Should I?

[Seiryu]

So if you are not aware, Michigan has some pretty humid summers, at least where I am. Since it's been warmer in April/May, the humidity in my house hasn't dropped below 45%. It's mainly been between 50-65% depending on rain.

I have a Leopard tortoise approx. 15 months old.

Anyways, should I still moisten the substrate some (eco-earth/sand)? He still has a humid hide (around 90% humidity). I don't want to overdo the humidity either.

If I remember correctly, with the room humidity being 40-50% when I had the substrate moist it was 70-80%. I haven't moistened it since Friday.

 

[Tom]

How old is your baby now? And how pyramided, if at all, is he/she? If he/she is a year now and totally smooth, I would back off on the humidity, but still keep the humid hide. If he/she is 3 months and pyramiding a little, I'd bump up the humidity, soaks and shell spraying.

There is no exact formula for this. I do it by feel depending on the current weather and upcoming weather. What's right for me in SoCal might not be right for you there.

I know this is pretty generalized, but I hope it helps some.

 

[Seiryu]

How old is your baby now? And how pyramided, if at all, is he/she? If he/she is a year now and totally smooth, I would back off on the humidity, but still keep the humid hide. If he/she is 3 months and pyramiding a little, I'd bump up the humidity, soaks and shell spraying.

There is no exact formula for this. I do it by feel depending on the current weather and upcoming weather. What's right for me in SoCal might not be right for you there.

I know this is pretty generalized, but I hope it helps some.

Way to not read my post Tom Jeez! . Thor is 15 months old. I always kept it moist in the summer last year too, and had no issues, so I'll probably moisten it up again anyways and stop if I see problems.

As far as the pyramiding, I'm not sure. I posted a picture a while back and people said he looked more "normal bumpy" than pyramiding bumpy. I didn't know there to be a difference.

The only thing I didn't do from when I got him at 3-4 months old until about a year was directly spray his shell. At about a year old, I saw your post about spraying your sulcata and have been doing it since. He was always on moist substrate, humid hide with frequent soaks.

I also never added a vitamin supplement until a few weeks ago (rep-cap/herpitivite mix) until Danny said it would be a good idea to add it. Before that, a lot of people said to steer clear. But after talking with Danny, it seems some of the pyramiding can be caused by lack of vitamins too, even if you feed a varied diet like I do.

And I think he is pyramided, maybe mildly?

Here are some.

And

 

[Tom]

D'oh! Sorry. I missed the part with the age.

He is slightly pyramided, but really not bad at all for a Leopard. You should have seen what mine have all looked like for the past 20 years. Ugh! That's why I quit keeping them. I'm STILL waiting for some Gpp hatchlings to try out all the humidity/moisture stuff I've learned in the last couple of years.

I would keep up with the routine you've been doing and that should keep it from ever getting worse.

 

[Seiryu]

D'oh! Sorry. I missed the part with the age.

He is slightly pyramided, but really not bad at all for a Leopard. You should have seen what mine have all looked like for the past 20 years. Ugh! That's why I quit keeping them. I'm STILL waiting for some Gpp hatchlings to try out all the humidity/moisture stuff I've learned in the last couple of years.

I would keep up with the routine you've been doing and that should keep it from ever getting worse.

Thanks. I haven't noticed it getting worse at least, only time will tell on that. I've been spraying him about 2 times a day. Should I do it more?

Yep, if I ever get another hatchling, he will definitely be cared for a little bit differently. I just wish you had made your post about spraying sulcatas when I first got him haha.

I honestly, never thought about spraying them directly as when I joined, no one talked about it, except for redfoots.

 

[Tom]

That's a new one for me too. Just learned it in the last few months. Funny you mention the redfoots as Terry K. in Tennessee is the one I first learned about that from. Richard Fife later confirmed it for Leopards and Sulcatas, but I only called Richard at Terry's suggestion. I just want credit to be given where credit is due. Dean S is very big on this too. I don't know where he learned it.

I spray my sulcatas at least twice a day, but usually more. If its a hot day, 90's or above, I just spray them all day long. Every time I walk by, I just give them a spritz. I'd sit there and keep them wet all day, if I had the time. I'm finally ready to say the the new growth on my young sulcata IS coming in smooth now. I've been watching it for several months and saying it "seems" smoother, but now I'm seeing that it definitely IS smoother. The bumps will always be there, but the new growth sure looks nice.

BTW, Leopards and Sulcatas seem to have a huge resistance to shell rot. Much more than redfoots and some of the other "wetter" species of torts. In case that is a concern for you.

 

[Yourlocalpoet]

I think Thor looks very well Rob, you're obviously doing a great job. I've never sprayed my Leopard and her substrate has always been mainly dry, (i was always told that moist/dampness was a no-no for them) however, she hardly has any pyramiding, and is pretty smooth compared to the majority of captive leopards i have seen.

He is slightly pyramided, but really not bad at all for a Leopard. You should have seen what mine have all looked like for the past 20 years. Ugh! That's why I quit keeping them.

Tom do you have any photos of your leopards on here?

 

[Seiryu]

BTW, Leopards and Sulcatas seem to have a huge resistance to shell rot. Much more than redfoots and some of the other "wetter" species of torts. In case that is a concern for you.

I do it at both feedings and I use warm water in the spray bottle. I was wondering though. Does it actually matter if it's room temp or warm? It seems even if I put hot water in the bottle, it feels cool to the touch anyways.

It's more of a "forgetting" factor for me to spray more than just at feedings. Isn't quite on my "schedule" yet to spray. But if I can use the room temp water, then I could easily walk past, spray and be on my way.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Rob it looks to me that he hasn't got much muscle tone in his back legs and he just looks kinda skinny to me. If he were mine I would feed him more and see if you can't get him to put some weight on.
Just my personal opinion...

 

[Tom]

I never bother with warm water in the spray bottle. As you noted its cool due to evaporation by the time it reaches them anyway. I just make sure they and their environment are warm.

 

[Seiryu]

Rob it looks to me that he hasn't got much muscle tone in his back legs and he just looks kinda skinny to me. If he were mine I would feed him more and see if you can't get him to put some weight on.
Just my personal opinion...

Thanks for the concern Maggie. He gains weight every week (2-6g) depending. And according to the only Leopard growth chart out there, he is right on par.

If he needs more "Muscle tone" due to lack of exercise, then he would need to be walking from 7-8am to 6-7pm straight. I hardly ever see him sleeping unless it's night time or he takes an occasional 30min-1hour nap here and there. Other than that, he is walking around looking for food.

The one picture is him at a year old, not to mention, his leg is completely extended so the muscles wouldn't be bulging.