Dwarf Hermann Tortoise pyramiding

Hi everyone,

This is Frank our dwarf Hermann tortoise, he is 2 years old and recently we have noticed his shell has been pyramiding.

We feed him fresh crispy lettuce (With calcium and nutrobal - every other day) every day, alongside his tortoise mix food - but he doesn’t really eat much of this. We also give him a strawberry and some cucumber once a fortnight.

The temperature is around 30 degrees during the day and around 29 at night in the vivarium.

We bath him and get him out for exercise around the house 2/3 times a week.

I have read that this can be due to genetics, but I am very worried and just want to make sure we are looking after him properly. There isn’t much information on the internet as he is a rare breed of tortoise. But we are going to ask in the pet shop we got him from tomorrow. But any help and ideas from anyone would be very much appreciated.
Thank you so much

There’s NO such thing as a dwarf Herman’s tortoise.
Pyramiding is due to the tortoise being kept in dry conditions when the tortoise is young. There’s also factors to consider when coming to Pyramiding like diet, humidity, ect.
You’ve been feeding wrong stuff you should be feeding weeds. Food with high fiber and calcium.
It is not due to Genetics, this tortoise “Breed” is NOT rare at all.

Eve0810 said:

Hi everyone,

This is Frank our dwarf Hermann tortoise, he is 2 years old and recently we have noticed his shell has been pyramiding.

We feed him fresh crispy lettuce (With calcium and nutrobal - every other day) every day, alongside his tortoise mix food - but he doesn’t really eat much of this. We also give him a strawberry and some cucumber once a fortnight.

The temperature is around 30 degrees during the day and around 29 at night in the vivarium.

We bath him and get him out for exercise around the house 2/3 times a week.

I have read that this can be due to genetics, but I am very worried and just want to make sure we are looking after him properly. There isn’t much information on the internet as he is a rare breed of tortoise. But we are going to ask in the pet shop we got him from tomorrow. But any help and ideas from anyone would be very much appreciated.
Thank you so much

Click to expand...

What substrate are you using

Agree there is no dwarf and it's not rare.
Please read our caresheets and follow.

iAmCentrochelys sulcata said:

There’s NO such thing as a dwarf Herman’s tortoise.
Pyramiding is due to the tortoise being kept in dry conditions when the tortoise is young. There’s also factors to consider when coming to Pyramiding like diet, humidity, ect.
You’ve been feeding wrong stuff you should be feeding weeds. Food with high fiber and calcium.
It is not due to Genetics, this tortoise “Breed” is NOT rare at all.

Click to expand...

Thank you for your reply. We were told he was a dwarf Hermann tortoise from the pet shop we got him from and were told he was a very rare breed as he will only grow to about 6 inches, which is the size he is now. I have just looked it up and it does say that there is no such breed as a dwarf Hermann like you said, so unfortunately I do think the pet shop have given us the wrong information. We have given him dandelion in the summer, but what other weeds could we give him do you know? We do add calcium powder to his food every day and he has calcium rocks.

The cause of pyramiding is humidity. Make sure you are using a good substrate that can retain humidity and pour water into it a few times a week. You can also make a humid hide. If you still have problems with humidity then make a closed chamber.

nicoleann2214 said:

What substrate are you using

Click to expand...

What is a substrate please?

Eve0810 said:

Thank you for your reply. We were told he was a dwarf Hermann tortoise from the pet shop we got him from and were told he was a very rare breed as he will only grow to about 6 inches, which is the size he is now. I have just looked it up and it does say that there is no such breed as a dwarf Hermann like you said, so unfortunately I do think the pet shop have given us the wrong information. We have given him dandelion in the summer, but what other weeds could we give him do you know? We do add calcium powder to his food every day and he has calcium rocks.

Click to expand...

There are tons of different weeds that you can feed. The more the better. I am sure some others can name a few.

Eve0810 said:

What is a substrate please?

Click to expand...

The dirt, or what ever you are using for the bottom of the enclosure.

Eve0810 said:

Thank you for your reply. We were told he was a dwarf Hermann tortoise from the pet shop we got him from and were told he was a very rare breed as he will only grow to about 6 inches, which is the size he is now. I have just looked it up and it does say that there is no such breed as a dwarf Hermann like you said, so unfortunately I do think the pet shop have given us the wrong information. We have given him dandelion in the summer, but what other weeds could we give him do you know? We do add calcium powder to his food every day and he has calcium rocks.

Click to expand...

we are here to help out. Most pet stores do not give the Right information. You could try grocery vegetables but you’ll need to switch it out. Try looking for weeds and then ask here what type they are.

Crush da Baum said:

The dirt, or what ever you are using for the bottom of the enclosure.

Click to expand...

Thank you! We get the Pro Rep Tortoise Life Mediterranean Substrate

As far as diet,
The tortoise table is a very good website for finding if plants are edible. https://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/ You can learn about the weeds around where you live and which are good to feed. You can also post pictures on the plant ID section here and experts can help you. If you do not have access to safe weeds you can grow them too. I recommend http://www.tortoisesupply.com/TestudoMix
If you have to use grocery greens then your staples should include escarole, endive, and another green that you change every time to add variety. To help beef up that diet you can get products life salad topper http://www.tortoisesupply.com/salad-style-food-topper/ You can add dried weeds and flowers to your salads here https://kapidolofarms.com/product-category/foods-diet-items/ or here http://www.tortoisesupply.com/HerbalHay.
You can also feed them Mazuri tortoise chow, and ZooMed Grassland tortoise food. A lot of times tortoises do not like ZooMed Grassland tortoise food so you can soak it and mix it with your greens. He is so cute and good luck. Owning a tortoise is one of the best experiences.

Crush da Baum said:

As far as diet,
The tortoise table is a very good website for finding if plants are edible. https://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/ You can learn about the weeds around where you live and which are good to feed. You can also post pictures on the plant ID section here and experts can help you. If you do not have access to safe weeds you can grow them too. I recommend http://www.tortoisesupply.com/TestudoMix
If you have to use grocery greens then your staples should include escarole, endive, and another green that you change every time to add variety. To help beef up that diet you can get products life salad topper http://www.tortoisesupply.com/salad-style-food-topper/ You can add dried weeds and flowers to your salads here https://kapidolofarms.com/product-category/foods-diet-items/ or here http://www.tortoisesupply.com/HerbalHay.
You can also feed them Mazuri tortoise chow, and ZooMed Grassland tortoise food. A lot of times tortoises do not like ZooMed Grassland tortoise food so you can soak it and mix it with your greens. He is so cute and good luck. Owning a tortoise is one of the best experiences.

Click to expand...

We are going to go and buy as much of this stuff as we can in the morning and check the websites you suggested! Thank you so much for your help!

Eve0810 said:

We are going to go and buy as much of this stuff as we can in the morning and check the websites you suggested! Thank you so much for your help!

Click to expand...

Great! Glad to see that you care so much about your little friend!

Eve0810 said:

What is a substrate please?

Click to expand...

Unfortunately, this pet shop has demonstrated ignorance at best, and possibly dishonesty at worst. They could be referring to a Western hermanni, which is a different and slightly smaller subspecies than the "regular" eastern subspecies, but its certainly not a "dwarf". Whatever else they told you should also be suspect. Here is the correct care advice for this species, along with diet, lighting, temperature, substrate and housing info: