9 month old sulcata help

[joshua_moncada]

Hello everyone, I'm new to the site but I had a question. I recently got a 9 month old sulcata tortoise that I got from a neighbor. It seems like the tortoise Franklin is starting to pyramid a little. I bought a heat lamp for it but I think I need a higher wat bulb because it doesn't seem hot enough for it. I've been feeding it red leaf lettuce. Is there any tips on what I can do to help frank stop pyramiding?

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Joshua, and welcome to the Forum!!

Oh boy...pyramiding is quite the topic here on the Forum. If you go to the top right side of any forum page and type in "pyramiding" in the GOOGLE custom search" box you will get many, many threads where we talk about this subject.

Your 9 month old might be a bit past the age where you can do much to stop the pyramiding, but follow along with what you read about it and maybe you ca put a stop to it.

Also, 9 months is probably old enough to live outside now.

 

[swatsx]

How big is it? I can't believe that a 9 month old sulcata could live outside I'd think that's kinda small seeing they aren't the fastest growing things

 

[gtiljen]

Alot of studys have shown that giving hatchlings humidity and keeping them well hydrated helps with pyramiding. I know it's small but keeping it outdoors is a major plus to help prevent pyramiding. Also avoid foods that are high in protein, sulcatas should have a high fiber and low protein diet. High protein has also been known to cause pyramiding. Try feeding mainly grass straight out of your yard and weeds like clover are great. don't forget supplementation because a high fiber diet is low in calcium you should try looking for Opuntia cactus which can be found in almost every mexican food store and also try feeding them the fruit. The spanish word for the fruit is "napilis". Sprinkle a non phosphorous vitamin d3 supplement on the cactus to incorporate the vitamins. If you can't find the cactus try romaine lettuce instead sparingly. And if anyone told you "no water" in the cage I'd do the opposite as small tortoises can dehydrate easily and will lean their head into a water dish and drink I have seen it. Most people believe that tortoises only recieve water from the foods they eat and while that is somewhat true it is still very important to offer water in a shallow dish big enough for them to stick their head in, that information is not only coming from me but from some highly reputable breeders as well. Try not to keep the cage to HOT, they have a term for cages that are to HOT but I forget what it is, something like baking cages. In the wild Sulcatas just simply do not sit in 100+ degree sun. They are diggers and will dig deep holes and get down in the humid hole to cool off. That behavior of living alot of their lives in a humid hole is also part of what leads people to believe that humidity is what fends off the pyramiding. Just remember:

Good Hydration
High Fiber Low Protein (no dog food, meats etc..)

Suggested Foods

Readily (Everyday Foods)

Timothy Hay (petsmart,walmart for hamsters etc)
Do not use alfalfa hay (high in protein)
Orchard Grass
Grass in your yard
Weeds
Hibiscus leaves and flowers
Opuntia Cactus Spineless (also known as prickly pear cactus)
Opuntia Cactus fruit and flower

Seldom (For Vitamin Supplementation)

Romaine Lettuce
Occasional carrots

Lighting

You need a basking bulb and a UVB bulb in case nobody told you. It's 2 separate bulbs or you can buy a more expensive one like the powersun by zoo med that does the same thing.

Regular bulbs that heat up and are cheap those are basking bulbs that produce Ultraviolet A wavelengths these are vital for warming your tortoise but produce no Ultraviolet B. Ultraviolet B is the wavelength the build is putting out that you will not see. It is used to mimic the rays of the sun. So when possible the best thing to offer is natural sun light.

Coil bulbs from petsmart/petco etc are fairly cheap now and produce Ultraviolet B. Your tortoise needs this bulb, a lifetime without an Ultraviolet B bulb will produce a tortoise with a soft shell and soft bones and you don't want that. I have seen tortoises that I rescued in the past that were raised with no sunlight (No UVB) because the owner wasn't properly aware, the tortoise when I picked it up felt like my fingers were going to push through the shell and into it's body almost like a hard boiled egg. The tortoise died months after.

And in case nobody told you, the Sulcata tortoise is the third largest species of tortoise in the world followed by the Aldabra and Galapagos. Your little guy will outlive you and me and get to be 100+ pounds and dig massive holes in your yard and can tear up water lines etc. I'm not trying to scare you at all they are lovely amazing tortoises just be aware of what your future will hold.

You will get some pyramiding, it is just how it works in the captive bred world so don't be frightened. Just take the steps to control it in the future so you don't have an animal that looks like this:

Bad

Good

You can learn more from the experts here if you have itunes:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/reptile-radio-blog-talk-radio/id349787195

Hope I helped you!!

Hello everyone, I'm new to the site but I had a question. I recently got a 9 month old sulcata tortoise that I got from a neighbor. It seems like the tortoise Franklin is starting to pyramid a little. I bought a heat lamp for it but I think I need a higher wat bulb because it doesn't seem hot enough for it. I've been feeding it red leaf lettuce. Is there any tips on what I can do to help frank stop pyramiding?

 

[oknursedana]

Where's the pic of the lil one?

 

[joshua_moncada]

Thanks for your help everyone I'm thinking that it might not be pyramiding an I might be over reacting but if it is ill do all the steps an what not to get it as healthy as I can.



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An this is frank

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[mikeh]

Nice informative post Gtiljen, except the COIL UVB bulb. These are known to cause blindness. Mercury vapor bulb or fluorescent long tube UVB are recommended by everyone.

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[sibi]

I recommend that you read Tom's threads on sulcata care. Your tort looks real good and I can't see any pyramiding. The previous other did a good job so far. Now it's up to you to keep him healthy. Tom helps to inform you of all the things a sulcata needs. In fact, Tom has a current thread for owners of young sulcatas. Look for it. Coil bulb no-good; 70 % of Frankie diet should be grass; no fruits except the cactus fruit. Temps should be no lower than 80 degrees, and basking temp should be 100-105 degrees. Like I said, look for Tom's care sheets. You can start by reading his thread just below my name. Welcome to the forum.

 

[joshua_moncada]

Okay thank you everyone!

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