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Does anyone else's turtle do this? I've seen mine yawn a few times when he was basking and I read on ATP that it could be a respiratory infection.

One more question. Should I put a pleco in my tank? I have a 20L with a fluval 204. I have like 9 ghost shrimps and my turtle is 1.5 - 2 inches. If so, what sized pleco should I get?

Here's a pic of the tank.

My turtles yawn when they're sleepy. I can tell they're sleepy because their pupils look smaller than normal and they just stare ahead, motionless, until they let out a BIG yawn. It's incredibly amusing when they do that. Sometimes they fall asleep soon after they yawn. Usually I see them yawn underwater. I've never seen them yawn while basking, mainly because I could never get close enough to observe. They're very skitish when they're basking...

Thanks for the reply. Mine doesn't seem to mind if I'm near him when he/she basks except when put my hand in the tank. What about the pleco question?

>>Thanks for the reply. Mine doesn't seem to mind if I'm near him when he/she basks except when put my hand in the tank. What about the pleco question?

You shouldn't need a pleco in your tank right away. But they do come in handy if you are experiencing algae problems. Algae problems will occur the longer you have your tank but aren't harmful. I have a pair of pleco in my tank as well as a couple of cory catfish. They are effecient cleaners but don't expect them to just eat turtle waste and food leavings. You do have to feed them to suppliment their diet (Algae wafers and slow sinking tropical fish pellets). They are really cool to watch though.

Also, the pleco are really hardy so if you have to remove them in order to do a thorough tank cleaning they can handle being in a smaller container for the length of time it can take to flush out your entire tank. (My turtle usually ends up in my tub during a thorough tank cleaning).

One more thing. Size really doesn't matter with pleco just make sure it's too big for your turtle to be tempted to snack. Pleco grow, trust me on this. I asked for 2 small pleco, I got 2 small pleco. One is now double in size and the other is triple. Both remain unharmed and unmolested by my turtle.

Roy -

There is a difference between "yawning" and "gaping". If your turtle has the occaisional short yawn much the same as we do and then just goes on about the business of basking it most likely is fine. If you see it gaping and keeping it's mouth open for an extended period of time or having any bubbling or gasping noises along with that open mouthed activity get it to the vet so that it can be evaluated.

A pleco is not really necessary in the tank and you must be careful to observe whether or not it will harrass your turtle by sucking on it constantly or the turtle in turn harrass it by chomping on its fins. I would opt for not getting one IMHO though many folks have them and they do fine. Your tank is a bit small and I could forsee them having encounters. If you turtle is small the last thing you need is to have a pleco sucking on to it's shell and holding down in the water. It would most likely free itself but that would be stressful for it.

Steve

Alright, got it. I'll hold off on the pleco until I get a bigger tank. Meanwhile, I'm starting to see the first hints of algae in my tank! Not happy. Will my 9 ghost shrimps be able to do a good job of cleaning it or do i need to go do it myself?

You may need to lend a hand a bit. I am surprised that the turtle hasn't eaten those little guys yet. Amazing they all have their own little personalities. Some would chow down on the shrimp the second they laid eyes on them. Others won't give them the time of day.

My turtle has tried to eat them when I first put them in there but has since given up since s/he can't catch any of them. They flick away too fast. So now, the only live food s/he gets is from 2 rosy reds each month and snails whenever I get some (which isn't much).