Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My leopard tortoise is making quacking sounds like a duck. It's sort of a low sound that sounds something between a duck quacking and a piece of cork being twisted out of a bottle. He does this all the time. He moves his mouth and quack quack quack several times in succession.

I have kept other tortoises and the only sound I have ever heard from a tortoise is a high pitched WHEEEE sound my sulcata made when it is scared and suddenly goes into the shell. I have never heard a tortoise quack before this. He does this at least several times a day.

He had an eye infection not too long ago, which is cured. I don't know if there is anything wrong with this quacking? He doesn't seem to have any problems like runny nose or anything and its not exactly like wheezing so I doubt it is a respiratory disease. Is this something I have to worry about?

One of my redfoot tortoises used to do this while she was young,- about the first two years of her life. She would quack as soon as she would see me or hear my voice. When I talked to her, she quacked back.
A friend of mine, a very experienced redfoot keeper, never believed me, as he has never had one like that. I liked it,- it really seemed like if she was talking to me. But at one point she stopped doing it,- though she is still coming running whenever she sees or hears me.
Maybe this is more a baby-thing (until they get to breeding size,- then I will hopefully hear a different kind of quacking!)?

Gaby

Thanks. So its' alright then?

Fortunately none of my tortoises has ever had a respiratory infection,- so I don't have experience with how this would sound. But I am sure that you wouldn't confuse gasping for air, wheezing and a runny or bubbly nose with the quacking you describe.
Should any of these symptoms appear, your tortoise would need the attention of a vet quickly of course.

Gaby

when my redfoot was a little baby, he'd make kind of a quacky sounding chirp.he did it a lot when he was eating, or while he was digging around in fresh bedding... i took it as a happy noise!

as he's grown a bit (he's about 3 1/2 now), he no longer quacks... but now he has a cute little grunt noise he makes instead! on about 3 occasions he makes his very rare noise that sounds like a little monkey!

My LeonardoRenzo quacks too. He does that when I speak too him and everyonce in awhile in his enclosure. My star tort also quacks, but it's alittle louder then my Leo. Heehee, I think it's cute!!!