head bobbing

[sheilaamistone1974]

so pokey is now 2 wks old. yesterday he learned that dandilions are yummy. he has also gotten to the point that he bobs his head only when i talk to him. how common is it that they only do this when being talked to. i personally think it is cute and funny. also, on a side note, pokey has his first wellness checkup tomarrow. what kind of questions should i be asking? we will be doing a stool sample to check for parisites.

 

[Jacob]

The head bobbbing can possibly be his breathing!

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

The head bobbbing can possibly be his breathing!

 

[Arizona Sulcata]

Doesn't have anything to do with you talking to him. He's just breathing.

 

[ascott]

You go right ahead and enjoy the head bobbing as your thing....

 

[GeoTerraTestudo]

This issue comes up a lot. True head-bobbing, with the neck outstretched and the head moving vigorously up and down, is a sign of aggression or courtship. A truly head-bobbing tortoise (usually male) may also approach a rival or a mate, and proceed to bite at him or her as the ritual continues.

What people refer to as "head-bobbing" in a passive sense is really just breathing. The gular (throat) pouch expands and contracts to move air into and out of the lungs. If the head is resting on the plastron (lower shell), this causes the head to move. If the head is brought out of the shell, the throat pouch pumps without making the head move. All of this is perfectly normal.

Turtles and other reptiles and amphibians use their gular pouch to breathe, because they do not have the diaphragm of mammals. Expanding and contracting the rib cage is common among land animals (including us), but since turtles have a fixed shell, they must rely on moving the throat and limbs to breathe. The only exception to this is in turtles with a movable plastron like box turtles, or a movable carapace, like hingebacks. In these species, you can see the shell moving at the hinges when they breathe, somewhat like our ribs. Even these types of turtles still pump their limbs and gular pouch, and even here, the head may move if the neck is not extended clear of the shell.

Here are links to many of the other TFO threads on head-bobbing, most of which explain how, unless a turtle is engaging in threat or courtship behavior, head-bobbing is just a normal behavior associated with breathing:

"Head bobbing"
"Bobbing its head?"
"Head bobbing?"
"Head bobbing"
"Baby Tortoise Head Bobbing, FIGHTS! (pics)"
"Head bobbing, hatchling born in Oct."
"Head bobbing? Lack of soaking? Bad stool?"