Is my baby pyramiding?

[Tamara4613]

His shell growth has been flat and great up until now as he had a small spot of fungus a while back where I had to put him on paper towels for 2 weeks while treating so he had a drop in humidity which I believe caused it. He’s starting to have a gap in between his scutes and it seems slightly raised. What’s the groups opinion and how can I help him?
Pictures below

 

[wellington]

Maybe but may just be the angle of the pics. Either way it would be so very slightly that if you keep up the humidity and never use the wrong heat bulbs, s/he should grow nice and smooth. S/he looks great.

 

[Tom]

His shell growth has been flat and great up until now as he had a small spot of fungus a while back where I had to put him on paper towels for 2 weeks while treating so he had a drop in humidity which I believe caused it. He’s starting to have a gap in between his scutes and it seems slightly raised. What’s the groups opinion and how can I help him?
Pictures below

Keep the baby indoors in a large closed humid chamber. Soak daily. Spray the carapace with demineralized water. Maintain a warm background temp in the enclosure with radiant heat panels and a thermostat, and don't use heat lamps or CHEs. All of this will allow the new growth to smooth out, and you'll just have that one notch as it all grows out.

 

[Tamara4613]

Keep the baby indoors in a large closed humid chamber. Soak daily. Spray the carapace with demineralized water. Maintain a warm background temp in the enclosure with radiant heat panels and a thermostat, and don't use heat lamps or CHEs. All of this will allow the new growth to smooth out, and you'll just have that one notch as it all grows out.

Just because I’m curious as I’ve always been told use a heat bulb. What’s the difference between the bulb and the panel and what benefits does the heat panel have over the lamp? Also please don’t take that in a way of I’m arguing about it I’m just genuinely curious as I’ve never been told this before.

 

[Tom]

Just because I’m curious as I’ve always been told use a heat bulb. What’s the difference between the bulb and the panel and what benefits does the heat panel have over the lamp? Also please don’t take that in a way of I’m arguing about it I’m just genuinely curious as I’ve never been told this before.

Questions and conversation are welcome here. Arguing is fine too when done respectfully and someone has new, experienced based info to offer that we might not have. Some past arguments have led to leaps in knowledge that make tortoise lives better.

Heat lamps emit high levels of IR-A. IR-A desiccates the carapace and contributes to pyramiding. Our basking heat lamps concentrate the IR-A into a relatively small area. For some species, this basking lamp is a necessary evil. I've tried to grow groups of clutch mates of several species side-by-side, one group with a basking lamp and one without, and they just don't do as well without that "artificial sun" when indoors.

Red foot tortoise are NOT one of these species, and they do just fine with no desiccating basking lamp. RHPs make their heat a bit differently and do not cause as much desiccation. They also spread the heat out over a much greater area and make it easier to maintain one over all warm temperature, which is what a RF needs. This will be an important step to stop pyramiding that is already in progress.

 

[Tamara4613]

Questions and conversation are welcome here. Arguing is fine too when done respectfully and someone has new, experienced based info to offer that we might not have. Some past arguments have led to leaps in knowledge that make tortoise lives better.

Heat lamps emit high levels of IR-A. IR-A desiccates the carapace and contributes to pyramiding. Our basking heat lamps concentrate the IR-A into a relatively small area. For some species, this basking lamp is a necessary evil. I've tried to grow groups of clutch mates of several species side-by-side, one group with a basking lamp and one without, and they just don't do as well without that "artificial sun" when indoors.

Red foot tortoise are NOT one of these species, and they do just fine with no desiccating basking lamp. RHPs make their heat a bit differently and do not cause as much desiccation. They also spread the heat out over a much greater area and make it easier to maintain one over all warm temperature, which is what a RF needs. This will be an important step to stop pyramiding that is already in progress.

I have looked on Amazon and can’t find one I only see heat mats so do you know a website I can buy one big enough for a 3’x4’ enclosure?

 

[Tom]

I have looked on Amazon and can’t find one I only see heat mats so do you know a website I can buy one big enough for a 3’x4’ enclosure?

I have bought them from Reptile Basics previously. I've also gotten them from Will @Kapidolo Farms here on the forum.

There are two brands sold that I know of: Vivarium Electronics and Sweeter Heater.