Pyramiding or healthy?

R_garcia

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Hi! My baby sulcata, Hennessy, is about 1-2 months and I just want feedback if his shell is pyramiding or if it’s normal. Thanks :)
 

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Tom

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Pyramiding or not, and healthy or not, are two different things. They can be pyramided and healthy. They can be smooth and unhealthy.

We usually weigh in grams.

He is not pyramiding because he has not grown yet. Pyramiding is caused by growth in conditions that are too dry. No growth = no pyramiding.

Where did you get him and how was he started? That will give us a better idea of his health.

Most of the care info given for these guys is wrong. Here is the most current and correct care info:

Questions are welcome. :)
 

R_garcia

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Pyramiding or not, and healthy or not, are two different things. They can be pyramided and healthy. They can be smooth and unhealthy.

We usually weigh in grams.

He is not pyramiding because he has not grown yet. Pyramiding is caused by growth in conditions that are too dry. No growth = no pyramiding.

Where did you get him and how was he started? That will give us a better idea of his health.

Most of the care info given for these guys is wrong. Here is the most current and correct care info:

Questions are welcome. :)
It was given to me from a family member. I keep Hennessy in a large enclosure outside for most of the day and bring him/her inside in a smaller enclosure at night. Both enclosures are sprayed and Fresh water is there for him/her when it needs it. I feed it a spring mix, grasses, weeds, along with a calcium supplement w/d3. It’s soaked and fed every-other day. I got him/her September 13th and it was about 2 weeks at the time. The first 2 pictures was when we first got him and the 3rd is a couple of days ago.
 

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R_garcia

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Location (City and/or State)
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It was given to me from a family member. I keep Hennessy in a large enclosure outside for most of the day and bring him/her inside in a smaller enclosure at night. Both enclosures are sprayed and Fresh water is there for him/her when it needs it. I feed it a spring mix, grasses, weeds, along with a calcium supplement w/d3. It’s soaked and fed every-other day. I got him/her September 13th and it was about 2 weeks at the time. The first 2 pictures was when we first got him and the 3rd is a couple of days ago.
 

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AgataP

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Ah what a cutie. Shouldn’t be outside at that age for long.
Good luck with a baby tort.
 

Tom

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I'd change a few things. Its all explained in the care sheet.

They should be fed and soaked every day. Babies should not be outside for more than an hour two or three times a week. Indoors, they need a warm humid closed chamber to simulate the hot African rainy season when they hatch in the wild. Those ramped water bowls are deathtraps for tortoises. You should remove that ASAP and replace it with a terra cotta saucer sunk into the substrate. The coco coir is okay as a substrate, but it needs to be a much thicker layer and firmly hand packed down. Fine grade orchid bark is better.
 
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