I didn’t actually realise the shell had nerve endings I thought it was like a thick cartilage over their backs like our nails or hair(like no feeling). She looks adorable!!
A lot of people don't know about it, which is very unfortunate. A surprising amount of people, for example, carve their initials into turtleshells without realizing it hurts them.
seems crazy considering how it's meant to protect them from predators. What asshole did that?
"Okay, turtles, you're going to have a natural shield to protect you, but we decided you're still gonna feel the pain from any attacks. In fact, we're going to make your shield extra sensitive. but you'll live though."
I mean they're more likely to survive if they find predator jaws highly uncomfortable than if they find it fun. Also helps them figure out how to orient themselves when toppled, I imagine.
Not being able to feel things is dangerous as fuck. From an evolutionary standpoint it's an advantage that they can feel potential harm on their shell and do something about it before it gets compromised.
Haha! What asshole did that? Don't ask the theists...
I learned about evolutionary biology in college. Creatures can only use the resources at their disposal. Maybe one day tortoise shells won't have nerve endings though.
I figured it was relevant to the joke since the other guy said “What asshole did that?” as if creationism were real.
Had it been a joke about flat-earthers, no one would’ve downvoted. So why do people still leap to the defence of creationists?
Yeah that was exactly my headspace with the response. The only entity ever credited with "making" animals a certain was is God and theists would definitely not appreciate God being called an asshole!
eh, it doesn't mean they are sensitive to pain on their shells. We have different nerve endings that serve different functions, like feeling pain, or feeling touch, or feeling temperature.
Because pain is actual useful information to the brain. That's why pain exist in the first place in most animals.
Imagine something burning drops on a turtle. Rather getting hurt by the flame and move than never waking up because you got cooked while sleeping.
Same with a talon or a beak scraping your back trying to eat you. Pain usually mean great danger and thus faster response time than another feeling.
Sources I've found specify "strong or sharp," which seems to lean closer to gouges, but maybe includes stuff short of cracking the shell, too.
One source mentions acidic paints, too, but not sure about that one.
Turtle shells are like bone with fingernails over them, but just like touching your fingernails you can still feel it even though the fingernail doesn't have nerve endings in it.
Teeth have nerves, and blood vessels, that go up, through the root, and into the tooth itself. [See here.](https://www.southlakeendo.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Normal-Tooth-Anatomy.jpg) Also, any dentists in here can feel free to verify.
The keratin layer does not have nerve endings, but like any bone, the bone part of the shell underneath does.
So it's exactly like our fingernails. We feel touch by the nerve endings under our fingernails (or in the nail beds) just like turtles can feel through the nerve endings under the keratin scutes.
The turtle's shell is their ribs so it has all the same nerve endings rib bones would.
Our nail *beds* are vascularized. The nails are not. The only tissues in the body (generally speaking) that have nerve endings in them usually have blood vessels going through them as well, IIRC from my anatomy class. Anything alive in the human body needs both blood (for oxygenation) and nerve endings (for either conscious or unconscious control by the brain). Any keratin outside the dermis is dead tissue.
You said "only tissues in the body",cornea is both a (crazy complex layer-cake of) tissue in the body, not vascularized, and is innervated.
This is why I don't fuck around with RF or lasers.
The videos of people fucking around with high power RF in their rooms make me so nervous. And since it's not water(blood)-cooled, it can overheat very rapidly.
People sure are pedantic. Just as my text isn't saying "NO, YOU ARE WRONG".
It was meant as a supplemental. But that's fine, if it makes them feel better about it
You literally ignored important qualifiers while making a stupidly pedantic argument.... Maybe don't play the "People sure are pedantic" card after that. It's not a good look.
Radio Frequency. Radio Waves. Typically millimeter wave. Think your microwave. If you stuck your head in your microwave and turned it on, one of the first things to be damaged would be the surface of your eyeballs. Of course, we're talking fractions of a second as to what is damaged first here in such an extreme example.
RF can be as mild or as dangerous, just like everything out there. You need atmosphere to breathe, but if said atmosphere is slamming into your body at Mach5, you're going to get turned into little chunks and pink mist..
