New red foot tortoise

[tooortoisetortoise]

Hi all I just joined up. I received my new red foot tortoise today from turtle source. He/she is about two to two and a half inches long and still has a egg tooth is that still typical of a supposedly 13 ish week old baby??? I took him / her out of the packaging and he/ she was sleeping w eyes closed and upon setting it on my hand he or she woke up and perked up and came out to look around ... He or she sporadically kept yawning is that normal ? It did the yawn thing maybe five times or something here and there. I ask cause I wonder if it's aggression? Or just yawning ? There wasn't any hissing and he or she part of the time was facing away from me and still yawned. Any ideas? Thanks!

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi tooortoisetortoise:


Welcome to the Tortoise Forum!!

What would you like for us to call you?

Also, when we know approximately where you are, it helps us design our answers to better fit your questions.


Could it be open mouth breathing? Tortoises don't know how to breathe through their mouth, so when they can't get air in through their nostrils, they just hold their breath until they can't hold it any more, then they open their mouth and gasp air in.

If this is the case, you have received a very ill baby and should contact the seller immediately.

 

[dmarcus]

Hello and welcome to the forum..

Does your tortoises still have any left over yolk sack left on the bottom of the shell. I am thinking your tortoise is a lot younger than they have told you...

I also agree with what Yvonne has said...

 

[lauren43201]

Hello and welcome! If you got him in the mail, then he/she is probably worn out from the trip. Kinda like "Jetlag" to us humans after going on a long trip. hahaha, but if he seems to be gasping for air like Yvonne said then i suggest taking him to the vet, just to make sure he's okay. Better safe then sorry, i always say.

 

[tooortoisetortoise]

Hey thanks for the responses ... He yawns every so often and looks like he's yawning .....he perked Up and looked around and didn't continue to do it eagerly. He did it calmly as if truly yawning ....like not labored looking. I don't recall seeing a egg sac on his abdomen ... But he does have a egg tooth on his beak still. He's about two inches long...

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

Welcome!

 

[tooortoisetortoise]

Thank you any clue when they absorb their egg tooth? I wanna pinpoint His or her age... And it keeps yawning here and there I'm worried

 

[Mgridgaway]

Unlike their egg yolk, baby torts don't absorb their egg tooth; it just falls off after a while. It honestly depends when but I've found putting food on a hard surface will usually help it come off.

As for the yawning.. Torts do yawn occasionally. It's often extremely cute. If he keeps his mouth open for more than a few seconds though... that is possibly not a good sign.

On the other hand, he may be estivating. What are the temp/humidity ranges in his cage?

 

[tooortoisetortoise]

sigh yeah that lol.....due to faulty help at petsmart on the right fixtures and bulbs to use i am guessing the temp is in the 70's and I know that isn't warm enough.....I did a warm water soak cause he seemed dry-ish and he perked up and walked around for awhile and looked around fully extended from his shell....i plan to go back tomorrow to exchange what I had purchased aside from the fact the clamp lamp is missing a part so i cannot clamp it.......sigh lol....and as for the yawning when he does it , it is for seconds long.....and he doesn't do it consistently just sometimes.....