Not sure if it looks like his shell is pyramiding, going to change up his diet a little bit to try to counter act it.
Pyramiding?
- Thread starter LilSammi42
- Start date
Greetings...the best way to counter and prevent pyramiding, based on all the info on the Sulcata care sheet, is to raise your tort in high humidity conditions, coupled with proper diet, temperatures and sunlight.
You might to upload a pix of your enclosure for experienced keepers to provide tips and ideas.
Since it looks like you're located in Southern California, the temps and sunlight should be good. Now, hows your humidity?
Good luck
You might to upload a pix of your enclosure for experienced keepers to provide tips and ideas.
Since it looks like you're located in Southern California, the temps and sunlight should be good. Now, hows your humidity?
Good luck
I agree, high humidity, 80% will not fix what is already there but it will stop it from getting worse.
so does it look like it has already started? I'm starting a garden in my backyard right now specifically for tortoise food, right now i mainly feed him a mixture of regular grass, backyard grown romaine, and potato leaves as well as some store bought dry food that i always leave in there for him. Right now he is in a 2.5X2 ft tank, is this too small? he is about 3 inches by 2 inches. i just ordered a new hygrometer.
That tank is really tiny. Yes, there is some slight pyramiding. There are many ideas for enclosures in the Enclosures section of the forum. One of the cheapest ways is to use a bookcase with the shelves removed lying on its back.
Most research seems to point to lack of humidity being the major cause of pyramiding, but I think a good diet is also very important. I raised Charlie back when I didn't know about humidity and his shell is pretty smooth. I think the good diet he had may have helped.
I've raised Charlie in Southern Cal for 17 years, feeding mostly grass and weeds. He also eats hibiscus and rose, leaves and flowers. Grape leaves are good and easy to grow here. If you have room, you can plant a fruitless mulberry tree.
Most research seems to point to lack of humidity being the major cause of pyramiding, but I think a good diet is also very important. I raised Charlie back when I didn't know about humidity and his shell is pretty smooth. I think the good diet he had may have helped.
I've raised Charlie in Southern Cal for 17 years, feeding mostly grass and weeds. He also eats hibiscus and rose, leaves and flowers. Grape leaves are good and easy to grow here. If you have room, you can plant a fruitless mulberry tree.
thank you for all the help, as soon as i noticed any sort of protrusion in his shell i started taking steps to try to counter act it so that i can nip it in the butt as early as possible. Will it become less noticeable over time as he grow, and/or grow out of it. If not is it likely to lead to any other health concerns I can take steps to avoid? I'm also going to upgrade his tank very soon, thanks for the tip about the bookshelf ill probably end up doing something similar
At this point, it is just cosmetic. It only causes problems when it starts pressing on their organs. If you correct things now, it won't go away but it won't get worse and will become less noticeable as the new growth comes in smooth.
Covering your enclosure is the best way to keep humidity up so keep that in mind when you build your new one.
I'm also thinking that the cause of the pyramiding is likely due to the type of bulb I'm using since i soak him once a day or every other day i also have his substrate pretty moist. here is a picture of the bulb i use, i know that the coil ones supposedly can hurt their eyes but the specialist at the store said it should be fine, I'm most likely going to replace is though since i just tested the UVB output and it was pretty low. Are there any specific bulbs or brands you recommend he is just about a year old.
So for now, until i get the new tank, I'm just going to end up putting plastic wrap over the top, I feel like i lose a lot of humidity that way since there is also a partial opening in one of the sides of the tank as well
This thread is full of misinformation. I don't know how to state all of this without seeming like a big jerk, but it all needs to be said. Please forgive the matter-of-factness, as this is all meant to be helpful:
1. Pyramiding is caused by growth in conditions that are too dry.
2. A bookshelf on its back would be one of the worse ways to house this species, unless the whole room is at 80% humidity all year long, or unless the whole enclosure is enclosed in one of those plastic green houses.
3. A new "tank" is not what is needed. A large closed chamber is what is needed.
4. Changing the diet has nothing to do with pyramiding.
5. A good diet is very important, but its not related to pyramiding. You can have a healthy pyramided tortoise, and conversely, you can have an unhealthy smooth tortoise.
6. The "specialist" at the pet store is wrong about that bulb. Those sometimes burn reptile eyes and there is no practical way to know which ones are harmless and which ones will burn their eyes until after the damage is done. They are also not an effective UV source on top of the potential danger. Best to use one of several types of long UV tube, if indoor UV is needed, which is CA, it really isn't.
