Can a Tortoise be Potty Trained? | Tortoise Owner (2024)

There is a strong debate on the internet whether tortoisescan be trained or not. Of specific interest is whether a tortoise can be pottytrained—meaning can he be trained to relieve himself in a specific location?Some people swear tortoises can be potty trained while others vehemently refuseto accept that reptiles can be trained to do anything at all. We’ve got ananswer for you, but you might be surprised.

So, can a tortoise be potty trained? Tortoises can be potty trained to some extent but it’s not an easy task. Potty training tortoises is more like convincing them to do a natural behavior when you ask and less about teaching something completely new.

That said, there is still hope for tortoise owners hoping to potty train their pets. As we said, it can be done, but not quite how you’re probably imagining.

Contents hide

1) How do you Train a Tortoise?

2) Patience is the Key to Potty Training a Tortoise

3) Let Instinct be your Guide to Potty Training your Tortoise

3.1) Adapt to his needs

How do you Train a Tortoise?

Before you can potty train a tortoise, you must understandhow a tortoise is trained at all. They’re not like dogs or cats or birds. Youcan’t usually teach them a brand-new trick. You can’t teach them to dosomething unnatural.

However, you can work with what they already know and whatthey can already do. Training a tortoise is all about convincing them it’sworth their time and efforts to do something when you ask them to. It’s aboutplaying to their strengths and adjusting your expectations.

Part of training a tortoise to do anything is to watch theindividual tortoise’s behavior. Find something it’s already used to doing andthen encourage it to do that more. How do you convince a tortoise to perform?Easy; give him a treat. Almost all tortoises are food-motivated. Just be sureto avoid too many treats. An obese tortoise is less likely to learn quickly andit’s bad for their health anyway.

Patience is the Key to Potty Training a Tortoise

Tortoises are slow-growing, long-lived reptiles. They arenever in a hurry to go anywhere or do anything. There is nothing you could sayor do that will change that behavior.

However, that doesn’t mean you can’t slowly impact theirbehaviors over time. That’s how potty training a tortoise is going to happen.It’s slow, laborious, and might even be frustrating, but tortoises are smart.While they may not necessarily want to please you, they will be happy to workfor their food.

It may take months or years to teach a tortoise to use onepotty spot or a litter box of sorts. It may never happen at all. You need to beprepared for that by having patience.

Let Instinct be your Guide to Potty Training your Tortoise

Tortoises are creatures of habit. They will often do thesame things at the same time on each and every day. A smart tortoise-keeperwill recognize the patterns of their tortoises and take note.

One of those habits should be potty breaks. Nearly everytortoise has a particular way they like to relieve themselves. It may be rightafter breakfast or it could be in the bath water. Figure out what bathroomhabits your tortoise has and get ready to be creative.

Adapt to his needs

Once you’ve figured out your tortoise’s pattern, change afew things you do to help encourage the behaviors you want. In this case, youwant to focus your efforts on helping your tortoise learn to potty at aspecific time and a specific place.

Make it easy for her to succeed. Make all your changesgradually and take notes on how she reacts. If she seems stressed by anychanges, stop and switch back for a while. A stressed tortoise isn’t going tolearn anything.

Start the schedule

A great help to potty training any animal is the routine andstrict schedule. Once you know how long it takes your tortoise to digest herfood and when she usually poops, you can start to adjust the schedule to slowlychange when she goes.

This will take time, so stay patient. Slowly adjust feedingtime or bath time, or whatever other event helps stimulate her need to go. Ifyour tortoise always goes to the bathroom an hour after meal time, take her tothe potty spot 50 minutes before that time and wait, for example.

The potty spot

It is highly unlikely you’ll ever train a tortoise to poopin a litter box like a cat. That said, you do have a chance of teaching yourtortoise to potty on a specific surface. After watching your tort and figuringout his potty routine, you can start to change his environment.

If he always poops after breakfast, for example, change thesurface that breakfast is served on. You’ll want to keep using his bowl ordish, but place the dish on the new surface. After some time, your tort mightbegin associating the new surface with food and potty time.

For humans, it’s gross to think of pooping where you eat,but tortoises don’t usually care. Don’t worry about upsetting hissensibilities.

After a month or so and many, many poops, start moving thepotty surface away from the food dish, closer to the section of tank you’d liketo make the bathroom. If this is working, you may start to notice your tortmoving toward the potty surface right after eating and then doing his business.Congratulations! You just potty trained your tortoise!

Now, keep moving the potty surface an inch at a time towardthe right location. At this point, you may always have to use the pottysurface, or your tortoise may see the new location in the tank as the pottyspot. You’ll have to figure out which one your tortoise thinks.

Many Tortoises Poop in the Water

If your tortoise is like most others, he might like torelieve himself in the bath water. The warm water is soothing and relaxing,encouraging a nice release of waste.

Rather than trying to change this behavior, use it.

If your tort only ever poops in the water and never in therest of the tank, he is already basically potty trained. Lucky you! But thatdoesn’t help give your tortoise a nice, soothing, clean soak.

You can try switching dishes for bath time. If you knowhe’ll poo the moment he touches the water, put him in one dish for potty time.When he’s done, switch him to the real soaking tub so he’s not stewing in hisown excrement.

After some time, he may begin to expect this change ofbathing locations. He might even try climbing out of the potty tub to headtoward his clean soaking tub.

Try Outside for Potty Time

Some tortoises don’t like a mess in their tanks. Thesetortoises are often happier if you let them go outside each day to potty on thegrass, dirt, or rocks in the yard. If you’re having trouble getting your tortto potty where you want him to in his cage, bring him outside to see whathappens.

Each day, note where he relieves himself. Is it a specificspot? Is it a particular surface? Figure out what he likes and try to replicateit in his tank. If it turns out to be the whole outdoor experience that helpshim poop, so be it. You have a potty-trained tortoise!

Why does this even work? It’s, once again, a matter ofinstincts and using what your tort already does. Tortoises are often stimulatedto relieve themselves after vigorous exercise. Exploring the yard is hard workand therefore is likely stimulating his need to go. Let that work in yourfavor.

You’re Really Training Yourself

If you’re an astute reader, you may have noticed a patternhere. The pattern is that you are watching and learning from your tortoise andchanging your behaviors. Not the other way around.

In essence, your tortoise just trained you to manage his potty routine.

Don’t be alarmed. It doesn’t mean your tortoise is some kindof evil poo genius. It simply means you love your pet and wish to give him thevery best life possible. Managing his potty routine and being aware of hisneeds are just two ways you’re giving him what he needs to thrive.

When you’ve learned what your tortoise does normally, especially in the potty department, it’s a lot easier to identify illnesses, injuries, or stress. Keep watching your tortoise, keep working with him for better potty habits, and along the way, enjoy your bonding time.