Pyramiding

[Fe-2470]

I think my 4 year old tort is pyramiding but don't know for sure, if she is is there anything i can do to stop it or reduce it. I have had her for a year could I have done any serious damage in that time?

 

[Fe-2470]

Here's a pic of her.

 

[daniellenc]

Definitely pyramiding. You can't make it go away but you can prevent it from getting worse by providing the right environment and diet. Post pictures of your enclosure, the size, temps, humidity, and diet.

 

[Fe-2470]

Her diet consists of little gem lettuce courgette dandelions garlic mustard and tortoise food. I have recently made an effort to bath her everyday. I don't know the temperature of her run - I switch her 80 watt uv and heat lamp on when i wake up and turn it off when she goes to bed.

 

[Fe-2470]

It is not very humid, how can i make it more humid. Could i have done damage in a year?

 

[daniellenc]

Well in an open enclosure humidity is hard to maintain unless you live in a humid environment. Daily soaks will help and you can dampen the substrate as well as mist moss in his hides each day. You could also consider covering the enclosure with a lid which is your best bet to hold in moisture. I assume you live in Europe but where exactly?

Your water bowl should be flush with your substrate to avoid your tort tipping over btw and knowing your temps would be good. Does your tort get outside time as well? I doubt you caused this much pyramiding in a year and my guess was your tort was kept dry before but continuing a poor diet and dry conditions will make it worse.

 

[Fe-2470]

You say a poor diet, what is a good diet. What is the right temperature. I live in the Lake District. And i am 13 years old and a first time owner.

 

[Markw84]

Diet has nothing to do with pyramiding. It is of course extremely important for good health, and growth. The extreme pyramiding this tortoise has has been going on since it was hatched. It is being kept where it's carapace dries out too much and cannot retain moisture and flexibility in the newly forming keratin scutes.

It looks like your enclosure is extremely dry, and the basking light, the tortoise is sitting under, is a SPOT basking light sold by pet shops. Those are extremely drying on the carapace as too much IR (heat) is focused in too small an area. Is that a MVB (mercury vapor bulb) with UVB? Those are also extremely desiccating (drying) and combined with the totally dry substrate is a bad combination.

I am not familiar with the "Lake District". Where is that? Many areas have lake districts. What state? Your location will help us know a bit more about the general climate you have to work with in setting things up.

 

[Fe-2470]

Yes it is mercury, how can i make the enclosure more humid, could u suggest a substrate or type of lamp? The Lake District is in north west England in the county of cumbria.

 

[Fe-2470]

I get told what I'm doing wrong like poor diet, dry conditions, bad heat lamp. But what I don't get told is how to correct my mistakes, so someone please reply.