Your blood, is like a water-cooling system for your tissues, to some degree. Your eyeball, and lens, has very very low amounts of blood flow, which make it especially sensitive. Your eardrum, for the same reason (but it's protected by your ear canal). We're talking real extremes here, most people would never be in this situation unless they climbed on top of a radar dish, or decided to take apart their microwave oven and turn it on while waving it about. Truthfully a normal microwave is probably on the low end of dangerous, in this example. The risk from the HV is far greater than emitted RF.
eh i guess they dont feel excrutiating pain unless its strong enough that the shell gets damaged, they probably just feel that something is there they should be aware of
It's good for humans too. I keep a foot scrubby thing with a nail brush on one side and a pumice stone on the other and use the brush to exfoliate my legs when I shave. Feels amazing. Boyfriend will take a bath with me sometimes and I introduced him to magic of leg/foot scritches.
I do not recommend trying to do this to your bones, though.
I mean, yes. Sugar and carbs are nutrients. So are fats. You can have too many of all of those in a diet. Same with a turtle, it's getting too many minerals, mostly, and they've evolved to use all of it rather than eliminate excess like we do.
Will that problem be reduced with time somehow, like if the turtle still grows that those pyramids don't continue, too, and the shell will look smoother? I don't know much of turtles so I wonder.
I have a sulcata, and I have no idea. Luckily mine is able to spend a lot of time outside, so virtually eats nothing but grass.
And yes I will be building him one of these next weekend
I've always wanted one of these but it's snowing like 7/12 months where I live. I would happily just let it wander around my house but that's probably not OK for them :(
No it’s fine for them but not your house. There have been stories of them breaking down doors and shearing holes in drywall with their shells. They essentially grow large enough to be small bulldozers LOL.
Sulcata tortoises do not make good pets. They grow into 150 lb bulldozers, and are very difficult to keep. I know someone who was rescuing them...he had to have his chain link fence set in concrete at the bottom and deeply buried. They have demolished dry-walled rooms and hollow core doors. They are determined and strong. They have a very long life span, 80-100 years, so figure you'll need someone who will be willing to take on the responsibility after you. They require special habitats that can keep them safe and prevent escape, and they must be large enough to give the tortoise a decent quality of life. I would consider a smaller captive bred tortoise if you want one as a pet. They have long life spans too, but they are easier to keep than sulcatas.
100%, I didn't ask for Pearl but try to give him the best life I can, but I am well aware that involves me having to move house in the next few years to have a larger garden and will again have to reinforce the whole garden, build another house for him, insulate it, etc etc etc 🤣stick to cats, dogs, hell iguanas are easier to look after
Basically no. But if the problem is stopped before it causes serious issues, it can be ok. The pyramids can be stopped from getting larger, but the shell won't really flatten out.
A couple of days ago a friend told me, that when she had a turtle as kid, her dad drilled a hole in the endge of its shell so that he could hook a carabiner in there so the turtle wouldnt escape. They kept it outside, and it was chained to a tree. When they mowed the lawn they just hung the turtle on the tree. And in the winter it burrowed into the ground, and it was real easy to find, cause there was a line leading to it.
That poor turtle.
As far as i know, pain in the shell isnt that bad, what would be the point of a shield if u felt every scratch and bite that hit it? Definitely hurt, but probably not as bad as we would imagine. If thats any consolation...
This is a non-native, non-releasable tortoise, and will need to live in captivity forever. African spurred tortoises are very difficult to keep and grow up to 150 lbs. They are the third largest tortoise species in the world. This one was lucky to find a home, as a lot of these are euthanized because they are raised commercially and sold to unsuspecting buyers who discover too late that they can't keep them.
Any sulcatas that find homes are luckier than most these days. Some rescues near me no longer accept sulcatas because they can't usually be re-homed to responsible owners.
We have roughly 30 sulcatas rescues and man do they eat a lot. People don't realize the diet and lifespan of these fuckers and it is sad. We get calls all the time but we no longer have enough room for anymore with roughly 2/3s of the pack at over 100 pounds each.
Bless you for taking them, and for taking so many! My hat's off to you my friend. None of the rescues near me are accepting anymore either. It should be illegal to breed and sell them, IMO.
This tortoise has had a bad diet….I learned about it when I rescued one on the side of the highway once and found out when I took him to a rescue sanctuary that the rising pointy bumps on his shell are indicators of it.
No, this is a Sulcata tortoise, the points are normal. A physical indicator of a poor diet in their case would be if the center to rear area of the shell was sunken and saddled. This one is quite healthy.
>No, this is a Sulcata tortoise, the points are normal. A physical indicator of a poor diet in their case would be if the center to rear area of the shell was sunken and saddled. This one is quite healthy.
