Any odd behavior in your turtle will catch your attention, and this is understandable, one thing your turtle may do, that may catch your attention, is hissing
This article is a look into why your turtle may be hissing
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Why does my turtle hiss at me?
Many associate hissing with cats, but not so much with turtles, so, hearing this sound from your turtle will understandably be quite shocking.
Here is why your turtle may be hissing:
It feels threatened/scared:
Hissing in turtles is a sign of hostility, it is usually done when a turtle is scared or feels threatened
You may hear this sound coming from your pet when you do something that the animal doesn’t like, like when you pick it up, when new people come around, or, when you touch the animal.
You can tell that when hiss is defensive because the animal’s head will be completely visible and the animal’s mouth will be open as though it is about to bite.
The red-eared slider and painted turtle are more prone to biting, the box turtle will not
If the animal hisses, but it does not look defensive then the turtle feels threatened but in this case, it is rapidly expelling air from its lungs so it has space to pull its head and limbs in.
All in all, the hissing means that the animal is unhappy in its current situation.
What to do:
If you want the hissing to stop then change the animal’s situation. This will either involve you not touching it, gently and calmly putting it down, or, leaving the animal in a room on its own to calm down
Leave these animals alone in general, these animals are not only antisocial with each other but they really won’t like humans (giant predators in a turtle’s eyes) interacting with them, especially in the early days.
If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other turtle/tortoise related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: Why Does My Turtle Pee On Me?, Why Is My Turtle A Picky Eater?, Why Is My Turtle Swimming Frantically?, Why Is My Turtle Panicking?, Why Does My Turtle Have A Lump On His Neck?, Why Is My Turtle Digging In The Rocks?, Why Does My Turtle Move His Rocks?, Why Is My Turtle Digging In The Sand?, Why Is My Turtle Burrowing?