Two Questions

[Bear]

Well these two questions have been running through my mind and I wanted to finally bother to ask before they drive me insane...

1) Do tortoises make noise?
._. I ask this because I think on one or two occasions George has made a noise at me. This noise was similar to the noise of an offended small fuzzy animal or cat.

2) Is it ok if I don't soak my tortoise?
The reason I ask this is because George gets really really agitated whenever I soak him. He defecates over and over again in the water(and yet he never does in his incage water bowl) and tries constantly to escape. I keep his tub as humid as I can and I spray him down a few times a day, so I was wondering if I can stop torturing him now ._.

 

[GBtortoises]

Males of many species make noise while mating, usually described as a "slow cluck" which can sometimes be very loud depending upon species. Normally they do not make vocal noises other than when mating. Does your tortoise make these noises with it's mouth wide open as if it's gasping for air? Does it wheez when breathing with it's mouth closed? I ask because most other vocal noises emitted by tortoises are often attributed to respiratory problems.

It's not necessary to soak your tortoise if you feel that it is causing too much stress. It is necessary to provide access to drinking water. Either by removing the tortoise from it's enclosure and soaking as you've been or by providing a water dish within the tortoise's enclosure. When my tortoises are indoors I prefer soaking myself because I can see the tortoises drink and they do defecate in the water. This eliminates some of the mess in within their enclosures and it's also a good time to visually examine their feces for worms and other digestion problems. Outdoors mine have access to fresh water constantly.

While spraying the enclosure and the tortoise often is very beneficial also, it only partially helps to keep a tortoise well hydrated and does not aid in digestion and the passing of wastes like direct water intake does. Tortoises will store water internally until they are able to find fresh drinking water. When they replenish, they expel that stored water along with wastes. So drinking water is very important to their digestive system.

I've found that some tortoises simply are not comfortable sitting in water and struggle to get out almost instantly while others are very comfortable sitting there for as long as I'd let them. It doesn't seem to depend upon species, gender or age as far as which tortoises are comfortable in water and which aren't. It seems to be by individual.

How deep is the water and what temperature is it? Most tortoises will panick if placed in water too deep. Some dislike water that is cold to the touch. Mine seem to be okay with water that is above room temperature and just deep enough to come up to the base of their neck when they are lying flat on their belly.

 

[samstar]

Mine do drink from their water dish but I still do soak them 1-2 times a week in luke warm water

 

[Bear]

<< I found out what the noise was, because this time I noticed it came from the WRONG END to be a squeak, and almost ended up covered in a tortoise dump, and it sounded quite like a wet fart ._.
And if thats not the same noise, or it is, or it isnt, or...I lost my train of thought. Either way if I hadnt heard the noise again and almost gotten crapped on, hes never opened his mouth wide when making it.
Though I dont think it was the same noise, this time sounded different(like the sound of air moving while turtle crap falls onto me) and last time it sounded like you described it, as a "slow cluck"
I've never heard him wheeze or seen him make any mouth gaping motions(except to dunk his head under water, open mouth, and I guess drink? then come back up)[or to devour a leaf of greens or some mazuri]


The water is at room temperature, deep enough to partially cover his bottom half but shallow enough for him to have to lower or dunk his head to drink.

I've seen him drink from the water dish, but unlike his soaks, hes never defecated in it, only tracked plenty of dirt in.

 

[JaneF]

I'm glad you asked this, because the same thing happens with our two, and I didn't know if I'd sound ridiculous asking about it.

Ivan hates the water, sliding to a halt and craning his neck to look suspiciously at even a small puddle. He then backs away carefully and speeds in another direction. When put in a warm, shallow soak, he scrambles and tries to climb out. He won't defecate in the water; instead he goes as soon as he gets on the grass.

Meanwhile, in the same soak, Evelyn stretches out and hangs out, defecating several times, urinating, and happily lets me repeatedly change her water.

One of the things that makes these tortoises such fun is their very different personalities.

 

[Bear]

Even though the sound he made wasnt accompanied by gasping or an open mouth, I think im going to make George a vet appointment, just in case. Better safe than sorry.

 

[Yvonne G]

If I'm remembering correctly, George is a Russian tortoise. As a GENERAL rule, Russians hate being placed in a soaking bowl. Most of them will scramble the whole time, trying to get out. And yet if they are allowed to enter the water on their own, they do it willingly. If you have a waterer in the habitat, then don't worry about soaking George. Its not as important to soak a grown tortoise as it is to make sure a baby is hydrated.

 

[sdirks]

My Russian tortoise does make one sound... a sneeze! At least I think that's what it is. He hates his baths too. He walks through his water bowls all the time, but he never drinks any.

 

[dmmj]

my tortoises wheeze, hiss, fart, and more I used to think they were quiet animals not anymore though