General Care Discussion :: Yawning

[fryman86]

Hey, I know there have been several posts about yawning, but I just wanted to put my turts specifics out there for all you experts . I noticed her yawn twice today while on her basking dock. She was just sitting there with her head down. I wondered if she was sleeping so I moved towards her and she raised her head and yawned twice. Then I left and she put her head back down. Was she just sleeping? I know it can be a sign of RI but she is healthy all the way around. Her water temp is 75, basking temp about 92, she eats like a pig lol and swims around and explores her tank constantly whenever she isn't basking.

Thanks,
Fryman86

[TheComputerGremlin]

There is a difference from yawning and open mouth breathing. Imagine a human when your nose is stuffed up. You breath only through your mouth. Now imagine a yawn, a quick open up the mouth, close the mouth, almost a chomping motion in turtles. It would be very frequently open if it were open mouth breathing. You may also notice while she's in the water that her breathing produces bubbles around her mouth or nose. That's RI symptoms. When I was cleaning off Mikey the other day, he had his mouth open, but as I watched him (I was wiping his shell with a soft toothbrush), he was trying to bite me! It wasn't open mouth breathing, he just thought he could nab my hand because he wasn't happy with me.

[SpotsMama]

Occasionally my turtle yawns when he's on the basking platform, and sometimes he puts his head down. He's done these things for years and they don't worry me at all. If he were to start yawning frequently then I'd start worrying. I would get very worried if he were yawning a lot and also acting tired or losing his appetite or having swollen or irritated eyes.

[fryman86]

It's a quick opening and closing of the mouth. She isn't holding it open constantly so I guess she is okay. I only see a big amount of bubbles under water when she opens her mouth or snaps at something lol. So I guess she's fine.