Advise on our sulcata

We recently added our sulcata, Shellbie to our family. Shellbie is about 2 to 3 months old and is very active and eats great. I am currently worried about pyramiding :/ what can I do to prevent this from happening? I will also include a picture of Shellbie with this post thanks everyone!!

Ummmm. I don't think that's a 2-3 month old. Looks much older and raised dry. @Tom would know more. I could be wrong. I see lots of growth rings for one who supposed to be so Young.

Maybe @Tom is in bed. He's not getting any younger ; ) so perhaps @Yvonne G can give some help?

The Sulcata looks much older than 2-3 months based upon the amount of pyramiding.

Definitely older than three months.

Here is what you can do to make the new growth start coming in better:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/

I'm so glad you've taken over in the care of this little guy. You've probably saved his life. He probably should be at least 5 lbs by now. He'll catch up. Sulcatas grow so fast...

I took one in that was 2 yrs old and only 2.3lbs that had a similar shell. I musta' asked the lady 3 or 4 times if she was sure he was two - he was so small for that age. But she got him as a baby so it was pretty accurate.

They do all grow at different rates.

You can see his progress over the last 9 months in the thread "Tiny Tales"
He's made great improvements, but will probably never be as smooth as one raised with proper care from the start. It's okay, like yours he is unique and very healthy now.

The pyramiding that starts when young will smooth out over time. With good care it is only cosmetic. Yours is young , whatever age he/ she is. If you heed the care info Tom provided he will grow up big and strong

Shellbiesfamily said:

We recently added our sulcata, Shellbie to our family. Shellbie is about 2 to 3 months old and is very active and eats great. I am currently worried about pyramiding :/ what can I do to prevent this from happening? I will also include a picture of Shellbie with this post thanks everyone!!

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Based on his growth rings and pyramiding I believe he is a tad bit older. The pinned articles at the top of this section will get you started with a proper habitat and diet requirements which can help the new grow come in smoother.

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/forums/sulcata-tortoises.88/

teresaf said:

I'm so glad you've taken over in the care of this little guy. You've probably saved his life. He probably should be at least 5 lbs by now. He'll catch up. Sulcatas grow so fast...

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5lbs by now? WHY would you say that?!

Alaskamike said:

I took one in that was 2 yrs old and only 2.3lbs that had a similar shell. I musta' asked the lady 3 or 4 times if she was sure he was two - he was so small for that age. But she got him as a baby so it was pretty accurate.

They do all grow at different rates.

You can see his progress over the last 9 months in the thread "Tiny Tales"
He's made great improvements, but will probably never be as smooth as one raised with proper care from the start. It's okay, like yours he is unique and very healthy now.

The pyramiding that starts when young will smooth out over time. With good care it is only cosmetic. Yours is young , whatever age he/ she is. If you heed the care info Tom provided he will grow up big and strong

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Spot on. Your tort should not be weighing "5lbs by now" so do not let that comment discourage you. They all grow at different rates and my very healthy (almost) 2 year old suclata has yet to weigh 5lbs!!! Yours is still very young, just go over the care sheets, change what is needed and you will be right as rain!

Someone told you incorrectly. That tortoise is way older than months and should probably be measured in years.

If it were my tortoise, I would go back to the beginning and start over. Set the tortoise up in a closed chamber and treat it as if it were a 2 month old baby. Maybe you can get the pyramiding under control that way. But, if not, don't worry. He will still be able to live a long and happy life and you will love him just as much as if he were smooth.

Read all the pinned threads shown at the top of the Sulcata section. Enjoy your new tortoise, and Welcome to the Forum!

DawnH said:

5lbs by now? WHY would you say that?!

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I say that because as yvonne even says its not just a TAD bit older. it's YEARS older. Please try to be less hateful in your comments. I'm trying.

teresaf said:

I say that because as yvonne even says its not just a TAD bit older. it's YEARS older. Please try to be less hateful in your comments. I'm trying.

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I am not being hateful, I would love to hear about what age your sulcata was when it hit the 5lb mark!

teresaf said:

I'm trying.

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lets not stray off topic nor disrespect the original poster and intent of this thread. Thank you for your cooperation...

Shellbiesfamily said:

We recently added our sulcata, Shellbie to our family. Shellbie is about 2 to 3 months old and is very active and eats great. I am currently worried about pyramiding :/ what can I do to prevent this from happening? I will also include a picture of Shellbie with this post thanks everyone!!

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The dish you are using should be replaced with a flat tile or flagstone type item. This makes it way easier for a tortoise to eat. I've got the type of dish you are using, but I have it submerged in the substrate,(soil) and I use it as a water dish. And ask all the questions you can think to ask! We won't tire of answering them, and trust me, no one will think a question is silly. Welcome to the forum, the Internet Machines most complete and trusted collection of tortoise and turtle information in one place.

Cowboy_Ken said:

The dish you are using should be replaced with a flat tile or flagstone type item. This makes it way easier for a tortoise to eat. I've got the type of dish you are using, but I have it submerged in the substrate,(soil) and I use it as a water dish. And ask all the questions you can think to ask! We won't tire of answering them, and trust me, no one will think a question is silly. Welcome to the forum, the Internet Machines most complete and trusted collection of tortoise and turtle information in one place.

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Also, a terra cotta saucer is wonderful. I have used them for water dishes and even a pyrex top for a food dish (I just toss it in the dishwasher between feedings.) There are a lot of knowledgeable sulcata owners here and as always, there is no such thing as a dumb question!

I assure you our tortoise is only a few months old. We picked it out when our tortoise was just a little thing from a reptile store. My daughter really wanted one for her birthday which is in June. We picked this little one out in April.

Shellbiesfamily, could you please take a picture of the tortoise in your hand for a scale. That would really be swell as the kids say. Thanks.

My husband said that our sulcata is about 4 months old.

Unless you hatched it out yourself you can never be certain of the age of a tortoise.

There are some REALLY experienced people here informing you, though, that its much older...

Be that as it may, the care for your little guy would be the same at any rate.

Read up on sulcata care in the links kindly provided by some of this forums most valued experts and welcome to the forum. Lots of nice people here with many years of tortoise experience for you to draw upon.