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Beanos

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New to taking care of a tortoise and just want to make sure mine is doing ok. It almost looks like there is a small dip towards the back of her shell and from what I have seen online it almost looks like the early stages of pyramiding. I want to make sure I am properly taking care of my Hermann tortoise. So does she look fine or are there things I should be concerned about.
 

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Grace-Sophia

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It does look like a little bit of pyramiding, but don’t worry, mild pyramiding is only cosmetic, it looks like your tort still has some growing to do, just make sure diet and humitity are correct and new growth on the shell should come in more smooth (;
If you have any questions feel free to ask, what are your temps, humitity, as well as diet for your little one? And how old is she/he ?
@Tom will also be able to help with your growth and or pyramiding questions.
 

Grace-Sophia

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As far as the dip, could it possibly be some kind of trauma injury?
 

Beanos

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It does look like a little bit of pyramiding, but don’t worry, mild pyramiding is only cosmetic, it looks like your tort still has some growing to do, just make sure diet and humitity are correct and new growth on the shell should come in more smooth (;
If you have any questions feel free to ask, what are your temps, humitity, as well as diet for your little one? And how old is she/he ?
@Tom will also be able to help with your growth and or pyramiding questions.
My humidity at this point in time is a little over 45% and i keep temps between 82-86 degrees Fahrenheit. She is about 2 and a half years old. I got her from a exotic pet store about 6 months ago.
 

Beanos

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As far as the dip, could it possibly be some kind of trauma injury?
I have never dropped her or known of anything to happen to her. Since ive had her ive watched her kept her away from dogs and stayed with her when i let her run around outside
 

Beanos

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It does look like a little bit of pyramiding, but don’t worry, mild pyramiding is only cosmetic, it looks like your tort still has some growing to do, just make sure diet and humitity are correct and new growth on the shell should come in more smooth (;
If you have any questions feel free to ask, what are your temps, humitity, as well as diet for your little one? And how old is she/he ?
@Tom will also be able to help with your growth and or pyramiding questions.
Her diet kinda varies cause ive heard its good to do that but consistently ill put baby spring mix, baby kale, spinach, and in smaller quantities romane lettuce. I know romane doesnt do much for her in terms of nutrients but its one of the things she will go for first so i think she likes it. Every once and a while recently we have tried adding carrots, black berries, and bell peppers as well. She loves the peppers but is avoiding berries and carrots. Berries i will only do like once a week. I also put some flower topper on it about 3 times a week.
 

Grace-Sophia

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Okay, I think I know how I can help! So, the humitity in her enclosure should be (especially sense she is still young) should be around closer to 50-55%, I also see that your diet it quite incorrect, yes, you can feed all of those things but in moderation, kale and spinach should only be fed around once weekly do to their high oxalite and protein content, it can also cause the tortoise to not be able to take in and absorb calcium as it needs to. Romaine you can feed more frequently and it is great if your little one needs some extra help “going” because of its high water content. But… still should not be feed daily. Hermann’s need a variety of weeds and leafy greens, here’s a list-

dandelion (leaves, stems, and flowers)
Hibiscus (flowers and leaves)
Clover ( in moderation)
Mustard greens
Collard greens
Romaine
Carrot tops
Beet greens ( not the actual fruit/root though)
Turnip greens

I also like to very, VERY, occasionally feed my torts a little slice of strawberry, or other tort safe fruit as a treat. I also like to give my hermanns Timothy hay as a fiber supplement.
You should also be dusting food around 3 times weekly with a calcium supplement especially sense you have a growing baby, they need it to prevent MBD and to grow healthy bones and shells.
 

Beanos

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oh wow yeah. thank you so much. i will be going out today to get all of these for her. I feel so bad for not giving her what she needs but I'm glad I came here and can start correcting it. I use a vitamin and calcium supplement a couple times a week too. One last thing, Ive heard something about starve days, or days where you don't feed them in order to let their digestive system catch up. Is this something i should do and if so how often? Once again thank you so much.
 

zolasmum

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oh wow yeah. thank you so much. i will be going out today to get all of these for her. I feel so bad for not giving her what she needs but I'm glad I came here and can start correcting it. I use a vitamin and calcium supplement a couple times a week too. One last thing, Ive heard something about starve days, or days where you don't feed them in order to let their digestive system catch up. Is this something i should do and if so how often? Once again thank you so much.
Hello and welcome. The idea of " starve" days is not a good one at all. If you are feeding her properly, she will not overeat - I prepare the food each morning that I think mine will eat (plus a bit extra, just in case) and mix it up a bit, then put it out at intervals during the day. That way I can see how much he is eating more easily.
And no fruit at all - Hermanns can't digest it, and although you may
(and she may) think it is a treat, she will suffer for it later.
Best wishes from Angie
 

Grace-Sophia

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I agree with @zolasmum, even though sometimes starve days are recommended, tortoises are grazers and in the wild would cover lots of ground and eat whenever possible, it is very important to feed your tort once daily, or you could feed smaller amounts twice a day.
 

Grace-Sophia

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As mentioned above, torts cover a lot of ground daily in the wild, it is also important to have lots of space and the proper setup for your tortoise, could we possibly see a picture of yours?
 
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