Why do turtles headbutt?

Turtles are truly fascinating animals. Because of their solitary nature and the fact that they are not as time and money consuming as other pets, they enjoy increasing popularity year after year. However, sometimes they act weirdly – or at least it feels weird because not everyone realizes how turtles behave in certain situations. One of such behaviors that may feel like a weird one is heatbutting. 

Is it normal for your turtle or tortoise to headbutt? Yes, it is! There are many different reasons for these reptiles to headbutt, but in most cases turtles headbutt because they are ready for mating. Still, we have to remember that we can name at least 5 other reasons for headbutting. So, how do I know that the behavior of my turtle results in a desire for mating? 

As a pretty experienced turtle owner myself, I decided to share my thoughts about the turtle’s heatbutting reasons. And there are several ones to take into account. Besides naming the causes for this behavior, I will also provide you with answers to some of the questions you ask frequently, namely whether headbutting hurts and is it possible for a turtle or tortoise to harm itself while doing that. 

First of all, let’s talk about the most important reason, namely mating

Each and every animal on earth has its own mating ritual. Some birds ‘sing’ to each other, others use colorful feathers and dance to demonstrate attractiveness, and some others apply different tactics to appeal to the female. In the case of turtles, male ones will start headbutting the moment they have grown into their mating phase. This way, males are trying to assert dominance and show female turtles who’s the alpha. 

Interestingly, headbutting objects of different kinds can also indicate that your turtle is ready for mating. In this way, it will try to demonstrate its strength and assert dominance over the specific area. Obviously, let’s also not forget about the fact that headbutting a female may be to show his prowess and to force females into submission and readiness.

Females, on the other hand, tend to headbutt when they are about to lay eggs

If you have a female turtle that reached sexual maturity not that long ago, it may be looking for the right time and place to lay eggs. The females have maternal hormones that may make it a bit more aggressive than usual. As a result, it will try to headbutt other animals or even objects that may pose a threat.

That is why if your female turtle reaches the age of maturity, and it is headbutting a lot of all kinds of stuff – even inanimate objects, you have nothing to worry about. As long as it stops after laying eggs, the turtle is not trying to convey any other message. 

Obviously, this is also connected to the territorial nature of turtles and tortoises

These reptiles are incredibly territorial. If they find another turtle that roams around the area where they forage or hunt for food, they will most definitely try to scare it off. They can do it by either attacking with their teeth or headbutting. The goal of this form of tackle is to flip the enemy. Once a turtle is flipped, it is considered a loser. In such a situation, it will try to run away and stay out of the winning turtle’s way.

Boredom or frustration is yet another reason for this kind of behavior

Yet another reason why a turtle may be headbutting is because it is bored. Staying in captivity can be boring, especially if we do not provide our pet with an abundance of toys and objects that our turtle can interact with. Besides that, a boring environment, without caves, special underwater passages or other things of this kind will surely have an impact on your turtle.

Headbutting other objects or even other animals is a type of entertainment that we may not understand or treat as an aggressive behavior. However, it is a great way to relieve tension and emotions, and to improve the mental condition of the turtle. 

Stressing out a turtle may lead to headbutting

Another reason for a turtle to headbutt is when it feels stressed out. Loud noise, bullying, as well as over-handling is the combination of things that can easily lead to stressful situations. As a result, your turtle will try to distress itself. Headbutting or ramming will be the easiest way to solve that issue.

For this reason, try to give your turtle some space. Do not over-handle it. And by that we mean do not try to touch this every time you see it, do not take it out of its tank too much, and, more importantly, do not try to poke it to cause some type of reaction. 

Overcrowding as another reason for headbutting 

Though many turtles and tortoises live in larger groups when they are in the wild, they are solitary animals that do not like the company of others. And by that we mean they are not going to enjoy other turtles staying in their tank, especially if it is too small. Personal space is a very important deal for all turtles, so making sure that they have places they can rest without worrying about the competition is of utmost importance.

Obviously, we should remember about providing turtles with two different places where the food “appears”. In that way, they won’t feel threatened that they will lose the only source of meals. Besides that, we should make almost everything separate and doubled. Stones for sun basking, hideouts, places to swim, to hunt, to forage. Everything.

Let’s not forget about the volume! There is an unwritten rule that you should equip yourself with a tank that is capable of holding up to 10 gallons of water per every inch of a turtle’s shell. It means that if you insist on keeping two 10-inch turtles in a tank, you better prepare a reservoir that is able to hold up to 200 gallons of water. 

What if your turtle headbutts you? Well, there is an explanation for such phenomenon

If you ever find yourself in a situation where your turtle is headbutting you, then probably it is all due to the over-handling factor. As it was already stated, too frequent picking up or simple touching may lead to frustration, stress, or simply to the sense of threat that we may pose. As a result, a turtle will start headbutting you.

Besides that, if you are not placing the meal quick enough and you start to play with it, then your pet may become irritated with that behavior and start headbutting you just to speed up the food delivery. 

Does headbutting pose any danger to turtles?

Millions of years of evolution prepared turtles and tortoises for such a behavior. As a result, ramming is not something unnatural to them. Therefore, we should not be afraid of such tackling. Interestingly, their shells evolved in such a way, it distributes the impact quite efficiently. The ramming itself is not there to harm turtles. Yes, it can be unpleasant when a strong turtle headbutts a weaker one. However, there won’t be any significant or permanent damage.

Now you know why turtles headbutt!

It is a perfectly normal phenomenon to see turtles headbutting. Especially if a male reptile has reached maturity and is ready for breeding or a female wants to lay eggs and, therefore, feels threatened by almost anything due to its hormone increase. Still, bear in mind that headbutting can be the result of stress, over-caring, overcrowding, or simply because the turtle feels bored or frustrated.