is my horsefield pyramiding?

spardin

New Member
Joined
Sep 19, 2021
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3
Location (City and/or State)
worcester
bit of background my Aunty got 2 horsefield tortise off a friend when thier tortise had babys
unfortunately they did zero research and had no clue how to look after them.
6 months later thier home flooded and they had to move out and so they came to us to be looked after
they had them in sand which i found out was a bad move so replaced that for top soil, they all had the wrong light bulb ( heat only no UV)
so replaced that and they had only been feeding them greens from the shop and letting them eat what ever they found on the lawn when let out
maybe took me a week to fix everything they had wrong.
few months go by and we find out one of them is male (dirty turty flashed us lol) and the other female so he spent a long time bullying her and nipping her back legs
long story short we split them up and the male ( churchhill) and female (matilda) went back to my Aunts ( with a long list of rules)

Churchhill is about 1 and 1/2 to about 2
he lives in this
IMG_20210919_133151.jpg


I keep a close eye on the temp so direct under is 35.c which is on from 8am to 7:30pm and its filled with top soil (thats sterile).
IMG_20210919_133129.jpg
IMG_20210919_133142.jpg

i feed him based off the website https://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk and its mainly stuff like cats ears, Bristly Oxtongue, Plantain (broad and thin leaf) Campanula he also has a leaf of romaine lettuce as that is what my aunt fed them and he still likes it still
then maybe once or twice a week he will have dandelions, clover or some bramble leaves (i take out what he hasnt eaten after a hour or 2)

he also has a water bowl and cuttle fish

he comes out most days to run around the conservatory which has direct sun light he likes to sit in and we also take him out side to have walk about maybe once or twice a week.

he gets bathed 1-2 times a week
he seems pretty happy in himself and bright and hes pooping

any help would be great and i can take more pictures if needed thanks for you time!
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
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That's not a Horsfield. Its a hermanni. Care is essentially the same for both species.

Your diet sounds excellent, but the tortoise needs a much larger enclosure, different substrate, and different bulbs. Lights need to be on for at least 12 hours.

Yes it is pyramiding because its too dry, and because of the wrong bulbs.

Here is all the current and correct care info. Questions are welcome:
 

spardin

New Member
Joined
Sep 19, 2021
Messages
3
Location (City and/or State)
worcester
That's not a Horsfield. Its a hermanni. Care is essentially the same for both species.

Your diet sounds excellent, but the tortoise needs a much larger enclosure, different substrate, and different bulbs. Lights need to be on for at least 12 hours.

Yes it is pyramiding because its too dry, and because of the wrong bulbs.

Here is all the current and correct care info. Questions are welcome:
thanks for your time
this was the bulb that the petshop (they tortise and lizards) told me to get and its what is in there now
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B093T8J5Q7/?tag=
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,264
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
thanks for your time
this was the bulb that the petshop (they tortise and lizards) told me to get and its what is in there now
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B093T8J5Q7/?tag=
You are welcome.

Pet shops are infamous for giving out bad tortoise info and selling the wrong products. You have now found the right info here with us. We have thousands of members all over the world and our info is based on shared observations over decades of what works and what doesn't. Many of us here have been running different experiments over the years to discover the best ways to raise tortoises. That care sheet is the current result of all that communally amassed knowledge. Pet shops, breeders, vets, and "reptile experts" are almost universally still offering and using the old wrong info.
 

spardin

New Member
Joined
Sep 19, 2021
Messages
3
Location (City and/or State)
worcester
You are welcome.

Pet shops are infamous for giving out bad tortoise info and selling the wrong products. You have now found the right info here with us. We have thousands of members all over the world and our info is based on shared observations over decades of what works and what doesn't. Many of us here have been running different experiments over the years to discover the best ways to raise tortoises. That care sheet is the current result of all that communally amassed knowledge. Pet shops, breeders, vets, and "reptile experts" are almost universally still offering and using the old wrong info.
so from reading your thread what im seeing is replace soil with Fine grade orchid bark humidity at 50-80% and 95-100% in hide
replace the bulb i have with a incandescent flood bulb for heat and HO (High Output) UV tubes for UV set to 12 hour
we have set heating in the house so it doesnt drop below 70F

we are also looking at building a outdoor inclosure
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,264
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
so from reading your thread what im seeing is replace soil with Fine grade orchid bark humidity at 50-80% and 95-100% in hide
replace the bulb i have with a incandescent flood bulb for heat and HO (High Output) UV tubes for UV set to 12 hour
we have set heating in the house so it doesnt drop below 70F

we are also looking at building a outdoor inclosure
OMG! I wish everyone was as easy as you! YES! You've completely understood all the changes that need to be made. Perfect. You get an A+!!! Your tortoise will thank you with good health.
 
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