# Russian Tortoise Making Crying Sounds



## Ibera_12 (Mar 19, 2017)

Hi Everyone!

My 5 year old female Russian tort has been making these awful crying sounds at night for the past two days. She is currently in a 3ft by 5ft reptile tub with pete moss and coconut substrate. The substrate is dry but not dusty, I spray it down but it's not wet either as these animals need a dryer environment. She's a picky eater, but I have her on an all green diet and she mainly eats lettuce. No fruits are in her diet. The sound is coming from her mouth, she opens it slightly and lets out this cry. Her eyes are clear and her shell looks good. Her nostrils are also clear and she is not showing any signs of respiratory problems aside from the sound she is making. Her basking spot is around 90 during the day and the temp is at 75 during the evening. We live in Montana so weather has not permitted for her to live outside lately. During the day she eats and roams around her enclosure and seems fine. It's just at night she has been exhibiting these behaviors. I soaked her in lukewarm water this evening and it seemed to calm her down, but not completely.
I've had tortoises all my life and I've never heard this sound, it almost sounds like a cat meowing in a low tone. 
If you have any advise please let me know. I have antibiotics on hand, but I don't want to use them unless I really need to. 

Thanks in advance.


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## JoesMum (Mar 19, 2017)

Are you sure this tort is female? Please can you post a photo of the underside including the tail. 

You see, I have heard this noise on a regular basis - every time my male decided to mate with whatever his female tort substitute was.


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