I can't stop the pyramiding.

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DuttonWebb

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alright you tell me whats wrong here.
hes on cypress mulch. I pour water over it every other day.
it stay a good78-83 degrees. He has a basking spot up to 95, and a uvb.
I let him graze on grass and clover that is a tortoise seed mix, and about 3-4 days I feed him some spring mix with a little sprinkle of calcium, yet I'm still seeing pyramiding develope! grrr.
I know I'm not overfeeding him and its the right diet, lighting, temp.
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Meg90

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Dutton, He should have calcium everyday, so should Pepper. He's just a baby....that would help. Also, your lights might be too far away from him, to be giving him all the benefits that they should.....
 

Yvonne G

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In addition to what Meg has said, I think you need to partially cover the habitat. It is too open and most of your "humidity" is escaping into the room. Its not good enough to have a moist substrate...they need some (stress SOME) moisture in the air too. I think you've done a great job with your habitat. Its large enough and pleasing to the eye and has some sight barriers for the tortoise. Now put a little aluminum foil over one end and see if that doesn't make a difference.

Yvonne
 

chadk

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I'd put some potting soil + coco-fiber, about 4-5 inches deep under a nice sized hide on the warm end. Keep it nice and humid. Mine loves sleeping in his humid hide. The rest of the enclosure is open and low in humidity. More natural plants will help as well..

Also, I'd be sure he's getting enough UVB. If in doubt (you don't see him basking each day under the UVB), be sure he's getting calcium+D3.

For food, I'd start getting him on good quality grass hay ASAP.
 

Millerlite

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My guy hasnt showed any signs of pyramiding (yet Hopefully not soon) and i have live grass at one end of the enclosure so he can go there for humidity, also have a UVB/heat bulb that keeps temps at 100 right under, 90s around it, cool end is 70s. They also go outside as much as possible, (When ever warm). Also i feed mine every other day, and put vitamins on there food, Never really put calcium on there food because i have cuttle bone and they chew on it when needed, there shells are hard and they are growing, but my guys are still young, in 6 months i will let you know where i'm at and if its working, but so far it is.
 

Yvonne G

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Dutton: Your baby is still too small to KNOW for sure that he is still pyramiding. Just make some of the adjustments shown in this thread, and cross your fingers. You won't really see any improvement until you see quite a bit of growth.

Yvonne
 

chadk

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Oh, and it looks like you still have a coil UVB and it doesn't look like he can get close to it for the UVB anyway. Coil bulbs are not recommended and with any UVB, you need to be sure they can get within the correct zone for max benefit...
 

DuttonWebb

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This close?
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and yes, that is a wooden sword in the background. Hand made buster sword =]
 

tortoisenerd

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I would make all the adjustments you can, and then stop worrying. At this point it looks like it could even just be some growth, and the shell could even out completely (my tort's shell does this as he's been growing; it'll grow up a little uneven, and then smooth out). It takes many people lots of torts and years to develop the "perfect" husbandry to have smooth shells every time, so you cannot expect that, honestly. You just do the best you can with their care and love. Just thought I'd add that in! You are being givn some great advice here so I don't feel the need to repeat it.

I'd personally put the lights more in the middle if that works of for your temperature gradient, because then the tort can bask directly in the middle of the rays, and you get more heat to more of the enclosure (as long as you can still have a cool area). I am not familiar with coil bulbs; unfortunately I've only heard bad things about them. Explain to us what types of bulbs you have (brand, type) please, as I see two?

I'd do the experimentation with lights when the tort is outside or something so you don't risk their exposure, don't stress it out, etc.
 

DuttonWebb

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tortoisenerd said:
I would make all the adjustments you can, and then stop worrying. At this point it looks like it could even just be some growth, and the shell could even out completely (my tort's shell does this as he's been growing; it'll grow up a little uneven, and then smooth out). It takes many people lots of torts and years to develop the "perfect" husbandry to have smooth shells every time, so you cannot expect that, honestly. You just do the best you can with their care and love. Just thought I'd add that in! You are being givn some great advice here so I don't feel the need to repeat it.

