Help! (pyramiding question)

Tadia

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I am new to owning a tortoise and I recently discovered what pyramiding is. The tortoise I have has already severe pyramiding. Is this painful for them? Will it go down by expanding its habitat? Will he stop growing?
I am not sure how old the tortoise is but believed to be about 15 yrs old.
 
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Tadia

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It's not painful in itself but it sometimes is just a part of some of the outward signs of bad tortoise keeping.
Sometimes there are other issues.
Higher humidity can stop pyramiding.
What type of tortoise is this?
I think it’s a sulcata tortoise. Is it better for them to be kept inside or outside?
 

wellington

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At 15 he or she is likely going to be what it is when it comes to pyramiding.
Adding humidity and not using a mercury vapor bulb might help but won't hurt.
What kind of tort do you have?
Post pics of its habitat and the tort.
 

Tadia

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At 15 he or she is likely going to be what it is when it comes to pyramiding.
Adding humidity and not using a mercury vapor bulb might help but won't hurt.
What kind of tort do you have?
Post pics of its habitat and the tort.
I was told he was in a 20/30 gallon tank. It’s a sulcata
 

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wellington

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If he is 15 he was very poorly cared for. He should be a lot bigger then he is.
If you can keep him outside 24/7 with a humid hide to sleep in and get a proper diet and lots of room to roam he will finally have a good life.
Read Tom's threads in the Sulcata section.
 

KarenSoCal

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Hello, and welcome to TFO!

Here are several links for sully's. I included the one about raising hatchlings so you can learn how he should have been cared for so he didn't get pyramided.

What he has now will never go away. But if you are willing to work hard at it, hopefully the new growth will come in smoother.

Here's links...







 

ZEROPILOT

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I was told he was in a 20/30 gallon tank. It’s a sulcata
If it helps put things into perspective....
A 20x30 FOOT enclosure would be very small for a 10 year old Sulcata.
A 20 or 30 Gallon aquarium is nothing less than animal abuse.
 

Maggie3fan

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I have a rescued sulcata so age is unknown, but this is her...she is badly pyramided but she does not have MBD, Metabolic Bone Disease. That IS painful. They would look bad and feel softish. Her pyramiding looks very different than yours...
I am new to owning a tortoise and I recently discovered what pyramiding is. The tortoise I have has already severe pyramiding. Is this painful for them? Will it go down by expanding its habitat? Will he stop growing?
I am not sure how old the tortoise is but believed to be about 15 yrs old.
Do you have an estimated weight? Sex?100_7263.JPG
 

Tadia

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If he is 15 he was very poorly cared for. He should be a lot bigger then he is.
If you can keep him outside 24/7 with a humid hide to sleep in and get a proper diet and lots of room to roam he will finally have a good life.
Read Tom's threads in the Sulcata section.
Thank you, will do
 

Tadia

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If he is 15 he was very poorly cared for. He should be a lot bigger then he is.
If you can keep him outside 24/7 with a humid hide to sleep in and get a proper diet and lots of room to roam he will finally have a good life.
Read Tom's threads in the Sulcata section.
Thank you, will do
 

Tadia

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If it helps put things into perspective....
A 20x30 FOOT enclosure would be very small for a 10 year old Sulcata.
A 20 or 30 Gallon aquarium is nothing less than animal abuse.
Wow, it really does put it into perspective ?
 

Tadia

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I have a rescued sulcata so age is unknown, but this is her...she is badly pyramided but she does not have MBD, Metabolic Bone Disease. That IS painful. They would look bad and feel softish. Her pyramiding looks very different than yours...

Do you have an estimated weight? Sex?View attachment 323498
How can I tell if it is MDB? The shell is not soft.
 

ZEROPILOT

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How can I tell if it is MDB? The shell is not soft.
Mbd is a bone disease.
If he walks without dragging his legs, etc. We can rule out a serious case of it.
It's caused by lack of D3 from sunshine or UVB.
It causes permanent. Serious harm.
I have a post chronicling a CHAMELEON of mine that is recovering from this.
 

Tadia

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Hello, and welcome to TFO!

Here are several links for sully's. I included the one about raising hatchlings so you can learn how he should have been cared for so he didn't get pyramided.

What he has now will never go away. But if you are willing to work hard at it, hopefully the new growth will come in smoother.

Here's links...







Thank you so much for all of these. Def reading
 

wellington

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How can I tell if it is MDB? The shell is not soft.
I don't think yours has mbd. A side view pic would help. They usually, from pics I have seen, look very low on the back end. Like a sloping hill, higher towards the head and sloping towards the butt end. Those are the less severe. Others are obvious with the major deformities.
 

Tadia

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I don't think yours has mbd. A side view pic would help. They usually, from pics I have seen, look very low on the back end. Like a sloping hill, higher towards the head and sloping towards the butt end. Those are the less severe. Others are obvious with the major deformities.
Thank you. I was also reading how they would have difficulty walking and would drag their legs if they walk at all. Mine gets around pretty well and he does not have that slope at the bottom end of the shell. It seems like the main issue was the space he was in ☹️
 

Tadia

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Have you had her for 15 years or did you recently adopt her I saw one nearly identical for adoption near me a little bit ago just wondering if that’s the one you adopted
No I have not had him for 15 years, someone else did and I just took him in. I see you’re in the San Diego area, but I’m in LA so I don’t think it is. And he came from a family friend.
 
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