Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a question about my tortoise...I recently got a baby greek tortoise which seems to be healthy. I have had reptiles before and the tank is set up with the proper lighting and temperature. He is eating well and is pretty active but he is always bobbing his head up and down almost as if he is breathing heavily quickly, it kind of looks like he is twitching, but only with his head and the front legs sometimes..it sounds like a wierd question but i have never owned a tortoise before and was wondering if this was a normal behavior or should i be worried? any insight would be greatly appreciated, thanks!!

Are they like muscle spasms? If so, you're going to need to get him more calcium quick status. What is he eating?

i just got him 3 days ago. i have been feeding him dandelion greens and carrots mixed with some reptomin soft gel. he has water readily available too- is this ok? it kind of looks like muscle spasms but i cant really tell.

This sounds like normal breathing movements to me. Since tortoises do not have movable ribs, they sometimes use their legs to help them pump air in and out of their lungs in the motion you are describing.

They sometimes do this when aggrevated about something. If it is just a light movement its just normal breathing.

My two baby leopards used to do that when they're scared (breathing heavily). I wouldn't worry about it. I swear they can recognize you after a while.