Carpace check

[Tippiethetortoise]

Hey! I feel like I'm on here every day with a new question or concern.I don't mean to bug y'all, but I've only had Tippie (almost) a month and I did plenty of research before I got him but wowza! It's like having a baby, you can read about babies all day, but having one is a complete difference.
Anyhow, I wanted to check in his carpace. I've noticed many, if not all, hatchling have a bit of a bumpy carpace, but I just want to make sure he's not starting to pyramid. And if he is, I'd like to get a jump start on it. So I have pics of little Tips from every angle. Does he look good? Any concerns?

 

[Tom]

He's not "starting" to pyramid. He is pyramiding.

He's still young and you should be able to halt it with the right care and get the new growth to come in smoother after a few months.

How are you housing him now? Do you want the info on how to stop it?

 

[Tippiethetortoise]

He's not "starting" to pyramid. He is pyramiding.

He's still young and you should be able to halt it with the right care and get the new growth to come in smoother after a few months.

How are you housing him now? Do you want the info on how to stop it?

Yes! I would love info on how to stop it. Right now he is in a 50 gallon tank with ecoearth as bedding and a zoomed basking lamp. at night, he has a night heat lamp. The warm side of his tank stays around 86° and the cool side stays at 75°-78°. His humidity is at 70 and I must him twice a day and soak every other day for about 20 mins. He eats mainly clover, dandelion, and St. Augustine grass, but I've just started to mix his greens with mazuri.
Also, is this pyramiding something that happened over the month that I've had him, or is this likely a preexisting issue?

 

[Tippiethetortoise]

Oh, he also grazes outside twice a day.

 

[Tom]

Yes! I would love info on how to stop it. Right now he is in a 50 gallon tank with ecoearth as bedding and a zoomed basking lamp. at night, he has a night heat lamp. The warm side of his tank stays around 86° and the cool side stays at 75°-78°. His humidity is at 70 and I must him twice a day and soak every other day for about 20 mins. He eats mainly clover, dandelion, and St. Augustine grass, but I've just started to mix his greens with mazuri.
Also, is this pyramiding something that happened over the month that I've had him, or is this likely a preexisting issue?

Everything you need is in these:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

Give these a read through, and then come back with questions.

Your open topped enclosure is part of the problem, your temps are a little too cool, he needs to be soaked daily, and his carapace should be misted several times a day. Diet sounds pretty good.

It is very likely that this problem started before you got him. It is much more difficult to stop pyramiding in progress than it is to prevent it in the first place.

Now don't go getting all worried and upset about this. Your tortoise is fine and this is only cosmetic in a case like this. He's very young, this is only a small amount of pyramiding, and if all goes well, you won't even be able to tell he was ever pyramided at all in a few years. This is not something that you will be able to "fix" over night. It takes a very long time of doing the right things before you see noticeable improvement. Usually several discouraging months. Don't be bummed. Do the right things, but please continue to enjoy your happy healthy baby tortoise.

 

[Tippiethetortoise]

Everything you need is in these:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

Give these a read through, and then come back with questions.

Your open topped enclosure is part of the problem, your temps are a little too cool, he needs to be soaked daily, and his carapace should be misted several times a day. Diet sounds pretty good.

It is very likely that this problem started before you got him. It is much more difficult to stop pyramiding in progress than it is to prevent it in the first place.

Now don't go getting all worried and upset about this. Your tortoise is fine and this is only cosmetic in a case like this. He's very young, this is only a small amount of pyramiding, and if all goes well, you won't even be able to tell he was ever pyramided at all in a few years. This is not something that you will be able to "fix" over night. It takes a very long time of doing the right things before you see noticeable improvement. Usually several discouraging months. Don't be bummed. Do the right things, but please continue to enjoy your happy healthy baby tortoise.

Thank you so much. I went through and read every word of both links. I will make closing Tippie's enclosure a priority and get it taken care of by Monday to get things on the right track. Once I get that taken care of, I'll keep an eye on temps and see how far they go up, then I can reevaluate whether I need to add some heat. And I can definitely soak him every day, he loves it! Really, thank you bunches. He's only been a part of my life for a month, but I love this little guy (or gal) so much already.
I found a picture from the day after I got him and the pyramiding was obviously a preexisting thing, which makes sense. I don't think the breeder knew as much as y'all do, especially since she told me not to soak him too often and to keep him fairly dry. But hopefully we can get this under control and start seeing some improvement in the next few months.

 

[Tom]

Yep. It actually already looks better now than it did when you first got him, so your efforts are already paying off.

Many breeders "out there" in the world are still using and repeating that same bad advice. They still have not figured out that our older care info was based on incorrect assumptions about the wild, wrong, and that this is NOT a desert species. It would be fantastic if you went back and tried to share this new info with the breeder. Invite them to come here and see it for themselves. They may initially argue or be uninterested, but after they've heard it enough times from enough people, most of them will at least consider that there might be more to the story than what they previously read in a book 20 years ago...

 

[Tippiethetortoise]

Yep. It actually already looks better now than it did when you first got him, so your efforts are already paying off.

Many breeders "out there" in the world are still using and repeating that same bad advice. They still have not figured out that our older care info was based on incorrect assumptions about the wild, wrong, and that this is NOT a desert species. It would be fantastic if you went back and tried to share this new info with the breeder. Invite them to come here and see it for themselves. They may initially argue or be uninterested, but after they've heard it enough times from enough people, most of them will at least consider that there might be more to the story than what they previously read in a book 20 years ago...

That's awesome. I'm glad we're already on the right track. I'll have to find her number again, but I will definitely recommend that she join here and learn how to care for her hatchlings a little better. I'm sure a good start means a lot. Thanks so much, Tom.