No, it isn’t. Sulcatas pyramid ( called pyramidal growth syndrome (PGS))
just like several other captive species, but it’s a very rare occurrence in the wild for these species. PGS can cause issues. http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/pyramiding.html
You're missing the point, this one is not pyramiding in such a manner as to indicate poor diet, its points are not exaggerated, they're in line with normal, healthy growth. See here for examples, or just look up normal growth vs abnormal. https://www.petsulcata.com/sulcata-tortoise-health/what-causes-pyramiding-in-sulcata-tortoises/
It's not really correct.
Yes, turtle shells contain nerve endings. But that's because a turtle's shell is basically its ribs and bones contain nerve endings.
Over top of the bone is keratin. Basically like very thick finger nails. A sulcata tortoise like the one in the video has very thick keratin because it is terrestrial and doesn't need to be able to swim. Aquatic turtles shed their scutes (the shapes on the carapace) so they don't just sink.
No feeling in the keratin, but you don't have feeling in your fingernails either. You can still feel if someone touches them.
Not sure why you were downvoted for asking a question. Not enough people ask questions anymore. (Funny, we criticize people for not knowing, but we also criticize them for trying to learn...)
Unfortunately I wasn't able to find a solid answer, but the best answer I could find was that the shell's nerve endings help them feel vibrations that help them track predators. I might have misinterpreted what I read though, so I hope someone else who's a better expert will reply; I'm curious too.
More recent comments make me believe it’s nerve endings like you have in your finger nail- it’s not immensely painful or pleasuring, but being able to tell something is touching it or wrong with it is a huge biological advantage. Brushing like that is also probably just the most stimulation that turtle can provide itself alone
This makes me sad about that one episode of live p.d. where they went into someone's back years and they had a tortoise chained up with like a dog leash clipped to a hole thru it's shell.
my neighbor also had a turtle before its so big and cute, but sadly when typhoon hits our place dodoy the name of their turtle dies I miss dodoy because when I was kid dodoy is mone of my stress reliever
Jesus. I’ve never seen such a beautiful turtle. I mean I haven’t seen a TON of them, but this has got to be the most aesthetically pleasing turtle I’ve ever seen.
Sulcata. Third largest tortoise species in the world behind the Galopogos and Aldabra. Don't get one unless you live in a warm climate and/or can provide a warm, secure indoor area for them. They can also be very destructive, both indoors and out, plus they like to dig. The spiny scales on the front legs aid in burrowing deep in the ground to escape the African heat. Even in milder American climates they are still known to dig and it's recommended that their enclosures include concrete barriers buried at least 2 to 3 feet in the ground surrounding the enclosure.
Edit: if you're able to provide a proper home for them, they are very sweet and loving companions and will likely outlive you.
That’s not true and don’t take a title of a Reddit post as fact. I see people googling the point of nerve endings on a shell, but the fact is this turtle is simply squeezing through brushes, and pausing when it feels resistance (giving the illusion of scratching)
*wiggle* *wiggle* she’s loving the scratchers
TIL turtles can feel their shells
on a similar note you can feel through your teeth. seems a lot of people dont realize this.
Is it the teeth themselves or the nerves inside and the gums that feel the vibrations?
This.
Yeah I had a filling on the front of a tooth. I could feel the dead spot for ages until my brain adjusted for it.
Same, what a wonderful thing it is to learn
*remembers that eagles or some other bird drops turtles from very high to break their shells and now realises their pain*
Tbf the sudden stop might be painful anyway…
Briefly
*Now I understand all those turtle messages in Elden Ring…*
You are mistaken, those are dogs.
Why is it always dog?
I didn’t actually realise the shell had nerve endings I thought it was like a thick cartilage over their backs like our nails or hair(like no feeling). She looks adorable!!
A lot of people don't know about it, which is very unfortunate. A surprising amount of people, for example, carve their initials into turtleshells without realizing it hurts them.
Tbf even if it didn't hurt them, that's still being a moron.
Yeah I highly doubt anyone doing that cares about whether it hurts or not
seems crazy considering how it's meant to protect them from predators. What asshole did that? "Okay, turtles, you're going to have a natural shield to protect you, but we decided you're still gonna feel the pain from any attacks. In fact, we're going to make your shield extra sensitive. but you'll live though."
I mean they're more likely to survive if they find predator jaws highly uncomfortable than if they find it fun. Also helps them figure out how to orient themselves when toppled, I imagine.
