Hatchling- gulping?

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SweetPete7

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Sonne2.jpgSonne4.jpgAlright. . . .so Sonne arrived yesterday via UPS. He is quite small, in fact- I can see where his embilical (sp) attachment was. Yesterday after a warm soak he was pretty bright eyed. He ate good yesterday, but today has slowed down a bit in activity (still eating good, and drank some water when soaked, although no poop as of yet), his eyes arent as wide as they were yesterday. . . .and he keeps making this gulping motion even when sleeping. His mouth doesnt open when he does it- but its like he's moving his adams apple up and down, and sometimes his back legs move back and forth when he does it????? GAH! Is this an early sign of an RI? No wheezing, or bubbles, or other weird behavior. . . .just gulping. A penny for your thoughts? I'll also post some pics~
 
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Yvonne G

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That's how babies breathe. Its perfectly normal. You may even see the front legs slightly pumping in and out too.
 

SweetPete7

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emysemys said:
That's how babies breathe. Its perfectly normal. You may even see the front legs slightly pumping in and out too.

*wipes brow* Thank you Yvonne! Thats very good news. I'd read somewhere that gulping can be a sign of stress. . . .and was worried
 

mdkelty

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emysemys said:
That's how babies breathe. Its perfectly normal. You may even see the front legs slightly pumping in and out too.

Mine are older, ie. six months plus and they do it everyday. I'm sure he/she will grow up big and strong.
 

Kristina

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Better to be safe than sorry.

My little Greek does this also, and she is very young as well. Mostly she does it when I pick her up or mess with her. She is perfectly active and eating well, so I have not been stressed about it.

Having a baby tortoise is much more nerve wracking than an adult, let me tell you, lol!
 

SweetPete7

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Mine are older, ie. six months plus and they do it everyday. I'm sure he/she will grow up big and strong.
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Eeep! I hope so. . . btw, do your lep torts have a spot on each scute? As seen in the pics, Sonne doesnt have a spot on two of his scutes. . . . ?

kyryah said:
Better to be safe than sorry.

My little Greek does this also, and she is very young as well. Mostly she does it when I pick her up or mess with her. She is perfectly active and eating well, so I have not been stressed about it.

Having a baby tortoise is much more nerve wracking than an adult, let me tell you, lol!

Bah! I am finding that out. . . .yeesh. . . .no regrets though
 

Greg T

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They don't always have dots on their scutes. Some will have a perfect pattern right down the back while others may not have any dots at all. Don't let that bother you because the dots basically disappear as they grow older anyway. :)
 

SweetPete7

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Greg T said:
They don't always have dots on their scutes. Some will have a perfect pattern right down the back while others may not have any dots at all. Don't let that bother you because the dots basically disappear as they grow older anyway. :)

Do you have any pics of Marge? I'd love to see what she looks like~

Yourlocalpoet said:
Everything you asked is perfectly normal, Sonne is a cutie.

Thank you Shell ;)
 
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