General Care Discussion :: My turtle is yawning?

[Turtlelover123]

Hi, not to long ago my turtle sorta opened her mouth and it seemed like she yawned. I didn't hear any sound when she yawned. This is the first time it's happened. Is it RI?

Thanks

[marisa]

Is your turtle healthy? One yawn does not mean your turtle has an RI. Have you noticed any other symptoms?

Healthy turtles do yawn.

[scripta_elegans]

My turtle yawn occasionally when they're basking. If the yawning occurs frequently, or is accompanied by other symptoms such as mucous visible in the nose, lopsided swimming, inability to submerge, lethargy, loss of appetite, or consistantly closed eyes, I would head for the vet.

[industrial_girl_2000]

When a turtle yawns, it definitely LOOKS like a yawn. My Sheba often closes her eyes briefly when she yawns too, just like a person.

If they do it frequently & you hear a wind-rushing/breathing noise as they do it, then it is something to be concerned about.

[Turtlelover123]

Well when I saw Climber yawning she did close her eyes. She can submerge and everthing else. But at times her eyes just puff up. But they always go back to normal. Is that a bad sign?

[SpotsMama]

How's her appetite?

When you say her eyes puff up then go back to normal, how long do they stay puffed up? How often has this happened?

Has she been basking any more than normal lately?

[Turtlelover123]

Climber never really eats when I'm around. But she does finish most of her food most of the time. She pretty much will only eat turtle sticks, ssun dried shrimp, and a water plant which name escapes me. She will occasionaly try somthing new, but she usually just spits it back out.

As for how long her eyes stay puffed up, I'd say about 2-4 minutes. It usually happens when I take her out of her tank or when I take her outside for some sunshine.

I don't really see Climber bask much. Maybe thats because I'm at school for most of the day.

[SpotsMama]

It doesn't sound like anything serious. Just keep an eye on her and let us know if she starts basking a lot like she's tired, losing her appetite, getting swollen eyes that swell up and don't go back down, or yawning a lot or breathing with her mouth open.

After she's eaten, if there's any food left over in her tank, be sure and fish it out with a net. Otherwise it will fowl the water.

[industrial_girl_2000]

Climber never really eats when I'm around. But she does finish most of her food most of the time. She pretty much will only eat turtle sticks, ssun dried shrimp, and a water plant which name escapes me. She will occasionaly try somthing new, but she usually just spits it back out.

As for how long her eyes stay puffed up, I'd say about 2-4 minutes. It usually happens when I take her out of her tank or when I take her outside for some sunshine.

I don't really see Climber bask much. Maybe thats because I'm at school for most of the day.

Sounds pretty normal to me. Sometimes they bug their eyes out but later their eyes go back in. It's when the eyes STAY bugged out, then it is a problem.

[marisa]

The eyes could swell a bit if your turtle has been out of the water and the skin around them gets a bit dehydrated.

[Turtlelover123]

ok, then I guess the problem is that I take her outside for too long since I don't have a light for them yet.

Thanks for all your help!