Is this normal behavior? (Video)

Hey all!

I recently got a Russian tortoise and have been observing her health while she adjusts. I bought her at a reptile expo, and she's certainly a wild caught adult, but I'm new at tortoise keeping and was curious... is this croaking noise/face rubbing normal behavior? I'm gonna guess not. The face rubbing, at least.


She's been with me for two weeks and lives in a 7x4 outdoor enclosure. The substrate is cypress mulch. She's stayed burrowed in her hide most of the time she's been here and has only eaten a few times, and I've offered her a variety of different greens. She definitely prefers weeds from the yard over anything store bought! She drinks water when I soak her, but I've never seen evidence that she's gone into her water saucer.



I know she's nervous being in her new home, but the potential health issues are my main concern right now. Her eyes are bright and clear and there's no discharge from her nose or eyes. What's the best way to go about helping her if this croaking/face rubbing isn't normal?

She sure is cute though and I hope she's ok! Her name is Penelope/Penny Thanks for any advice!!

My first thought was that there's something stuck either in her mouth or in her throat???

Agreed with Yvonne, doesn’t sound like anything I’ve heard. When Sheldon rubs his face like that, it is normally because something is stuck on his face (food or substrate) and he might sneeze but never heard him make that sound before, especially with the way she was opening her mouth. Have you tried soaking her, maybe she can get some good gulps of water? Sheldon is concerned for Penny, penny, penny. Keep us posted!