Urgent Care :: possible respiratory infection?

[lazixixi]

I have an almost 1 year old RES and lately I noticed that wen I pick him up he started to try to bite me. He has never done that before. Now, he not only tries to bite me, but he also kinda hisses. He would only open his mouth realli wide and then close it over and over. And the hissing i guess kinda sounds like wheezing, like wen ppl. have asthma or something. But he only does this wen i pick him up. When he's in the water, he's totally fine, and his apetite has been better than ever. Plz help, am i just worried for no reason, or is there something wrong with him. O and also, my other turtle use to show the same behavior dis turtle is showing now, and my other turtle die.

[missibsu]

One of my turtles hisses. She doesn't like to be taken out of the tank. Once she realizes its because she is going outside she settles down, but none the less. She's like a cranky old woman.

[steve]

Picking up a RES while they are in water might draw a biting response. Does the wheezing only happen when you pick him up or does he breathe heavy all the time? (Could be over weight.)

[lazixixi]

he only hisses when I pick him up, but he just started to do this recently. When I use to pick him up, he was always friendly.

[steve]

Mine haven't hissed at me but they'll kick and kick and kick.

[missibsu]

My one that doesn't hiss will kick. The hisser doesn't appear to have anything wrong. I have never had any problems with my turts, and I'm not concerned about the one who hisses.

[marisa]

They can hiss when they feel threatened, and they can hiss when they suddenly withdraw their heads into the shell (the air being expelled from the lungs is the hissing sound). Some of my turtles will open and close their mouths slightly when I'm hold them, like they're considering trying to bite me.

How do you hold your turtle when you pick him up?

[missibsu]

I pick mine up with fingers on the side wrapped top and bottom. Thumb underneath and fingers across the top of the shell. I really am not in the mood to get bit. Sometimes I hold them across the top of the shell with a hand underneath for support. Depends on if I need to get the door by myself, lol.