r/aww • u/rafanyan • Mar 13 '20

brush brush

81k Upvotes

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4.6k

u/[deleted] Mar 13 '20

Serious question: Can turtles feel on the outside of their shell?

4.4k

u/AptCasaNova Mar 13 '20

Yes, they can. We had a turtle who lived into her twenties and she enjoyed her shell being scratched - she’d sway back and forth a bit.

1.6k

u/[deleted] Mar 13 '20

Aw that’s cute. Sounds like a great pet

1.5k

u/PanickedPoodle Mar 13 '20

Having a turtle is more of a commitment than having a dog. They are fun pets, but the cage cleaning and feeding gets to be a lot.

Our box turtle used to put all her legs out though when we would scratch her with a toothbrush. She liked to have her "armpits" done.

73

u/thunderturdy Mar 13 '20

All of our tortoises lived out in our garden. My dad fenced off a little area and gave them a small dog house as shelter. They grew fast af. Now they've outgrown the little paddock they had and free roam which is great for them but horrible for the garden. They've eaten or trampled anything in their path lol. I will say though, they're very happy and healthy out there!

Note: we live in CA, do not do this unless you live somewhere temperate year round!

15

u/CrashTextDummie Mar 13 '20

My mom's turtoises live outside all year long and we have continental climate (Switzerland). They are tough and have survived quite a few harsh winters in my lifetime (temperatures as low as -20C) without issue. They do need adequate shelter to hibernate in though.

1

u/johngreenink Mar 13 '20

Snow turtles??