Why Does My Turtle Stare At Me?
If you’re curious about what it means when your turtle pet just stares at you, you’ll find this guide helpful. Pet owners have repeatedly posed this question, so we also got curious and did our own research to discover why this happens.
Why does my turtle stare at me? Your turtle stares at you because they recognize you and feel affectionate towards you. Turtles learn to recognize their owner with time, by looking at you, your sound, and even your scent. They tend to associate you with food and their safety.
Read this guide to learn more about why your turtle always stares at you, what you can do to make your pet turtle like you, how to keep your turtle happy, and more.
Why does my turtle stare at me?
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If you’re worried about your turtle staring at you, relax and sit back! Your turtle stares at you just as a way of letting you know they know you and recognize you as their caretaker.
However, this doesn’t happen as fast as new turtle owners may wish. It will take long periods of time for your turtle to learn to recognize you.
But when they eventually do, you’ll start getting those gazes that say, “Yes I recognize you as my favorite human!” They associate you with food and safety, or simply their caretaker.
Not just sight, your turtle can even go a step further and be able to recognize you when you talk (or the sound patterns you usually make) or by your body scent!
Your turtle friend can go a step beyond giving you stares and walk or swim toward you whenever they spot you heading toward their tank.
How can you tell if your turtle recognizes you?
As we have just said above, your turtle staring at you means they recognize you. But that’s not all.
As most experienced turtle owners have observed, a turtle that recognizes you will try to follow you and even pay special attention to what you’re doing while ignoring others who don’t care for them.
Turtles also become more comfortable around you if they recognize you. They will let you pet or touch them without showing any resistance.
But if a stranger touches them, for instance, a vet, they may show resistance by biting or even wriggling from their grasp.
How to know if your turtle loves you?
You can tell if your turtle loves you by looking at its eyes. If they start following you with their eyes whenever you walk into the room, that’s a sure-fire sign your turtle loves you!
However, this could also be a sign that they hope it’s treat time.
Another way a turtle shows you affection is by rubbing its neck and head against you. Turtles in the wild do this gesture as well!
If you have your turtle friend on the ground close to you and they start following you around, that’s another sign that they’re pleased to see you and love you.
How can I make my turtle love me?
Turtles can time to grow affectionate toward you. But given that they’re creatures of habit, there are some things you can do to win their love and trust.
For instance, try feeding them at a consistent time every day and they’ll soon or sooner start looking forward to seeing you.
Turtles usually enjoy treats throughout the day. So, if you give them small treats regularly, they’ll start viewing you as an important human to them who feeds them and gives them protection.
Spending more time every day with your aquatic turtle. and other types of turtles, in general, will also make them love you.
Find time to take your adult turtle out of the tank and let them wander around the room or outdoors. Talk gently to your turtle or when you’re around them to win their affection. These pets have pretty good hearing and get easily stressed by loud noises.
Keep in mind that if you have just bought your pet turtle, it may take them a while (probably weeks) to get used to their new surrounding and start trusting you.
How do you make your turtle not scared of you?
Turtles in captivity still have the natural instinct to be wary of people, just like the wild turtles. The only way turtles will not be scared of you is if they recognize you as their owner and trust you. But it can take time for your turtle to finally get to recognize and trust you.
Despite being solitary animals when in the wild, turtles have emotions too. They can also feel affection towards you, just like other pets. Once they start to recognize and trust you, the animals will start building an emotional bond with you.
However, don’t expect the same type of bond with these animals as with other pets. This is because turtles aren’t quite cuddly and most of them don’t like being handled.
Nonetheless, your turtle will feel happy interacting with you and will even let you pat it on the head or stroke under its chin. You may also find that your turtle likes its shell being stroked gently. Others may not.
Your best bet is to experiment with your turtle to find out what it likes and dislikes. If your turtle doesn’t try getting away, it’s a sign it like what you’re doing and you can continue doing it. Plus, it is a sign of happy turtles that trust you.
Related questions (FAQs):
Yes, your turtle learns to recognize you with time. They can recognize by starting at your, listening to your sound, or even smelling your specific body scent.
If your turtle winks at you, it could be just that they’re showing affection to you. However, it could also mean that their eyes are getting irritated. This could be caused by too much chlorine in water, unclean water, too much water conditioner, eye infection, or even an issue with the UV-B light bulb. Always ensure your turtle lives in favorable conditions inside their enclosure, including clean water.
Final Thoughts
When you catch your turtle staring at you, it doesn’t mean they’re just creepy or they have a problem. It just means they recognize you as the most important human to them who feeds them and gives them protection.
Next time you catch your turtle watching you, don’t feel worried! They’re probably just thinking how an awesome human you are. It’s their way of showing you affection!
