Hiccups?

[legan52]

This morning i noticed Gamera was twitching his front arms, or possibly his body was moving slightly as it was in sync. The only thing I can relate it to is hiccups, although I'm aware it isn't actually hiccups. It was happening every 30 seconds or so while sitting still, went away when walking and eating but back when he finished and still present hours later.

He's a bit less active today but still walked for his dish and ate heartily when I put fresh dandelion down. I put him in for a soak and he drank twice as well. He's been a bit more lethargic like I said but it's possible I've checked in at sleepy times today. But I'm mostly just worried about his "hiccups". Is that within the realm of normal or an early sign of a problem?

 

[JoesMum]

The twitching, as you call it, is just your tort breathing and completely normal.

A tort's chest can't expand when it inhales due to its shell. As a result, deeper breaths cause the legs to move and/or the head to bob.

 

[dmmj]

actually tortoises do not have a diaphragm like mammals do. They pump their arms like bellows to help them breathe. But it's perfectly normal

 

[legan52]

Thanks for the responses! It just had me freaked because in over a month of having him I've never noticed it, and trust me we've spent some quality time observing!