We humans yawn all the time, and surpassingly, animals, like turtles. Yawn too, and they yawn underwater as well. Seeing this may leave you not only fascinated but puzzled as well.
This article looks into why your turtle may be yawning.
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Why is my turtle yawning underwater?
Yawning is not only an activity that land-dwelling animals do, animals that live in water, like turtles, do this as well.
Here are the reasons why your turtle may be yawning:
Equalizing the ears:
One reason why your turtle may be yawning may be to equalize their years, if your pet’s tank is quite deep then it may have to do this
Swallowing or yawning equalizes the ears of humans when they dive, and yawning equalizes the ears of turtles when they are in water.
What to do:
This is normal behavior for your pets, you will see the animal do this more and more the longer you keep it, you don’t have to worry about your pet if you see it doing this
Changing buoyancy:
Another reason why your pet may be opening its mouth may be because the animal is trying to change overall buoyancy
Turles will need to maintain neutral buoyancy because they need to navigate effectively in water.
These animals don’t have the same organs as fish, they don’t have a swim bladder, so, they will open their mouths to consume water and release air so they lose some buoyancy
What to do:
There isn’t anything to worry about in this case, this is normal behavior for your turtles and is something that all turtles do from time to time.
Hunger:
Another reason why the animal may be opening its mouth to yawn underwater may be because of hunger.
If the animal is swimming in murky water, where it can’t see so well, then the animal may be doing this to catch foods that may be floating around or swimming around in front of it.
Another hunger-related reason why your pet may be yawning may be because the animal associates you with food and is opening its mouth to get some from you when you come in
What to do:
Turtles can’t eat normally when they can’t see, if your pet’s water is murky then you may need to replace your water filter to get the water in the tank clean
If the animal associates you with food then you’d need to stop hand feeding it and rather leave food out for the animal when it isn’t watching.
Respiratory condition:
Another reason why your turtle may be yawning underwater may be because the animal is suffering from some sort of respiratory condition.
You can be more sure that your pet has this condition if it starts showing other signs of a respiratory infection, signs like discharge coming from its nose or mouth, or difficulty breathing.
What to do:
Seeing a vet would be best for the animal, seeing an exotic vet is even better for the animal. The vet will be able to physically examine the animal and run some tests to diagnose your pet
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 Are My Turtles Eyes Closed, Why Is My Turtle Red?, Why Is My Turtle Pink?, Why Is My Turtle Twitching, Why Is My Turtle Eating Sand?, Why Is My Turtle Restless?, Why Is My Turtle Yawning?, Why Is My Turtle Tank Foaming?, Why Is My Turtle Whistling