Aww, man! (Pyramiding?)

[littleginsu]

I think Mr. Binker has some pyramiding

I had cut down to 1 soak a day, but I am thinking maybe I should go back to 2 soaks a day? His enclosure stays at or above 80% humidity and although he has access to water all day long I make sure he drinks at least once a day.

He isn't much for cuttlebone, so I break it up into a powder and sprinkle a little bit on his weekly Mazuri treat.

The weather had been wet and overcast for several months, but I do try to get him outside for at least an hour a week along with UVB bulbs in his enclosure. I will be purchasing a UV reader thingy to get a better idea of how much and strength he is receiving in his enclosure.

Anyone have additional tips to ensure the rest of his growth is nice and smooth? Thank you in advance.








I still think Mr. Binker is one gorgeous tort, even if he has a few bumps.

 

[bouaboua]

I'm not the expert of RF but I think this little one are very nice looking.

 

[ascott]

What food items do you offer? Does the tortoise have access to grazing? How often does the tortoise get to get out to exercise....while hydration is good and necessary....it is not the cure all for a healthy tortoise nor shell....

 

[littleginsu]

He has some grass that grows in his enclosure and I leave some fresh greens for him to munch on during the day. I am working on an indoor greenhouse set up to get some weeds growing, he eats spring mix, collard greens, reconstituted ATC dried foliage mix, mazuri (once a week with cuttlebone powder), a berry or watermelon treat maybe once every couple weeks.

Before I run the water in the bath tub, I let him walk around it for about 15 minutes, which he does spend most of the time walking, then I add some water and he continues to walk during his soak and a little swimming if he wanders into the "deep" end. But that's the extent of his exercise, I will ensure I get him outside more often for better quality of exercise.

 

[(r.t)]

Your tort looks fine to me, but I'm no expert. In any case if he has pyramiding he is still very young and his shell will flatten son with a bit more humidity. Luck

 

[ZEROPILOT]

That is one cute little dude.

 

[wellington]

It's hard to tell. Sometimes the new growth will make it look like it. I wouldn't really worry too much, he looks good. What kind of gauges are you using? If it's those disc type ones that most pet stores sell, they are not very accurate and your humidity could not be where it says it is. Other then that, if he was started out too dry, even by the breeder or the sometimes, no matter what we do, some pyramiding will still develope.

 

[Earth Mama]

I think he looks fine. In fact he looks like my 2 red foots. How old is the little stinker?


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[Kathy Coles]

I feel your pain. My red foot came to me completely smooth and it seemed he started to "bump up" right away. It seemed to me, looking back, that he grew smoother when he could bury himself in some moist moss that was also pretty warm. When I added a fogger that dripped onto his hiding spot things finally got better. He's at 8 inches now, and I've had him for 2 years.

 

[pfara]

As much as we wanna beat ourselves up for not having "the ultimate perfect shell", you really shouldn't We know you're doing your best to keep him happy and healthy which is the most important part. Remember, those wild torts with their flawless shells are smooth because of all the years of abrasion, too. Wind blowing dust particles over their shells, crawling under rough tree roots and vegetation, etc. is something we can't exactly replicate, but it's also something to consider. I see nothing wrong with your little one whether he's super smooth or not. I think it's a rare thing to find a super smooth carapace in a captive tort so I don't think anyone should be too critical about minor cosmetics, if there's even any

 

[littleginsu]

It's hard to tell. Sometimes the new growth will make it look like it. I wouldn't really worry too much, he looks good. What kind of gauges are you using? If it's those disc type ones that most pet stores sell, they are not very accurate and your humidity could not be where it says it is. Other then that, if he was started out too dry, even by the breeder or the sometimes, no matter what we do, some pyramiding will still develope.

I am positive he was started off correctly--I am pretty sure any pyramiding is completely my fault. I have two digital thermometer/humidity meter (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AZQQH3S/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20).

 

[littleginsu]

I think he looks fine. In fact he looks like my 2 red foots. How old is the little stinker?


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He is approx. 7 months old.

 

[littleginsu]

I feel your pain. My red foot came to me completely smooth and it seemed he started to "bump up" right away. It seemed to me, looking back, that he grew smoother when he could bury himself in some moist moss that was also pretty warm. When I added a fogger that dripped onto his hiding spot things finally got better. He's at 8 inches now, and I've had him for 2 years.

He loves burrowing in his sheet and spangham moss!

 

[littleginsu]

Thank you for your kind words, Alma. He is healthy--he eats whatever I put in front of him without any hesitation; poops are solid and normal colored; urine is normal, I guess.. I have never really seen his urine; eyes are clear; no weird noises; no nasal discharge... he will yawn, but only when he is about to poo. I am adding some enhancements to his enclosure in hopes of making it more interesting and entertaining to promote some exercise!

 

[Tom]

In a case like that I find that a hot basking light tends to dry out the carapace a lot. What sort of basking light do you use? Basking temp right under it? How often does he seem to bask, or maybe how much is a better question? In other words how much time does he spend basking each day? Does your enclosure have an open top?

One soak a day should be plenty. Do you spray his carapace frequently? Terry K shared that tip with me several years ago as one of his techniques for growing smooth RFs.

 

[ascott]

As much as we wanna beat ourselves up for not having "the ultimate perfect shell", you really shouldn't We know you're doing your best to keep him happy and healthy which is the most important part. Remember, those wild torts with their flawless shells are smooth because of all the years of abrasion, too. Wind blowing dust particles over their shells, crawling under rough tree roots and vegetation, etc. is something we can't exactly replicate, but it's also something to consider. I see nothing wrong with your little one whether he's super smooth or not. I think it's a rare thing to find a super smooth carapace in a captive tort so I don't think anyone should be too critical about minor cosmetics, if there's even any

There is just no way to replicate the benefits of the wild....we can tinker, tweak and mess with all types of theories, we can get really close sometimes at helping to support a healthy beautiful shell....but I would venture, without hesitation, that you will rarely find a captive bred/ captive born/ captive raised (100%) tortoise with the glassy smooth shell of their wild counterparts.....so, I agree completely.