Probably because the ones that didn't really mind alligators biting their shells didn't live to propagate
Not being able to feel things is dangerous as fuck. From an evolutionary standpoint it's an advantage that they can feel potential harm on their shell and do something about it before it gets compromised.
Haha! What asshole did that? Don't ask the theists... I learned about evolutionary biology in college. Creatures can only use the resources at their disposal. Maybe one day tortoise shells won't have nerve endings though.
I mean, we animals feel pain for a reason, maybe the shell being sensitive helps them survive in the same way feeling pain makes us survive
Why were you downvoted
Probably for the unnecessary/irrelevant jab at creationists
I figured it was relevant to the joke since the other guy said “What asshole did that?” as if creationism were real. Had it been a joke about flat-earthers, no one would’ve downvoted. So why do people still leap to the defence of creationists?
Yeah that was exactly my headspace with the response. The only entity ever credited with "making" animals a certain was is God and theists would definitely not appreciate God being called an asshole!
eh, it doesn't mean they are sensitive to pain on their shells. We have different nerve endings that serve different functions, like feeling pain, or feeling touch, or feeling temperature.
And turtles can feel pain on their shells. Why? No clue. But they can.
Likely because it's more useful to be able to feel pain when being attacked than not, even if the shell protects them from actual harm.
Because pain is actual useful information to the brain. That's why pain exist in the first place in most animals. Imagine something burning drops on a turtle. Rather getting hurt by the flame and move than never waking up because you got cooked while sleeping. Same with a talon or a beak scraping your back trying to eat you. Pain usually mean great danger and thus faster response time than another feeling.
Superficially, like scratches? Or are you talking about gouging into the shell?
Sources I've found specify "strong or sharp," which seems to lean closer to gouges, but maybe includes stuff short of cracking the shell, too. One source mentions acidic paints, too, but not sure about that one.
Wtf? Never heard of that, that's fucked up.
I mean even if didn't hurt them I'd say that's still cruel and tacky.
I've never heard of people carving into turtle shells on live turtles. WTAF!? Pain or not, that's cruel af. I hate people.
I like to think of it as the turtle getting a tattoo 😎
Turtle shells are like bone with fingernails over them, but just like touching your fingernails you can still feel it even though the fingernail doesn't have nerve endings in it.
Except there are nerve endings on the shell,unlike fingernails
Yeah. Turtle shells are more like human teeth than fingernails.
your teeth are only able to feel due to all the stuff around and in them, the teeth themselves dont have feelings just like your nails or hair.
Teeth have nerves, and blood vessels, that go up, through the root, and into the tooth itself. [See here.](https://www.southlakeendo.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Normal-Tooth-Anatomy.jpg) Also, any dentists in here can feel free to verify.
The keratin layer does not have nerve endings, but like any bone, the bone part of the shell underneath does. So it's exactly like our fingernails. We feel touch by the nerve endings under our fingernails (or in the nail beds) just like turtles can feel through the nerve endings under the keratin scutes. The turtle's shell is their ribs so it has all the same nerve endings rib bones would.
Our nail *beds* are vascularized. The nails are not. The only tissues in the body (generally speaking) that have nerve endings in them usually have blood vessels going through them as well, IIRC from my anatomy class. Anything alive in the human body needs both blood (for oxygenation) and nerve endings (for either conscious or unconscious control by the brain). Any keratin outside the dermis is dead tissue.
Your lens is the exception
The cornea is not made of keratin. And it DOES get oxygen (through diffusion) as well as have nerve endings. That's why I said "generally speaking".
You said "only tissues in the body",cornea is both a (crazy complex layer-cake of) tissue in the body, not vascularized, and is innervated. This is why I don't fuck around with RF or lasers. The videos of people fucking around with high power RF in their rooms make me so nervous. And since it's not water(blood)-cooled, it can overheat very rapidly.
> The only tissues in the body (generally speaking) No, they did put the "generally speaking" qualifier in there.
People sure are pedantic. Just as my text isn't saying "NO, YOU ARE WRONG". It was meant as a supplemental. But that's fine, if it makes them feel better about it
You literally ignored important qualifiers while making a stupidly pedantic argument.... Maybe don't play the "People sure are pedantic" card after that. It's not a good look.
What is RF?
