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Okay so when i was cleaning my tank. one of my turtles hissed? is this a bad thing? is he mad at me? i just was trying to get some info thanks

Ha! Sounds like a snake doesn't it?

When they pull their heads into their shells quickly they expell the air in their lungs and that's what makes the hissing sound.

Hissing doesn't necessarily means he's mad at you. It can mean he's frightened. It doesn't mean he's happy but it's not a serious thing unless he's doing it all the time, which means he's probably stressed.

thanks i was so worried

Uhhh....your avatar is a wee bit large. Can you resize?

And are the little turtle and the big one housed together? There's too great a size difference - the big one will probably hurt the little one. Best to keep them separate until their sizes are more equal.

My turtles have hissed at me to show displeasure too. I think the best way to determine the type of hiss, is if they have their head in, as Spotsmama described, they are frightened. If on the other hand, they have their head way out and their mouth open, they probably think they're going to bite you good for whatever offense you commited.

Beaker never hisses at me. She's always very quiet when she tries to bite me.

Beaker is special isn't she.

Goose-I have the "beaker bite" picture up on my computer at work. It doesn't matter how bad a day I am having, it always makes me laugh. Have any of your scaly kids ever hissed at you? Spike has only a coulpe times when I startled her, but Sparky does it once in awhile.

None of them have ever hissed. Gomie is too friendly and curious, Big Daddy is very mellow and calm, even when being handled......
But the Beakster just likes biting me.....I'm not sure why, she's not afraid of me anymore. She used to run and hide at the mere sight of me, but not anymore. She's never shown any aggression towards the other two.
I don't know......maybe it's her way of telling me she likes me!

That's a very good way to look at it! it's turtle love.

My RES hisses when he's been startled (and pulls his head into his shell very quickly) or when he's ticked off. You probably startled him somehow.