I'd personally put the lights more in the middle if that works of for your temperature gradient, because then the tort can bask directly in the middle of the rays, and you get more heat to more of the enclosure (as long as you can still have a cool area). I am not familiar with coil bulbs; unfortunately I've only heard bad things about them. Explain to us what types of bulbs you have (brand, type) please, as I see two?

I'd do the experimentation with lights when the tort is outside or something so you don't risk their exposure, don't stress it out, etc.



One is a Zoomed basking light.
The coil is Zoomed also. I dont remember the model.
and there is a third one at the other end that is just a normal light bulb to light the enclosure completely.

this info probably doesnt help at all.
 

tortoisenerd

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Is the coil your UVB? You need to pull up the specs to see how far it needs to be away from the substrate for useful UVB. That is very important if that is your main UVB source besides any trips outside. Unless the basking light is a UVB? I think you need to look into this further, personally. You also need to keep track of the life of the UVB bulb. Some only last 6 months or less. If you don't have a meter, you need to buy a new one when the manufacturer recommends it.
 

Crazy1

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Actually it does. when the lights go off look at the UVB bulb it should have it written on the bulb. The Basking light is simply a heat bulb and the third one that is a normal light bulb will give you light and some heat also. The coil well that is your uvb. Check out this site it tells you how close it should be. http://www.uvguide.co.uk/
 
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Maggie Cummings

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Coils bulbs have been repaired and are not causing eye problems anymore. I had a small Sulcata who was blinded by one so my experience is personal. You can use them safely now but I don't like the color of the light they put out. 12 inches is how far they should be. I have stopped using UVB lights for longer than 4 hours a day and if you can get your baby out in the sun for about 30 minutes a day you don't need the UVB light at all...Innovative? Yep, and I have nothing scientific to prove I am right...I have just raised some blind and otherwise damaged animals and that is what I have settled on. I raise healthy animals. Blind, damaged, maimed and otherwise missing arms legs and eyes...and yet I still say they are healthy...Crazy??? Yep. I need to change my slogan...or whatever that's called under my avatar, but I don't know what else it would be...
 

DuttonWebb

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I do prefer the sun. When I've got the time I'll take wallie outside for a few hours and read a book.
 
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Maggie Cummings

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It doesn't even have to be a few hours at one time...20 minutes a day would do it. A little bit at a time is easy to do...good luck with him, also I agree with Yvonne about the aluminum foil. I have foil on most of my habitats, so much in fact I am afraid of a thunder and lightening storm...lightening's gonna hit close to me and all this foil is gonna get an electrical charge and away we go, our very own rocket ship...lol
But it does hold the humidity in somewhat. Most of the humidity he needs is at substrate level. He looks fine and you are doing a good job...
 

chelonologist

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In my experience, a humid substrate is the most important factor in preventing pyramiding. I've had good luck using a 50/50 mixture of a jungle mix (Zilla has a good one) that retains moisture and calcium sand that allows for drainage and easier digging opportunities. I moisten the substrate every few days. I also offer a hide positioned over moistened substrate. The hatchlings and juveniles that I've raised on this substrate have (thus far) developed perfect, smooth shells. I'm sure diet also plays a part, but a tortoise fed a perfect diet but kept on a dry substrate will likely develop pyramiding anyway. That's been my experience, anyway.
 

dcoolguy68

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DuttonWebb said:
I do prefer the sun. When I've got the time I'll take wallie outside for a few hours and read a book.
The sun is always better lol, try to keep him out there for as long as you can. I study while I take my tort outside in the sun.
 

Laura

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AS for feeding.. How do we Really know if we are feeding too much? Or they are growing too fast? Have any studies been done on wild Sulcatas to see what they do the first 5 years of life? How much they eat etc?? SInce they live in the desert of Africa.. Feast and famine.. and would imagine.. we overfeed in captivity..
 
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