Pets that are known to be loud include dogs, birds, and in some households, monkeys. Turtles are quieter pets, you don’t expect turtles to make much noise, but these animals actually do make noise.
This article is a look into why your pet turtle may be making so much noise
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Why is my turtle making noises?
Turtles do make noise, in fact, they make a variety of different noises, some of the noises that turtles make may confuse and worry you, but this article will help you figure out what the noises mean
Here are the noises that turtles make and what they mean:
Hissing:
If your pet turtle is getting ready to bring its head into its shell then the animal may hiss.
Hissing isn’t meant to scare you, even though it may sound scary, the hissing is simply the resulting sound of the animal breathing out.
When a turtle becomes sacred it rapidly expels air out of its lungs, the animal does this to make room for its head to fit in its shell.
The fact that this sound is menacing to humans, and likely to predators, is likely just a happy accident.
What to do:
This is an involuntary sound and you shouldn’t worry if your pet is doing this.
What you can do is move the animal away from the threat as this hissing sound generally happens when the animal feels threatened
It is sick:
Another reason why your pet turtle may be making sounds, namely a wheezing sound, may be because the animal is sick and has a respiratory infection
Respiratory infections in turtles affect the animal’s lungs, this condition causes congestion in the animal’s lungs, and as a result, the animal develops issues with breathing which results in wheezing sounds coming from the turtle when it breathes
There are other signs of this condition that you would need to keep an eye out for before you automatically assume that this animal has a respiratory infection.
Other signs of this condition in turtles include: nasal discharge, loss of appetite, open-mouth breathing, gasping, excess mucus in the mouth (seen as bubbles in the mouth, nose, and eyes), and an extension of the neck to breathe
What to do:
If you think that your pet has this condition then you’d need to take the animal to the vet as soon as you can. If left alone this condition can turn into pneumonia which can be very dangerous to your pet turtle.
Other vocalizations:
Other vocalizations that turtles do include squeaking, grunting, and chirping.
These animals will squeak, generally very loudly, when they are mating, they can also release a continuous cry-like sound when mating.
Turtles will make low grunting noses when laying eggs.
The chirping sounds are made when turtles clap or rub their upper and lower beaks together. These animals may also chirp if their water temperature is not suitable.
The sounds that turtles make are generally not easily heard by humans but you may hear them if you listen closely.
What to do:
The sounds mentioned above are perfectly normal sounds that turtles make and you don’t have to worry if you hear your pet making them.