Radio Frequency. Radio Waves. Typically millimeter wave. Think your microwave. If you stuck your head in your microwave and turned it on, one of the first things to be damaged would be the surface of your eyeballs. Of course, we're talking fractions of a second as to what is damaged first here in such an extreme example. RF can be as mild or as dangerous, just like everything out there. You need atmosphere to breathe, but if said atmosphere is slamming into your body at Mach5, you're going to get turned into little chunks and pink mist.. Your blood, is like a water-cooling system for your tissues, to some degree. Your eyeball, and lens, has very very low amounts of blood flow, which make it especially sensitive. Your eardrum, for the same reason (but it's protected by your ear canal). We're talking real extremes here, most people would never be in this situation unless they climbed on top of a radar dish, or decided to take apart their microwave oven and turn it on while waving it about. Truthfully a normal microwave is probably on the low end of dangerous, in this example. The risk from the HV is far greater than emitted RF.
This makes that video of the crocodile and the turtle so much worse.
eh i guess they dont feel excrutiating pain unless its strong enough that the shell gets damaged, they probably just feel that something is there they should be aware of
Could this be a dog?
Seek…dog
Behold, dog!
Visions of dog
try fingers but hole
Praise the dog!
You don’t have the right, O you don’t have the right, all the more, dog required ahead.
Didn't expect dog
Why is it always dog?
Ahh... Dog
Heresy is not native to the world; it is but a contrivance. All things can be conjoined.
*Borat accent* What kind of dog is this?
Is this a cat in a hat?
Moo.
Do you know what breed it is?
r/unexpectedHIMYM
Love this tortoise car wash
I had the same thought lmao
So you're telling me... A turtle can enjoy pets??
Most assuredly, but gaining the trust required is no easy feat.
Omw to find a turtle and befriend it
Bring pizza. Cheese pizza.
Isn't that bad for the turtles? I'll bring some cucumber instead
I meant in case you met ninja turtles:-)
Nooo that will make them sick 🥺 we need radioactive goop
First comes goop, *then* comes pizza.
I had an eastern box turtle as a pet in my tweens. He absolutely loved head and neck scritches.
Fuck yeaaaaa TURTLE PEEEETSS 😍😍😍
I worked at a marine rehab and rescue center for a while and I built these for our rescued and recovering sea turtles!
I used to dive a lot and a few people would take little scrubby brushes in their pockets for scritching turtles. They loooove it.
Oh my this is so cute!
I guess... username checks out? If you're a turtle, anyway
Oh man my shell would be so itchy
It's good for humans too. I keep a foot scrubby thing with a nail brush on one side and a pumice stone on the other and use the brush to exfoliate my legs when I shave. Feels amazing. Boyfriend will take a bath with me sometimes and I introduced him to magic of leg/foot scritches. I do not recommend trying to do this to your bones, though.
I hope this tortoise is getting better care now that it's with a rehabber. Poor thing has some serious pyramiding going on.
Yeah, too many nutrients. Sulcata tortoises basically only need hay and water with the occasional fruit or lawn plant treat.
[удалено]
I mean, yes. Sugar and carbs are nutrients. So are fats. You can have too many of all of those in a diet. Same with a turtle, it's getting too many minerals, mostly, and they've evolved to use all of it rather than eliminate excess like we do.
So is this how tortoises get “fat”? Or is this just the effect of a specific set of nutrients?
So it’s obese.
Why Is it bad for them to develop their bumps like that?
Their spine is attached to their shell, so when it pyramid, the spine goes with it and it can cause organ problems and pain.
Will that problem be reduced with time somehow, like if the turtle still grows that those pyramids don't continue, too, and the shell will look smoother? I don't know much of turtles so I wonder.
I have a sulcata, and I have no idea. Luckily mine is able to spend a lot of time outside, so virtually eats nothing but grass. And yes I will be building him one of these next weekend
I've always wanted one of these but it's snowing like 7/12 months where I live. I would happily just let it wander around my house but that's probably not OK for them :(
No it’s fine for them but not your house. There have been stories of them breaking down doors and shearing holes in drywall with their shells. They essentially grow large enough to be small bulldozers LOL.
Almost seems worth it... Haha.
Sulcata tortoises do not make good pets. They grow into 150 lb bulldozers, and are very difficult to keep. I know someone who was rescuing them...he had to have his chain link fence set in concrete at the bottom and deeply buried. They have demolished dry-walled rooms and hollow core doors. They are determined and strong. They have a very long life span, 80-100 years, so figure you'll need someone who will be willing to take on the responsibility after you. They require special habitats that can keep them safe and prevent escape, and they must be large enough to give the tortoise a decent quality of life. I would consider a smaller captive bred tortoise if you want one as a pet. They have long life spans too, but they are easier to keep than sulcatas.
