Whistling redfoot : gender dimorphism?

Beasty_Artemis

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So, I have asked about this before I believe. But just cannot remember.

My 4 year old red foot, Artemis, has always "whistled". When I first received her in the mail as a new hatchling, I dont recall it being quite as striking. But as she has aged , she has continued to develop a more and more defined whistling noise as she breathes! She sounds like a little bird strolling around her table. And whenever I'm in my tortoise room , even when I'm not watching her directly, I can audibly hear where she is in her encloser. Sometimes I'm even able to hear the sound outside of her room in the kitchen!

Now, once upon a time, this scared me to death! I have always always been watching closely for bubbles coming out of the nostrils. But Arty has always been a healthy little turd!
And this sound is continuous! It's like she just always creates her little sound effects once she gets up in the morning. I know this sounds like the signs of an RI . But the eyes have always been bright and she has never exhibited health problems in her 4 years of life with me.

Has anyone ever had a red foot hatchling that made audible sounds like this?
Has anyone ever seen a hatchling develop early traits like this in red foots where it is a sign of gender dimorphism ? Could my girl be a male, with the vocal qualities to allow courtship calls already exhibited outwordly?

I thought that the red footed tortoise was the most vocal tortoise species. Is this information correct? Any past experience raising hatchlings where this trait was expressed early? Or am I wrong and my girl is just a noisy tort?
 

ZEROPILOT

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The male "voice" sounds like a chicken, clucking. (More or less)
It's not high pitched or bird like. It's kind of deep and loud.
I think that Artimus has and has had a defect/nasal issue. One that whistles when he breathes hard.
If this had been a RI it would've gone away by now or it would've killed Artimus.
I've kept Redfoot for a very long time. Decades. Any noises I hear are almost always made while mating or in a distressed situation of some sort.
Some of those noises are very odd. But they're all pretty rare. Not anything that I'd hear every day.
 
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Toddrickfl1

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I think at 4 years if the plastron isn't concave, and if you haven't seen the "Tortoise junk" come out during a soak, then it's probably safer to say Artemis is a female. I agree with @ZEROPILOT maybe some kind of nasal deformity.
 

Beasty_Artemis

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Il get my bf to help me post some videos of her where you can clearly hear "the sound"! I hate my new phone! And remember! It is really subtle! But I turned the volume up, and I can hear it just fine.
She always makes this noise. Even flushing her sinuses changed nothing. I can recall that first soak when I first heard her start making "the sounds".....I just about panicked trying to figure out if she was sick!!! Or if she had something lodged inside her nose after feeding.
She was born around July - August 2016 and I got her as a new hatchling from
Tortoise Yard .com.
( Vicki H. has since retired and sold the site to Carolina pet supply co. As I recall...)
 

Beasty_Artemis

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Lucky for my sweet baby, I found this forum more than a year before I ordered her! I build her a great table and never question good advice from helping forum members!!! I dont even know how its possible but Artemis has never experienced a shell fungus infection, or ever gotten any signs of an RI! I'm so happy!
 

Quadro

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So, I have asked about this before I believe. But just cannot remember.

My 4 year old red foot, Artemis, has always "whistled". When I first received her in the mail as a new hatchling, I dont recall it being quite as striking. But as she has aged , she has continued to develop a more and more defined whistling noise as she breathes! She sounds like a little bird strolling around her table. And whenever I'm in my tortoise room , even when I'm not watching her directly, I can audibly hear where she is in her encloser. Sometimes I'm even able to hear the sound outside of her room in the kitchen!

Now, once upon a time, this scared me to death! I have always always been watching closely for bubbles coming out of the nostrils. But Arty has always been a healthy little turd!
And this sound is continuous! It's like she just always creates her little sound effects once she gets up in the morning. I know this sounds like the signs of an RI . But the eyes have always been bright and she has never exhibited health problems in her 4 years of life with me.

Has anyone ever had a red foot hatchling that made audible sounds like this?
Has anyone ever seen a hatchling develop early traits like this in red foots where it is a sign of gender dimorphism ? Could my girl be a male, with the vocal qualities to allow courtship calls already exhibited outwordly?

I thought that the red footed tortoise was the most vocal tortoise species. Is this information correct? Any past experience raising hatchlings where this trait was expressed early? Or am I wrong and my girl is just a noisy tort?
My redfoot Monty not sure of age at least 12 yrs old has a small whistle when he breathes but he’s had it all his life according from the place I adopted him from they said the vet they took him too said that the nasal cavity was deformed inside someway . It doesn’t seem to bother him so I try not to worry. Easier said than done ?
 
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