Dancing Hermann's tortoise

[Blizzard]

I have a Hermann's tortoise that moves it's shoulders and makes this weird sound. It sounds like bones cracking. Does anyone have any idea why? Thanks for the help!

 

[Bambam1989]

The shoulders moving is probably just your tort breathing. They use their legs like billows, their ribs are attached to their shells and don't flex. It becomes more noticeable the more deeply they breath, so when they are smelling or get excited.
The sound you describe is probably your tort "grinding" it's beak. About the equivalent of a person smacking their lips. You may notice this immediately after your tort yawns, or if they smell food or are expecting it. Mine does it while basking and soaking sometimes.

Sounds to listen for that may be a sign of sickness are- wheezing or gurgling noises. Sneezing (not to be confused with hissing which is when they suck themselves into their shell quickly). Also watch for puffiness around the eyes, and discharge from the nose. It may also be beneficial to keep track of your torts weight, a sudden drop is an early sign that something could be wrong.
Hope this helps, you may have already known some of this but I tried to cover it all just in case.

 

[Blizzard]

Thank you very much! I'm a beginner, so I didn't know about this. The shoulders move in a circular motion and make the sound, probably just the bones. Cute tortoise btw.