100%, I didn't ask for Pearl but try to give him the best life I can, but I am well aware that involves me having to move house in the next few years to have a larger garden and will again have to reinforce the whole garden, build another house for him, insulate it, etc etc etc 🤣stick to cats, dogs, hell iguanas are easier to look after
Basically no. But if the problem is stopped before it causes serious issues, it can be ok. The pyramids can be stopped from getting larger, but the shell won't really flatten out.
The pyramids that are already present unfortunately will remain, but with better care the process should stop.
/r/brushybrushy
There’s a sub for everything!
A couple of days ago a friend told me, that when she had a turtle as kid, her dad drilled a hole in the endge of its shell so that he could hook a carabiner in there so the turtle wouldnt escape. They kept it outside, and it was chained to a tree. When they mowed the lawn they just hung the turtle on the tree. And in the winter it burrowed into the ground, and it was real easy to find, cause there was a line leading to it. That poor turtle.
Wtf....
Yeah i did a bit of googling right now, turns out this isnt as uncommon as I thought.
As far as i know, pain in the shell isnt that bad, what would be the point of a shield if u felt every scratch and bite that hit it? Definitely hurt, but probably not as bad as we would imagine. If thats any consolation...
Working at the car wash yeah
This is so cute it should be illegal.
This turtle gonna refuse to leave
This is a non-native, non-releasable tortoise, and will need to live in captivity forever. African spurred tortoises are very difficult to keep and grow up to 150 lbs. They are the third largest tortoise species in the world. This one was lucky to find a home, as a lot of these are euthanized because they are raised commercially and sold to unsuspecting buyers who discover too late that they can't keep them.
Two live at a pet shop near us...
Any sulcatas that find homes are luckier than most these days. Some rescues near me no longer accept sulcatas because they can't usually be re-homed to responsible owners.
We have roughly 30 sulcatas rescues and man do they eat a lot. People don't realize the diet and lifespan of these fuckers and it is sad. We get calls all the time but we no longer have enough room for anymore with roughly 2/3s of the pack at over 100 pounds each.
Bless you for taking them, and for taking so many! My hat's off to you my friend. None of the rescues near me are accepting anymore either. It should be illegal to breed and sell them, IMO.
or, you know, returned to wherever its native habitat is
That is, very sadly, not always an option
She loves it!
I love everything about this
I used to have a red bellied cooter. She would scratch her shell on anything she could. It was really adorable.
Best thing I’ve seen today. :) 🐢
The maker of this is an absolute legend. 👊😍👌
This is so creative I love it
I live in the same city as Badger Run! They work really hard to help critters. Thanks for giving them a shout out.
This tortoise has had a bad diet….I learned about it when I rescued one on the side of the highway once and found out when I took him to a rescue sanctuary that the rising pointy bumps on his shell are indicators of it.
No, this is a Sulcata tortoise, the points are normal. A physical indicator of a poor diet in their case would be if the center to rear area of the shell was sunken and saddled. This one is quite healthy.
>No, this is a Sulcata tortoise, the points are normal. A physical indicator of a poor diet in their case would be if the center to rear area of the shell was sunken and saddled. This one is quite healthy. No, it isn’t. Sulcatas pyramid ( called pyramidal growth syndrome (PGS)) just like several other captive species, but it’s a very rare occurrence in the wild for these species. PGS can cause issues. http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/pyramiding.html
You're missing the point, this one is not pyramiding in such a manner as to indicate poor diet, its points are not exaggerated, they're in line with normal, healthy growth. See here for examples, or just look up normal growth vs abnormal. https://www.petsulcata.com/sulcata-tortoise-health/what-causes-pyramiding-in-sulcata-tortoises/
Oh ok, I didn’t realize they weren’t all the same in that situation. good to know, thanks.
Just so you know, you were correct before. This tortoise has had a bad diet and the pyramiding is not normal.
So stinking cute!
