"tortoise talk"

Status
Not open for further replies.

Jacqui

Wanna be raiser of Lemon Drop tortoises
Moderator
10 Year Member!
Joined
Aug 28, 2007
Messages
39,941
Location (City and/or State)
A Land Far Away...
What was he doing at the time? Just before the noise? Is he by himself?
 

T-P

New Member
10 Year Member!
5 Year Member
Joined
Aug 23, 2007
Messages
418
Location (City and/or State)
Coventry, England
Did you go near him and did he hiss or something when you or something went near/touched him?

if so he may be frightened or feel threatened.
 

Jacqui

Wanna be raiser of Lemon Drop tortoises
Moderator
10 Year Member!
Joined
Aug 28, 2007
Messages
39,941
Location (City and/or State)
A Land Far Away...
spikethebest said:
i only hear my tortoises make noise when they mate. the males sweak with their mouth open, tongue out

and they never heard about quiet sex. Can hear it quite a ways away:D
 

Rees2

New Member
10 Year Member!
5 Year Member
Joined
Aug 21, 2007
Messages
249
Location (City and/or State)
Santa Cruz California
I hear turtles can only make a noise out of the mouth by quickly exhaling or rubing there jaws together because they have no focale cords not sure if this is true for torts though.And tortoises also make a sound when going into their shell quickly i think.
 

spikethebest

Active Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Aug 24, 2007
Messages
2,367
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
go here... http://en.allexperts.com/q/Turtles-3543/turtles-sounds.htm

Question
I have a red earred slider about 8 inches long, approx 6 in wide, think its a female by looking at size/thickness of her tail. I've had her for almost 3 years. She hisses when stressed - or at least i think she does. She makes this hissing sound when i clean her tank and she will keep doing it until I get her tank back to the way she likes it. I tried to change the rock formation to the other side of her tank but for more than an hour she made that sound every few minutes or so swimming over to where the rocks were originally. I moved the rocks back and the hissing stopped .My husband thinks I am insane,am I ? lol She'll see me and she'll start swimming very fast back and forth and if i don't go to the tank she'll climb onto the basking area and knock her shell into the glass until I go to the tank.She does this only with me, not him or my children.I am the person that feeds her but I really think she knows when i get home from work by my voice! Never knew turtles had personalities but this one seems to. what is your opinion on this?

Answer
Turtles in general have distinct personalities. Some are quite shy, some curious, etc.

I have heard a lot of stories like yours- in which a turtle obviously recognizes its keeper. I don't think it is that unusual- it associates you with food and other good stuff. My favorite tortoise used to nip my toes lightly when he wanted food- and only MY toes.

The only 'off' bits here, to me, are:

1. Turtles do not hear. They recognize vibrations, but no evidence for voices. So, she may know when you get home, but not by voice. Perhaps a combination of other vibrations (time and door close, etc.?)

2. Long-term hissing is strange. Most hisses are very short duration- a few seconds would be a long hiss. Many hisses are just a noise caused by the sudden withdrawl of the head, compressing the lungs.

I'm not real worried about it- it is just odd and indicitive of her unique personality!


wikipedia says... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Box_turtle

A recent study by Davidson College revealed, among other things, that a box turtle snapping its jaw shut can produce sounds as loud as 75 dB. This sound can be used to scare away predators or possibly even be used as some sort of mating call.[3]
 

Jacqui

Wanna be raiser of Lemon Drop tortoises
Moderator
10 Year Member!
Joined
Aug 28, 2007
Messages
39,941
Location (City and/or State)
A Land Far Away...
I am thinking that maybe it's the CTTC that has a thread with the taping of the different vocal sounds made by different tort species...does anybody know if it's them or another site I am thinking about? It's a very interesting thing to listen to them all.
 

Iluvemturts

New Member
10 Year Member!
5 Year Member
Joined
Aug 21, 2007
Messages
429
Location (City and/or State)
South Central WI
Ive seen that video of the vocals....felt kinda dirty afterwards...like I needed a bath.. its basically tortoise porn...bunch of sickos . the clucking of the RF is hilarious.
LMAO:p
 

Josh

Ask questions, share answers, talk torts!
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
Joined
Aug 15, 2007
Messages
4,108
Location (City and/or State)
Redlands, CA
the mating sound some torts make is kinda scary. never heard any hissing though...
 

Jacqui

Wanna be raiser of Lemon Drop tortoises
Moderator
10 Year Member!
Joined
Aug 28, 2007
Messages
39,941
Location (City and/or State)
A Land Far Away...
It's not a real hiss, just the air escaping when they pull back into the shell suddenly. I had heard it on a few paints and snappers we have helped off the road. A couple of weeks ago, I took in a nice sized female Russian and she has a very loud hiss.
 

AshelyStoliOzo

New Member
10 Year Member!
5 Year Member
Joined
Aug 21, 2007
Messages
15
Location (City and/or State)
lynnwood wash.
well he was jsut sittin there ... i have him alone.. but i also have a female on the same room... could he be talkin to her lol?.
 

T-P

New Member
10 Year Member!
5 Year Member
Joined
Aug 23, 2007
Messages
418
Location (City and/or State)
Coventry, England
AshelyStoliOzo said:
well he was jsut sittin there ... i have him alone.. but i also have a female on the same room... could he be talkin to her lol?.

He might be able to smell her, and wants to get to her for breeding or something.
you'd be suprised.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

New Posts

Top