put food on a flat plate and give it to your turtle. And that’s it.

I’ve been using this method for well over 15 years, and all of my tortoises are in top shape, they are full of energy, fit, and have no signs of pyramiding.

But of course, just giving them the right amount of food is not enough, you also have to make sure that you feed them often enough, and that you give them the right food. So let’s take a look at that.

How Often to Feed Your Tortoise

This part is somewhat more flexible than the last one. On average you should feed your tortoises 4 or 5 days per week.

If you should feed your tortoise 4 or 5 times, it mostly depends on what you feed it. If you feed it a lot of lettuce, you should feed it 5 times, but if the meals are half lettuce, half something else, you can feed it 4 times per week.

Lettuce, while good for a tortoise, doesn’t have that many nutrients. So you can give them one more meal to make sure that they get all the nutrients and vitamins that they need.

So, while lettuce is not the most nutritional thing out there, it’s definitely not harmful. But there are some fruits and vegetables out there that can be very harmful to tortoises, so let’s see which they are, so you can avoid them.

What Food to Give Your Tortoise

Fruits

Most fruits are good to eat, but there are some that aren’t good for tortoises due to the high amount of phosphorus or citric acid that they contain.

Citric acid irritates the stomach of a tortoise, and phosphorus blocks the absorption of calcium shock is essential for a healthy bone structure and shell.

So instead of having an endless list of fruits that are safe for tortoises, I will make a list of fruits that you should avoid. If you don’t find a fruit on this list then it’s completely safe for a tortoise.

So here is a list of fruit that you should avoid:

Raisin
Prune
Date
Avocado
Guava
Banana
Coconut
Kivi
Persimmon
Cantaloupe
Apricot
Pomegranate
Honeydew
Nectarine
Mulberry
Peach

And as a general idea you should remember that citrus fruits are bad for tortoises so make sure to avoid:

Oranges
Lemons
Limes
Grapefruit
Citron
Pomelo

For a complete list of citrus fruits, you can check out this Wikipedia page, but the ones that I listed above are the most common.

So if you don’t find fruit on this list, it’s good to eat.

If you want a more in-depth explanation of fruits and tortoises you can always check out my article: Can Turtles Eat Fruits? (How Much, How Often + List).

Vegetables

Just like fruits, vegetables are great for tortoises, but there are some that contain a lot of phosphorus.

Besides those other vegetables that you should avoid are iceberg salad, cucumbers, eggplants, and mushrooms. While those vegetables won’t harm your tortoise in any way, they also have little to no nutritional value for your tortoise.

Here is a list of some vegetables that contain a high amount of phosphorus, which you should avoid:

Corn
Tomatoes
Asparagus
Beets
Peppers
Pumpkin
Cauliflower
Brussels Sprouts
Carrots
Broccoli
Sweet potatoes
Green Beans
Squash
Romaine Lettuce
Turnips

So if you don’t find a vegetable on this list, it’s good to eat.

And just like lettuce, there are a few more vegetables that are good for turtles, but don’t have that many useful nutrients for them, some of the most common ones are:

Lettuce
Cucumbers
Eggplants
Mushrooms

Do Tortoise Bites Hurt? Are They Dangerous?

I did an entire article dedicated to these questions, and in the name of science, I decided to let my tortoises bite so that I can tell you exactly how much they hurt. To be honest with you, my tortoises bit me even before I wrote this article, and it’s something that can happen from time to time.

If you want to find out how bad a tortoise bite hurts you can check out the article right here: Do Tortoise Bites Hurt? (I Let My Tortoise Bite Me).

Final Thoughts

I hope you will be able to find and solve your problem with the help of this article. But if you tried everything in this article and your tortoise is still aggressive towards you, I would suggest you take your tortoise to the vet. If there is nothing wrong with the tank, the water in the tank, the diet, and the basking area, there is a chance that your tortoise might be sick, and the only way to know for sure is to go to a vet.

Common Questions

Should I leave the light on for my tortoise at night? No tortoises don’t need a source of light during the night. So there is no need for one. But if you want to see your tortoises during the night, there are some special red or blue lights that won’t disturb the tortoises and will allow you to see them clearly.

Do all tortoises bask? No, not all tortoises need to bask. But most tortoises that end up as pets need to bask, so you have to provide a proper basking area for them.

How often do you have to clean out a tortoise tank? A good practice is to clean the tank once a week. But if you want to be more precise you can always buy a water ph test that will tell you exactly if the tank needs to be cleaned or not.