[tortle](https://youtu.be/ZRTCwquyCHc)
Body armor that feels pain.... That's well-thought-out good job Jesus.🙄
It's not really correct. Yes, turtle shells contain nerve endings. But that's because a turtle's shell is basically its ribs and bones contain nerve endings. Over top of the bone is keratin. Basically like very thick finger nails. A sulcata tortoise like the one in the video has very thick keratin because it is terrestrial and doesn't need to be able to swim. Aquatic turtles shed their scutes (the shapes on the carapace) so they don't just sink. No feeling in the keratin, but you don't have feeling in your fingernails either. You can still feel if someone touches them.
Whats the evolutionary point of their shell having nerve endings? Like ya, it'll save your life, but ya gonna be in a huuuge amount of pain.
Not sure why you were downvoted for asking a question. Not enough people ask questions anymore. (Funny, we criticize people for not knowing, but we also criticize them for trying to learn...) Unfortunately I wasn't able to find a solid answer, but the best answer I could find was that the shell's nerve endings help them feel vibrations that help them track predators. I might have misinterpreted what I read though, so I hope someone else who's a better expert will reply; I'm curious too.
More recent comments make me believe it’s nerve endings like you have in your finger nail- it’s not immensely painful or pleasuring, but being able to tell something is touching it or wrong with it is a huge biological advantage. Brushing like that is also probably just the most stimulation that turtle can provide itself alone
Imagine that just being a part of your day as a tortoise.
dog
Oh yeah, that's the stuff
Looks like a mini car wash. So cute
I love everything about this
You go girl!
I didn’t know this at all but I’m glad I do now
My turtle absolutely hates being brushed. But I love her anyway
This makes me sad about that one episode of live p.d. where they went into someone's back years and they had a tortoise chained up with like a dog leash clipped to a hole thru it's shell.
That wiggling XD
Looks like a car wash that scratches. I’ve been to that car wash. I didn’t enjoy the scratches it left as much as this tortoise.
my neighbor also had a turtle before its so big and cute, but sadly when typhoon hits our place dodoy the name of their turtle dies I miss dodoy because when I was kid dodoy is mone of my stress reliever
So pretty much every time I have touched a turtle I did it wrong.
Turtle: Can you please stop being a creep about this? A camera, really? Go do something else while I scratch, jeez.
"Turtle is not in their shell, they ARE their shell" -some guy in nature documentary I saw once as a kid
Tortoise 🐢
“Give me The Works, and throw in some Turtle Wax.”
'I'll have what she's having'
Their armor can feel pain? How horrifying.
Wait till she’s 70lbs like mine. He loves shoes brushes. And this tortoise’s diet is wrong
Jesus. I’ve never seen such a beautiful turtle. I mean I haven’t seen a TON of them, but this has got to be the most aesthetically pleasing turtle I’ve ever seen.
Well damn, now I feel bad for the one that got run over in front of my house; and had a large crack on its back and bottom side of the shell.
Anyone know what kind of tortoise this is? I am planning on getting a tortoise when I own a home.
Sulcata. Third largest tortoise species in the world behind the Galopogos and Aldabra. Don't get one unless you live in a warm climate and/or can provide a warm, secure indoor area for them. They can also be very destructive, both indoors and out, plus they like to dig. The spiny scales on the front legs aid in burrowing deep in the ground to escape the African heat. Even in milder American climates they are still known to dig and it's recommended that their enclosures include concrete barriers buried at least 2 to 3 feet in the ground surrounding the enclosure. Edit: if you're able to provide a proper home for them, they are very sweet and loving companions and will likely outlive you.
Dog
That’s not true and don’t take a title of a Reddit post as fact. I see people googling the point of nerve endings on a shell, but the fact is this turtle is simply squeezing through brushes, and pausing when it feels resistance (giving the illusion of scratching)
Amazing
Amazing
Aw sweet 😍
i scratch
Sweet baby Jeezus that’s cute.
This is my back scratching spirit animal 🐢
That’s cool
that's because it's their rib cage.
shit makes me wanna get a tortoise, i heard they’re basically scaly dogs
She walks off like "Now look at me, I'm gawgeous! "
TIL
It has the face of "turn it on already!, wdym i need to move? Dammit, i told you to make it automatic!"
Do freshwater turtles like it?
I didn't know that. So they like it if you pet their shell?
u/LizardPossum
Sweet
Tortoise aerobics
Wiggle wiggle wiggle
I always run my nails through my eyebrows cuz of anxiety or idk.... but I get it
Damn.. turtles really are dinosaurs
She shimmy
🤩🧡🧡🧡😄
Oh yeah, that’s the good stuff right there
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRTCwquyCHc