People who have kept turtles will notice a phenomenon: sometimes, their pet turtle will stare at them. At this moment, don’t misunderstand and think the turtle is ‘acting cute’with you; that’s not actually the case. When a pet turtle does this, it might be trying to convey these messages to us.
Reasons for a Turtle’s ‘Gaze’
The turtle is curious about what you are doing. In fact, a turtle’s curiosity is much greater than we might think. When you walk, eat, or even play on your phone, they will quietly stretch out their necks. They aren’t monitoring you, but rather pondering what you are doing and what new things you’re up to.
It’s important to note here that when you are in front of the turtle, you should make smaller movements to avoid startling it.
Although turtles are slow to warm up, they can be quite clingy. If you haven’t paid attention to them for a while, they will stare at you or even ‘daze off.’ This is especially true for turtles raised from a young age; they will see you as a playmate, and staring at you is their way of seeking attention. In reality, at this moment, what they want is for you to notice them and play with them.
At this time, you can gently tap the wall of the turtle tank or speak softly, as some turtles can recognize your voice.
Expressing Needs and Trust
If the turtle’s feeding is regular, it will stare at you when it’s mealtime. It might even follow your movements with its little gaze, clearly telling you, ‘I’m hungry, time to eat!’ Some cleverer turtles will start staring at you as soon as they hear your footsteps and you begin to approach.
If this situation occurs, you can simply feed the turtle in a timely manner. Just feed it at a fixed time every day and avoid overfeeding.
A turtle will only relax and stare at you when it’s in front of someone it completely trusts. If you notice your turtle isn’t retracting into its shell and its gaze doesn’t waver, but it just quietly stares at you, it’s actually telling you, ‘I feel very safe with you.’ You should know that compared to cats and dogs, a turtle’s sense of security is much harder to earn. This ‘gaze’ is a form of high-level approval for you, and it also shows that you have a good relationship with your turtle and you are an owner it deeply trusts.
Here, you should avoid suddenly grabbing it, as this can easily cause the turtle a stress response (a non-specific reaction of the body to internal or external environmental stimuli). You should slowly guide it to approach you.
Original article by 搬运工, if reproduced, please cite the source: https://www.kaipet.com/en/turtles-stare-decoding-4-real-signals-gaze
Comments(2)
Their curiosity is amazing! What’s the most unusual or funny thing your turtle has intently watched you do?
@CriticX：That’s a fantastic observation, CriticX! Turtle curiosity is indeed captivating. We’d love to hear from other pet owners about their turtles’ funniest or most unusual staring moments too!