7. UV, or lack there of, has nothing to do with pyramiding.
8. Pyramiding does not press on their organs.
9. To stop the pyramiding you need to be simulating monsoon conditions. The humidity needs to be 80%+. He needs to be kept warm day and night. Never below 80 at night, and high 80s or low 90s during the day, with a 100 degree basking area. He needs a humid hide in the humid enclosure. He needs to be soaked daily. The shell should be sprayed with water several times a day. Also, understand that stopping pyramiding in progress is much harder than preventing it in the first place.
All of this and more is explained right here:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
Please ask questions if any of this doesn't make sense or needs more explanation.
1. Pyramiding is caused by growth in conditions that are too dry.
2. A bookshelf on its back would be one of the worse ways to house this species, unless the whole room is at 80% humidity all year long, or unless the whole enclosure is enclosed in one of those plastic green houses.
3. A new "tank" is not what is needed. A large closed chamber is what is needed.
4. Changing the diet has nothing to do with pyramiding.
5. A good diet is very important, but its not related to pyramiding. You can have a healthy pyramided tortoise, and conversely, you can have an unhealthy smooth tortoise.
6. The "specialist" at the pet store is wrong about that bulb. Those sometimes burn reptile eyes and there is no practical way to know which ones are harmless and which ones will burn their eyes until after the damage is done. They are also not an effective UV source on top of the potential danger. Best to use one of several types of long UV tube, if indoor UV is needed, which is CA, it really isn't.
7. UV, or lack there of, has nothing to do with pyramiding.
8. Pyramiding does not press on their organs.
9. To stop the pyramiding you need to be simulating monsoon conditions. The humidity needs to be 80%+. He needs to be kept warm day and night. Never below 80 at night, and high 80s or low 90s during the day, with a 100 degree basking area. He needs a humid hide in the humid enclosure. He needs to be soaked daily. The shell should be sprayed with water several times a day. Also, understand that stopping pyramiding in progress is much harder than preventing it in the first place.
All of this and more is explained right here:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
Please ask questions if any of this doesn't make sense or needs more explanation.
Wow, thank you so much Tom this cleared up a lot of confusion, again are there any specific bulbs you recommend since you are also in southern California? His tank is right under my west facing window right now i usually use the bulb from about 8-10 a.m. until around 9 p.m. daily.
They need 3 or 4 different bulbs:
1. A basking lamp. I use 65 watt flood bulbs and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. I set these on a timer from about 6am to 7pm.
2. They need a CHE, or sometimes two in large enclosures, to maintain the ambient temps in the enclosure no lower than around 80 degrees day and night. I set these on a thermostat that turns them on or off as needed depending on the temperature.
3. If you need indoor UV, then I use a regular 10.0 tube if it will be mounted within 10-12" from the tortoise, or I use one of the newer HO type bulbs if it will be mounted further away. In SoCal, or South TX, or Phoenix AZ, or FL, people really don't need indoor UV. We can get our tortoises out for real sunshine most of each year. Extra indoor UV won't hurt though, if you still want to use it.
4. In some closed chambers, which I highly recommend, I like to use some extra florescent lighting to brighten things up a bit. I prefer to use long tubes in the 6500K color range as these simulate daylight better than the more yellow looking 2500K lights.
Be careful the the sun doesn't over heat him in is tank under that window. Things may change as far as the angle of the sun and intensity as the seasons change and spring and summer return. Many tortoises have cooked when the sun overheats their enclosure. The brightness is good, just watch the temperature very carefully.
Forgive if I'm wrong, but I thought many people used bookshelves for closed chambers. You line them in plastic and make a cover. Why wouldn't that make a good home? The advantage of the bookshelf is they are a larger size and they are easier for some people who can't build something from scratch.
Hi, just read this post. In addition to what is already said, be careful with the potato leaves, because potato is a nightshade plant and therefore toxic!
More info can be found on:
http://m.thetortoisetable.org.uk/m/plants_19.asp?st=true&mode=main&catID=718
When most people think of a book shelf, they think of a large open table. Almost no one in the whole wide world, except a couple of smart people on our forum here, would ever thing to cover a whole bookshelf enclosure with a plastic green house.
I made my comment based on what most people will envision when someone says "bookshelf on its back".
Thanks for pointing this out. I thought so too, but its one of those things that I don't use, so I wasn't sure and didn't want to comment in case I was wrong. Tomato leaves are toxic too, right? Am I remembering this correctly?
Yes, that's correct. Tomato is also from the nightshade family.
Alright i will stop feeding him any potato plants
Alright i will stop feeding him any potato plants
Update on pyramiding. So I have been keeping an eye on his shell to make sure that he doesn't start to pyramid, been keeping the humidity high and a good amount of UVB and calcium. Just thought i would post a recent photo of his shell to get an opinion on if i should do anything differently
