Bryan Kohberger is crying that fellow inmates inside his Idaho prison are taunting him by yelling at him through vents … but prison officials say that’s just how guys in the joint talk to each other.

Here’s the deal … inmates at Idaho’s Maximum Security Institution are reportedly taking turns screaming into the vent that leads to the cell where Kohberger is in solitary confinement, and the admitted murderer whined to prison guards that the noise is preventing him from sleeping.

The Idaho Department of Corrections tells TMZ … “We are aware of Kohberger’s complaints about what he considers taunting. Incarcerated individuals commonly communicate with each other in prison.”

As we’ve told you … Kohberger is in the prison’s J Block, which holds up to 128 inmates, and includes everyone from protective custody incarcerees to long-term isolation holds … and even inmates on death row.

Kohberger and the other inmates in long-term restrictive housing live alone in their cells, are only allowed to exit in restraints, get showers every other day, and are permitted just one hour of outdoor time daily.