What do hissing turtles eat

Do turtles hiss? Why do turtles hiss? At times you may have heard your turtle make some strange noise like a hiss. This has happened to me a couple of times. The hissing has always left me with so many questions. Like I would wonder, what does the hiss mean, or what does the turtle want, how is the hiss produced.

To answer all these questions that I had, I dived into research, and today, I will share what I found out. We will understand how the hissing sound is produced, what it means, and whether some of the turtles we have do hiss.

Stay tuned and enjoy. From my research, I found out that turtles will hiss for a particular reason. They hiss when they are retracting their heads into their shells. This is not something they plan for. It just happens unknowingly. They cannot control the hiss, and you should not be scared of the hiss. They do not want to hurt you for something you have done to upset them. Please check out our blog post on how to get rid of turtle smell.

Animals like snakes and cats will hiss to make them seem more intimidating to predators. They do it when they feel threatened. So, unlike these animals, a turtle hiss is not always to intimidate the predator, although it is sometimes. As I was doing my research, I found it interesting that turtles do not have vocal cords.

This means that they cannot produce any sound. This left me with another question. How is the hissing sound produced when the turtles have no voice box? So, I dived into research. What I found out may seem so mysterious at first. I learned that it is true turtles have no vocal cords, and they seem to have no ears.

The truth is they do have ears only that they are internal, and they will talk to their hatchlings immediately they hatch.

Sea turtles will make sounds in the water like the sound of a plane starting up. This is interesting because although they make sounds, we humans cannot hear them.

The reason behind this is that turtles make sounds at very low frequency and this accompanied by the very short duration of the sound makes us not to perceive their sounds.

They also produce sounds when they are mating. Though their shells provide very effective protection, most turtles will bite to protect themselves if necessary. This is especially prevalent among wild turtles, but pet turtles may bite as well. While this is a relatively minor concern for owners of small turtles, bites from large turtles can cause severe damage.

Turtles can become attached to their owners. They can learn to recognize them and even learn their owners voice. However, the bond that is formed is not the same kind one would have with a pet like a dog.

Turtles are very playful creatures, and quite active. A healthy and happy turtle should have clear eyes with no discharge. They should also not show any signs of difficulty breathing. A long, stretched out neck in your presence sometimes indicates a desire to be scratched or rubbed. Turtles rarely communicate with each other, they only do this during certain occasions like when they are in danger or during the mating season.

As an alternative to petting the turtle, you can enjoy bonding with it by allowing it crawl on you or sit in your lap. Turtles will urinate when you pick them up, so use caution when putting them on your body. Tortoises may touch their nose to your arm to show affection, this behaviour is common in the wild. Red-eared sliders hiss at you not only when it feels frightened but also if it is tired. When it rests, it keeps the head inside the carapace. A turtle not only produces a hissing sound.

It also generates gurgling noises and clicking sounds. However, not all turtles will cause these two sound types. You now clearly know why do turtles hiss. Although it is an involuntary act, the reasons are not. Hence, you must provide the right temperature and tank conditions for the turtle to keep it happy. When it recognizes you and other members at home, it will hiss less.

Nonetheless, you should never expect that the turtle will stop hissing forever. Also, when you observe the clicking sound or gurgling noise from the turtle, test the water parameters and sickness of the turtle properly. Hi, This is John B. Nelson and the author of this website.

As a cute pet, I love the turtle very much. Based on my experience with the turtle, I am sharing my opinion about the turtle care and habitat tips on this blog. I think these tips will be helpful to those peoples who have eager to turtle and want to start a journey with the turtle.

Find me on Twitter. Happy reading! Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Skip to content. John B.