Tortuthetort
New Member
Is my greek tortoise pyramiding ? (She is around three years old.)
Is she pyramiding?
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RatQueen_Irene
Active Member
That's some very severe pyramiding, with the upturned slope indicating possible metabolic bone disease from what I've seen, do you offer calcium and uvb?
It's not going to reverse, but you can most likely prevent it getting worse
Here's a care sheet that may help:
Thread 'The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise' https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threa...ise-any-temperate-species-of-tortoise.183131/
It's not going to reverse, but you can most likely prevent it getting worse
Here's a care sheet that may help:
Thread 'The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise' https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threa...ise-any-temperate-species-of-tortoise.183131/
Tortuthetort
New Member
She gets plenty of sunshine daily. I soak her for around 10 mins , 3 times a week. No I don't give her calcium , her diet consists of leafy greens ( Mostly romaine , she doesn't eat spinach or any other succulent , I gave her spinach , broccoli ,mint , thyme and rose for three days straight , she stomped right over them and survived by eating mud).
I give her extremely small quantities of apple , banana and orange twice a week. I hoped this would make up for her calcium intake. It's very difficult to find a cuttle bone here.
RatQueen_Irene
Active Member
Is sunlight coming through a window or other glass maybe? UVB can't travel through glass or clear plastic and gets dramatically reduced that way to nearly nothing
Most likely she won't eat spinach or broccoli on her own due to them possessing compounds not very good for tortoises including oxalic acid that prevents calcium from being uptaken and calcium oxalate that can cause kidney stones, and goitrogens that can cause issues with the liver and kidneys respectively. Mint or thyme she may just not like due to smell, with the oils in large quantities being not great for her. They mostly eat weeds like dandelions, I'd look over the diet section of the caresheet for ideas of what to feed, as only romaine may not give her much nutrition
Since cuttlebone is hard to get, I'm not sure if these would be as well, but perhaps you could find a tortoise block, solid supplements, or liquid supplements? Some links to examples:
www.chewy.com
www.chewy.com
www.chewy.com
Most likely she won't eat spinach or broccoli on her own due to them possessing compounds not very good for tortoises including oxalic acid that prevents calcium from being uptaken and calcium oxalate that can cause kidney stones, and goitrogens that can cause issues with the liver and kidneys respectively. Mint or thyme she may just not like due to smell, with the oils in large quantities being not great for her. They mostly eat weeds like dandelions, I'd look over the diet section of the caresheet for ideas of what to feed, as only romaine may not give her much nutrition
Since cuttlebone is hard to get, I'm not sure if these would be as well, but perhaps you could find a tortoise block, solid supplements, or liquid supplements? Some links to examples:
ZOO MED Banquet Block Tortoise Food, 5 oz - Chewy.com
Buy Zoo Med Banquet Block Tortoise Food, 5 oz at Chewy.com. FREE shipping and the BEST customer service!
ZOO MED Repti Calcium with D3 Reptile Supplement, 3-oz jar - Chewy.com
Buy Zoo Med Repti Calcium with D3 Reptile Supplement, 3-oz jar at Chewy.com. FREE shipping and the BEST customer service!
FLUKER'S Liquid Calcium Reptile Supplement, 1.7-oz jar - Chewy.com
Buy Fluker's Liquid Calcium Reptile Supplement, 1.7-oz jar at Chewy.com. FREE shipping and the BEST customer service!
RatQueen_Irene
Active Member
If all else fails, perhaps a human calcium supplement would work, especially for such a severe case. A visit to a vet knowledgeable about reptiles may be necessary to estimate the correct dosage, and to make sure there's not life threatening issues present due to possible metabolic bone disease
RatQueen_Irene
Active Member
Sorry for the multiple posts, just adding what I think of 
A bit of a longshot, but maybe Mazuri tortoise diet for small vegetarian reptiles if you can find it for her to eat alongside leafy greens, as it contains the supplements and tortoises reportedly love it:
www.chewy.com
A bit of a longshot, but maybe Mazuri tortoise diet for small vegetarian reptiles if you can find it for her to eat alongside leafy greens, as it contains the supplements and tortoises reportedly love it:
MAZURI Small Tortoise LS (Low Starch) Food, 8-oz bag - Chewy.com
Buy Mazuri Small Tortoise LS (Low Starch) Food, 8-oz bag at Chewy.com. FREE shipping and the BEST customer service!
Yes as already posted pyramided badly and for sure has MBD.
Looks like more than pyramiding, got some MBD occurring too unfortunately.
Tortuthetort
New Member
Thank you for all the wonderful suggestions , I'll definitely try to procure these items.
And yes, she gets direct sunlight (no windows). Even though she is mostly in the shade , I'm quite sure UVB rays do reach her.
And yes, she gets direct sunlight (no windows). Even though she is mostly in the shade , I'm quite sure UVB rays do reach her.
Tortuthetort
New Member
It will take a while for these items to be delivered , in the meanwhile , I'll be feeding her finely grounded eggshells.
