The End Of Pyramiding

Tom

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I hear ya'. I've been working on other things lately. Spring time ya' know...

What little free time I've had has been spent on other more pressing priorities. Tuck and Trey both covered themselves with mud, so its going to be a bit of a process to soak them, clean them up, weigh them, and get measurement photos and beauty photos.

I've been completing project after project, but the lists seems to keep growing anyway. Just recently I built a giant chameleon cage for a friend's birthday, a new night box for some new leopard tortoises, I had to remove the old underground buried 4x4x2' box from the leopard's enclosure and then fill in a hole that seemed like it was the size of a house, I had to collect my annual rainwater for shell spraying during our only "big" rainstorm for the last two years, then I had to build a bury-able planter box as part of my ongoing war to stop the gophers (I win every battle, but I'm still losing the war... until these new boxes go in. Look for my upcoming G.E.D. thread. Gopher Excluder Device.), then there has been my (failed) blue tongue skink breeding project (Seems you can't get any babies when all your adults turn out to be males. Go figure...), next was the new 4x8' planter/shade box in the new leopard tortoise enclosure, I had to trim up the frost damage on all my cactus stands to get them ready for spring and all the incoming new buds, and finally I am currently in the middle of plumbing and running pipes for irrigation in my four outdoor completely covered enclosures for hoses and automatic sprinklers.

So on top of all this, and daily maintenance of 47 tortoises and a whole bunch of other animals, and remembering to bring my camera, and running the business, and doing actual jobs to keep getting paid... {inhale, then sigh}... I've been a bit short on time.

I promise I will get to it soon. :) And thank you for the reminders.
 

Tom

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Here is Tuck enjoying some mud time.
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Tuck is now a little over 15" and 20.6 pounds. He's always been the slowest grower of the bunch.
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Trey has been a pig lately. Surrounded by weeds and grass, but still looking for handouts.
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She is now just a little over 17" and 31.6 pounds.
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Tom

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Tuck and Trey came up from the depths of their 22' deep underground burrow this after noon, apparently looking for food. I quickly granted their polite request with a tray of soaked Mazuri and Grassland food.
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Tuck is around 25 pounds now and Trey around 35-40.
 

Tom

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Snapped a quick photo of Tuck and Trey sharing some cactus the other day. I just recently closed off their burrow entrance for the season, so they are still quite dirty from being underground all summer. Temps have been near 100 every day since June, so now that the highs are barely reaching 90, I get to see them all above ground much more often.
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yni007

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Nice tortoises tom, I have a quick question, does diet can cause pyramiding at all, coz i bought a tortoise that already pyramided, but somehow it was decreasing as it grow, is that cause by humidity or diet? Thx
 

Orlando Roman

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Very interesting subject,I will be testing the humid factor very soon ,I m in Puerto Rico close to the Arecibo Observatory, humid weather year around ,some times I think I ' m in a rainforest because de amount of rain, sunny in the morning and rain around 2'o clock .. will keep you posted.
 

Yvonne G

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Nice tortoises tom, I have a quick question, does diet can cause pyramiding at all, coz i bought a tortoise that already pyramided, but somehow it was decreasing as it grow, is that cause by humidity or diet? Thx

Here's MY OPINION, listed in order with most important first: Humidity/moisture, exercise, sunlight (UVB), diet
 

Tom

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Nice tortoises tom, I have a quick question, does diet can cause pyramiding at all, coz i bought a tortoise that already pyramided, but somehow it was decreasing as it grow, is that cause by humidity or diet? Thx

I think a case could be made that many factors are inter-related, but diet is a minor factor in my experience.

Yours is probably growing better now due to environmental factors.
 

Rhonda Matteson

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How are you keeping the humidity up? I have seen people keeping their young torts in a almost bog situation using foggers. I have an adoped Sulcata that was pyramiding and I decided to try the higher humidity. I keep the enclosure around 70 to 80% and I mist her burrow twice a day.

Thanks for all the great info! It makes me want to get a baby and try the higher humidity!! My first two were raised on a sorta dry enclosure, but they do not look too bad. I have started misting them daily and they outside in the summer, when it's warm enough.
 

Tom

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How are you keeping the humidity up? I have seen people keeping their young torts in a almost bog situation using foggers. I have an adoped Sulcata that was pyramiding and I decided to try the higher humidity. I keep the enclosure around 70 to 80% and I mist her burrow twice a day.

Thanks for all the great info! It makes me want to get a baby and try the higher humidity!! My first two were raised on a sorta dry enclosure, but they do not look too bad. I have started misting them daily and they outside in the summer, when it's warm enough.

Hello and welcome Rhonda. I'll need you to be more specific. How am I keeping the humidity up where?

What size and age is your adopted tortoise? When you say misting her burrow, do you mean indoors?
 

Rhonda Matteson

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How do you keep the humidity up in your indoor enclosures for your young torts? I am not too sure of my adopted torts age, but I am sure it is under 2, and probability closer to 1.5years. I really need to contact the previous owner and get more info. Yes, I mist her indoor burrow/hide. I live in Indiana, so too cold right now to be outside!!

Also, how long do you leave the hatchlings at a higher humidity?
 

Tom

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How do you keep the humidity up in your indoor enclosures for your young torts? I am not too sure of my adopted torts age, but I am sure it is under 2, and probability closer to 1.5years. I really need to contact the previous owner and get more info. Yes, I mist her indoor burrow/hide. I live in Indiana, so too cold right now to be outside!!

Also, how long do you leave the hatchlings at a higher humidity?

I use closed chambers to maintain humidity. Makes life so easy and uses a fraction of the electricity. Like this:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/closed-chambers.32333/

Here is the rest of the care info:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.78361/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
 

Rhonda Matteson

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Thank you so much for information!! I know someone that advocates using a reptile fogger. To me, that is too much humidity and way over the top! These poor torts do live in the tropics!!
 

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