Clicking noises

[bogart20]

Dont know why but my sulcata is making clicking noises. I feel concerned is there something going on???

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It's kinda clicking but sounds kinda like something crunching

 

[wellington]

Give us some info on his age, set up like temps and humidity, how many times a week you soak, does he get outside, is there any discharge from his nose. Anything else you can think of.

 

[jason g.]

Probably eating on rocks if you keep him outside much does he stop when you approach? Well that was the answer to my crunching problem once. Lol: )

 

[bogart20]

He's only 2 years old. He is inside mostly. I have 2 huge boxes inside ranging from 65 to 90
I spray his humid spot once a day to keep it humid. Just a mist not like soaking.
I soak him every 2 days

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He gets outside everyday it's nice outside witch it's more often then usual because it's summer

 

[CourtneyAndCarl]

My baby tortoise will occasionally make little clicking noises... I finally figured out that he was "playing" with his beak, kind of like how we grind our teeth... I was told this is normal

 

[bogart20]

Ok good. I thought it sounded like he was chewing in gravel! Lmao makes sense

 

[AustinASU]

My lil leopards do it too..freaked me out.

 

[knighterson]

My 4 month old sulcata does that occasionally too

 

[TortoiseBoy1999]

My new leopard did it today.

 

[GeoTerraTestudo]

All turtles can make clicking/croaking sounds by rubbing their upper and lower beak together - an example of stridulation. It's not clear why they do it, but it's completely normal and common. Is this what you're referring to? Does it happen when your tortoise closes its beak? If so, then it's probably intentional stridulation.

 

[bogart20]

Yea he moves his jaw and opens and closes it a little. I didn't kno that was common hahaha can it hurt them over time like grinding your teeth???

 

[jason g.]

That may have been what rose was doing when she was grinding her beak . I assumed she was chewing on rocks cause the next day she pooped a pee gravel pit.

 

[tyguy35]

So that's what it is. I hear. Click every ten min in his set up and I'm so confused lol

 

[GeoTerraTestudo]

Yea he moves his jaw and opens and closes it a little. I didn't kno that was common hahaha can it hurt them over time like grinding your teeth???

No, stridulation is not at all bad for them. And unlike our teeth, their beaks grow throughout their whole lives, so if anything, it's good for them.

I think sometimes tortoises stridulate after they have just eaten, perhaps as a way of getting food off their beak. Other times, they seem to do it even without having eaten, so maybe it's a sound they make to call to other tortoises. I'm not sure.

At any rate, it's perfectly normal behavior, so just enjoy it. Maybe you can help us figure out why they do it.

 

[TortoiseBoy1999]

My sister LOVES when my baby Leopard tortoise does it!

 

[Livingstone]

If this is just starting at 2 years old then I would look for another cause. Take a fecal sample to a vet and just have them check it, parasites like lungworm manifest in that way, the tortoise will open its mouth a lil then close it, they also snort a bit. Same noise they make when they eat a big bite of food then breathe after swallowing. It could be normal, but again if you never heard it before then its worth a look.