Chun-Ming Chew
Candace, That’s normal behavior for a new dbt and especially for a hatchling. It still hasn’t associated you with its food and doesn’t quite know whether you are a threat or caregiver. I used to handle my hatchlings everyday since I had to take them out of their tank and put them in their feeding container on a daily basis. They soon got used to it. I do the same thing with adults and after a period of weeks or sometimes even a few months, they come right up to me whenever I’m around. Most of them just stay limp in my hand now whenever I pick them up – no more struggles or scratches from those huge hind feet! Chun — In diamondbackterrapins@egroups.com, “Candace Metcalf”