Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My baby leopard tortios has been acting okay till a little while ago. i woke up this morning to a loud noise from the tortoise. when I got up and watched him/her he opened his mouth a few times and made that noise, like he was choking.. at night I would occaisionaly hear this like 2 weeks ago but didnt think it was the tortoise. now this morning hes doing it alot and opens his mouth. i cant described the way it sounds by typing.. and my family cant afford another vet trip when we took our parrotlet and my chameleon. He seems to like staying under the heating element if that helps at all. anything to help or any ideas would help me and the tortoise. thx

it's hard to describe, but it's like a croaky chirp noise. he opens his mouth a bit when he makes it. he is especially vocal if he's digging around in his bed-a-beast... it's as though he's talking to himself!

is this kind of what you're experiencing?

i'm not sure how "normal" this is, either, but he seems very healthy. *shrugs* maybe one of the more experienced folks here can explain what it is.

of pneumonia which will kill the tortoise quickly if not
given antibiotics. In the meantime keep him very warm and
quiet.

It is better to be safe than sorry!

Linda

My female greeks makes odd chirping sounds from time to time. Used to worry me but she's been doing so long, I no longer worry.

mine's just recently had a vet check and has no signs of a respiratory illness, so i'm glad to hear that other healthy torts chirp too.

i wonder why? i know they vocalize when they mate, but i wonder what the chirp is for.

Open mouth breathing, wheezing and hanging out under heat are classic respiratory illness signs. I would strongly recommend getting the tort to a qualified vet. Open mouth breathing is not a normal thing and sick torts seek raising their body temps to compensate for illness.

The vet may allow you to pay in payments, but above all, think about the animal you are responsible for. It can not help itself.

Paul

I also have a baby leopard. He made the sounds you are discribing exactly. I was so worried. I was keeping him on rabbit pellets for his substrate and as soon as I got rid of those and used timothy hay and aspen for his substrate he stopped the noise making. I'm thinking the pellets were just too dusty. Just an idea.

Leopard tortoises are VERY suseptible to URTD. Upper respiratory tract disease. It may be what your tortoise has, but it's hard to say without testing from a vet. Hold him up to your ear and listen for any wheezing or clicking or gurgling sounds. Also, look for any thick mucous coming from his nostrils. Mucous is a very telltale sign of URTD.

If he does have this disease, he should be treated with antibitotics as soon as possible. If you don't know how to do it yourself, you need to go to a vet. Some tortoises have URTD their whole lives and live with it okay, just getting symptoms when under stress or improperly fed. Others die from it. If you keep a tortoise as healthy as possible with good diet and a good UV source, they often overcome the disease for the most part, but it's usually still lurking in their bodies for the rest of their lives.