Tortoise pyramiding??? Need help!

[Grace-Sophia]

Hello all,
I have a 3 1/2 year old eastern Hermann’s tortoise who seems to have slight pyramiding of her shell. She is kept in a 5x5 ft enclosure and also has access to outside when the weather is nice. Her humidity levels are kept at 50-70% and the temp of her enclosure is kept at around 85-90 degrees Fahrenheit with cooler and warmer spots around the enclosure, and she is also kept in a closed chamber enclosure. She eats a wide variety of dark leafy greens daily, and acts perfectly normal. She also gets half hour soaks about 2-3 times a week. I’m not quite sure what to do, is this just cosmetic or is it somthing that
is very serious? I got her from a local reptile shop that is very well known and sought after here in Texas. Any suggestions?

(Her shell looks dry because there is dust on it, so please do not mind it, she’s a messy girl lol!)

 

[zovick]

Hello all,
I have a 3 1/2 year old eastern Hermann’s tortoise who seems to have slight pyramiding of her shell. She is kept in a 5x5 ft enclosure and also has access to outside when the weather is nice. Her humidity levels are kept at 50-70% and the temp of her enclosure is kept at around 85-90 degrees Fahrenheit with cooler and warmer spots around the enclosure, and she is also kept in a closed chamber enclosure. She eats a wide variety of dark leafy greens daily, and acts perfectly normal. She also gets half hour soaks about 2-3 times a week. I’m not quite sure what to do, is this just cosmetic or is it somthing that
is very serious? I got her from a local reptile shop that is very well known and sought after here in Texas. Any suggestions?

(Her shell looks dry because there is dust on it, so please do not mind it, she’s a messy girl lol!)

It sounds as though you are doing most things correctly. I would make a couple of suggestions which should help you keep the pyramiding from getting any worse (and it really is not that bad yet, so don't beat yourself up too much).

First, you didn't mention the lighting which you are using, if any. I would recommend using a T5 Reptisun 10.0 linear tube 12" or 15" above the tortoise for UV if you don't have a source of UV presently. Also you could increase the soaks to 15-20 minutes DAILY. Good hydration helps reduce pyramiding.

 

[Tom]

Hello all,
I have a 3 1/2 year old eastern Hermann’s tortoise who seems to have slight pyramiding of her shell. She is kept in a 5x5 ft enclosure and also has access to outside when the weather is nice. Her humidity levels are kept at 50-70% and the temp of her enclosure is kept at around 85-90 degrees Fahrenheit with cooler and warmer spots around the enclosure, and she is also kept in a closed chamber enclosure. She eats a wide variety of dark leafy greens daily, and acts perfectly normal. She also gets half hour soaks about 2-3 times a week. I’m not quite sure what to do, is this just cosmetic or is it somthing that
is very serious? I got her from a local reptile shop that is very well known and sought after here in Texas. Any suggestions?

(Her shell looks dry because there is dust on it, so please do not mind it, she’s a messy girl lol!)

At this age and size, the growth that is there is not going to change much. Upping the humidity, soaking more and spraying the shell are all techniques that will reduce pyramiding, but your tortoise is past that point really.

Iff all else is good, which it sounds like it is, then this is a minor cosmetic detail. It is not harmful at all.

What type of basking bulbs are you using? Are they set at the correct height to get a basking temp of 95-100 at tortoise carapace height?

 

[Grace-Sophia]

@zovick thank you so much for you help, I will increase the soaks to daily for all three of my torts!
@Tom , yes, I do have uv light in the enclosures that run all day, I do not use basking bulbs, but I do use a CHE that will get around 90 on the warm side, around 97 in the area under and around it, and around 80-85 in the cool spots. I do have both of my Hermann’s with 50-70% humidity, and mist daily or as needed, and I will continue to soak daily.

 

[Tom]

@zovick thank you so much for you help, I will increase the soaks to daily for all three of my torts!
@Tom , yes, I do have uv light in the enclosures that run all day, I do not use basking bulbs, but I do use a CHE that will get around 90 on the warm side, around 97 in the area under and around it, and around 80-85 in the cool spots. I do have both of my Hermann’s with 50-70% humidity, and mist daily or as needed, and I will continue to soak daily.

CHE's are to be used for ambient temperature maintenance, not for basking since they emit no light.

What type of UV bulb? In general I don't like to run UV all day. Its not natural. There is almost no UV in the morning sun or the late afternoon sun. UV comes up slowly later in the morning, spikes mid day, and then recess to nothing again as the day wears on. You can go outside in the late afternoon and the sun on your face and skin can feel burning hot, and there is no UV at all. I run my HO UV tubes for about 2-3 hours mid day in most cases.

This might help:
There are four elements to heating and lighting:

1. Basking bulb. I use 65 watt incandescent floods from the hardware store. Some people will need bigger, or smaller wattage bulbs. Let your thermometer be your guide. I run them on a timer for about 12 hours and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. I also like to use a flat rock of some sort directly under the bulb. You need to check the temp with a thermometer directly under the bulb and get it to around 95-100F (36-37C).
2. Ambient heat maintenance. I use ceramic heating elements or radiant heat panels set on thermostats to maintain ambient above 80 degrees day and night for tropical species. In most cases you'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT, as long as your house stays above 60F (15-16C) at night.
3. Ambient light. I use LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most bulbs at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish. Strip or screw-in LED bulb types are both fine.
4. UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. In colder climates, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. I like the 12% HO bulbs from Arcadia. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html A good UV bulb only needs to run for 2-3 hours mid day. You need the basking bulb and the ambient lighting to be on at least 12 hours a day.

Without a basking bulb, and using a CHE for heat in the way you are, it might be having an effect on the pyramiding. I don't know this for sure, but I'd recommend following the four elements listed above.

 

[Grace-Sophia]

@Tom , thank you so much for this reply, yes, I do have Uv that runs in the enclosure during the day, but I will cut back on it, thank you for that tip. In the summer the tortoises have outdoor enclosures to access to get natural heat and uvb light. Yes!! I do use LED ambient lighting in the tortoise enclosures to ensure that they can tell the difference between night and day, and that runs for about 12 hours along with the CHE. I do not use bright fluorescent white light, I use something similar to what you suggested which is much more natural for them and their eyes. Thank you so much for you help! Any more suggestions would be much appreciated!