Help with pyramiding

[KateB]

I was given a redfooted with little knowledge and have done my best but he seems to keep pyramiding not sure what to do. We live in Florida but I worry about putting him outside that he will eat something he is not suppose to. For outside enclosures do you usually pull up all the grass/weeds first or do they just know what not to eat. Sorry if the questions are silly just trying to take the best care of our sweet baby as I can. Also wondering if he is really a he? Any advise would be wonderful!

I should add I was told that I should add a dust of calcium to his food which I will start to do.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I also keep my Redfoot outside in Florida.
South Florida.
Let her eat the weeds. Mine have never been harmed by a weed in decades of eating them.
This time of year even outdoors it is not humid enough. Try suplement with a garden hose and a sprinkler.
I have an automatic misting unit.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

No, don't dig out the grass and weeds. That's what they eat. Natural is always healthier for them than store bought.

The pyramiding started when your tortoise was just a baby, right out of the egg. He wasn't kept moist enough. They need to be in a warm, moist environment in order to grow smoothly. Once that angle on the scutes starts, its very hard to get it to lay down and grow flat. The tortoise has a lot of new growth (the white seams).

I'm not good at guessing gender on RF tortoises, but I'm going with female.

Put the tortoise into a shallow tub of warm water daily and leave it there for at least 15 minutes.

 

[KateB]

How do you provide the humidity that they need indoors? He has a water dish and loves to lay in the water. His cage is 5'x3'

 

[Redfoot NERD]

@KateB -- indoor humidity can be a challenge .. do not try to do it by making the substrate wet / from the bottom up!

A simple way that I do is "mist-them-til-they drip" [ hand plant-mister ] somewhere between 3 and 345678 times a day. haha
Seriously - it's the top that's pyramided so lets treat the top directly. They love to bury into moist moss to stay warm and humid.
@Anyfoot can help and show you how...

btw.. that's a young male you have...

 

[Alexio]

Can you post some pictures of the indoor enclosure?