- Joined
- Oct 4, 2011
- Messages
- 83
So I had asked Tom this:
I have two Sulcata's, both a little over 2 years old. However, the older one is slightly bigger with a smooth shell and the other is smaller with a little pyramiding. I got them 2 months apart when they were both 2 months old. Making my oldest 2 months older (if that makes sense). Well, long story short I'm not quite sure why one would have slight pyramiding when they have been together since day one. They eat the same food, take in the same light, etc. Also, I noticed today a fine light pink line on the under side of the smaller ones shell. Now I don't know if it's just me or if it is a little soft. I looked up signs of MBD and he has not one of those symptoms listed on one of the threads I saw one this forum. ...any ideas or thoughts?
His response was:
This happens most of the time. One in tort in a group will pyramid more than another. My best guess is that their individual behavior or personalities account for the difference. There HAS to be one or more variables that are different. All the things you mentioned are the same, but there are many more than just those. For example I knew a guy who was raising ten torts all in the same enclosure. Most of them slept inside the little humid hide box, but two usually did not. Guess how many pyramided? In my enclosure during last years "End of Pyramiding" thread I had one tort who was nearly always in the humid hide and the other two nearly never were. The one in the hide grew much faster and much smoother than the other two. So in your case, here are some possibilities.
1. One tort hogs the best sleeping spot. Maybe there is one section of the enclosure that is just a little more humid, due to air currents or location or something and this is where the smoother one always sleeps. Or maybe you have a humid hide and the smooth one spends more time in there than the other.
2. Maybe the extra stress of living in a pair and being the less dominant one messes with the mechanisms for pyramiding. Have you seen this thread?
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-Pairs#axzz1io9fBi67
3. Related to number 2 above, maybe the little one drinks less often. Neal believes that hydration is a HUGE part of the pyramiding mystery. I don't know all the answers, but I don't disagree with him.
4. The two months BEFORE you got them can also play a HUGE role. Were they from different sources? The bigger one may have been more humid and hydrated than the other during those first two critical months. Even if they were from the same source, this could be the case. My hatchlings are subjected to different conditions and humidity depending on the current weather.
Every time I see this (which is often) it makes me reconsider the "fast growth is bad" idea. In most of these cases the faster growing, bigger one, is the smoother one too.
I'm curious as to why this has happened. I am not going against what Tom says by any means, we actually both agree it would be beneficial to post a thread and see what others may have to add to why this may be occurring. Any thoughts or comments?
I have two Sulcata's, both a little over 2 years old. However, the older one is slightly bigger with a smooth shell and the other is smaller with a little pyramiding. I got them 2 months apart when they were both 2 months old. Making my oldest 2 months older (if that makes sense). Well, long story short I'm not quite sure why one would have slight pyramiding when they have been together since day one. They eat the same food, take in the same light, etc. Also, I noticed today a fine light pink line on the under side of the smaller ones shell. Now I don't know if it's just me or if it is a little soft. I looked up signs of MBD and he has not one of those symptoms listed on one of the threads I saw one this forum. ...any ideas or thoughts?
His response was:
This happens most of the time. One in tort in a group will pyramid more than another. My best guess is that their individual behavior or personalities account for the difference. There HAS to be one or more variables that are different. All the things you mentioned are the same, but there are many more than just those. For example I knew a guy who was raising ten torts all in the same enclosure. Most of them slept inside the little humid hide box, but two usually did not. Guess how many pyramided? In my enclosure during last years "End of Pyramiding" thread I had one tort who was nearly always in the humid hide and the other two nearly never were. The one in the hide grew much faster and much smoother than the other two. So in your case, here are some possibilities.
1. One tort hogs the best sleeping spot. Maybe there is one section of the enclosure that is just a little more humid, due to air currents or location or something and this is where the smoother one always sleeps. Or maybe you have a humid hide and the smooth one spends more time in there than the other.
2. Maybe the extra stress of living in a pair and being the less dominant one messes with the mechanisms for pyramiding. Have you seen this thread?
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-Pairs#axzz1io9fBi67
3. Related to number 2 above, maybe the little one drinks less often. Neal believes that hydration is a HUGE part of the pyramiding mystery. I don't know all the answers, but I don't disagree with him.
4. The two months BEFORE you got them can also play a HUGE role. Were they from different sources? The bigger one may have been more humid and hydrated than the other during those first two critical months. Even if they were from the same source, this could be the case. My hatchlings are subjected to different conditions and humidity depending on the current weather.
Every time I see this (which is often) it makes me reconsider the "fast growth is bad" idea. In most of these cases the faster growing, bigger one, is the smoother one too.
I'm curious as to why this has happened. I am not going against what Tom says by any means, we actually both agree it would be beneficial to post a thread and see what others may have to add to why this may be occurring. Any thoughts or comments?