The End Of Pyramiding

Redstrike

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Wow Tom, they look fantastic! Trey is especially smooth.
 
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hello Tom,

any experience with aldabra tortoise Tom? i mean are they (babies) suitable to be kept in closed chamber with high humidity and 79-81F?
how about shell rot in aldabra? because you said that sulcata never show sign of shell rot.
 

Tom

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hello Tom,

any experience with aldabra tortoise Tom? i mean are they (babies) suitable to be kept in closed chamber with high humidity and 79-81F?
how about shell rot in aldabra? because you said that sulcata never show sign of shell rot.

I don't have much Aldabra experience. They don't do well in my climate, so I don't keep them. I have never heard of an Aldabra with shell rot.
 
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a friend of mine send this picture few minutes ago, maybe he read my questios to you..

i believe this aldabra has a shell rot, said that this aldabra kept in an outdoor garden..

poor baby..
Photo 07-08-15 12.42.31.jpg

guys, always CHECK your tortoise plastron regularly please.
 

Tom

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Its been a long time since I updated. I don't have weights, but here are some sizes. @maggie3fan This is for you! :)

This is Mr. Tuck. 5 and a half years old now. Its been cold and ugly here, so not the best pics. Its too cold to soak them so you get to see his usual dirty appearance while resting in his night box. I think is weight would be around 30-35 pounds now.
IMG_0285.JPG


Here is Ms. Trey. She is a good looking girl. She's got a big blocky head. She was 42 pounds at her last weight in, but she's put on some size since then. I would estimate her at over 50 pounds now.
IMG_0287.JPG


My thread for my Sudanese tortoise has been closed, so I thought I'd post an update here. Seems appropriate since they were also an end of pyramiding experiment. This is one of the two biggest ones. I still CANNOT tell the sexes on these two biggest ones. I have five left. One is an obvious male (flashing, longer gulars, wide "V" anal scutes, huge tail...) and two are obvious females, but I cannot tell on the two biggest. They are right in the middle. Could go either way.
IMG_0284.JPG
 
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samsmom

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I don't see a difference between tuck and trey and the Sundanese tort! What are the differences?
 

Anyfoot

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Its been a long time since I updated. I don't have weights, but here are some sizes. @maggie3fan This is for you! :)

This is Mr. Tuck. 2 and a half years old now. Its been cold and ugly here, so not the best pics. Its too cold to soak them so you get to see his usual dirty appearance while resting in his night box. I think is weight would be around 30-35 pounds now.
View attachment 159280


Here is Ms. Trey. She is a good looking girl. She's got a big blocky head. She was 42 pounds at her last weight in, but she's put on some size since then. I would estimate her at over 50 pounds now.
View attachment 159281


My thread for my Sudanese tortoise has been closed, so I thought I'd post an update here. Seems appropriate since they were also an end of pyramiding experiment. This is one of the two biggest ones. I still CANNOT tell the sexes on these two biggest ones. I have five left. One is an obvious male (flashing, longer gulars, wide "V" anal scutes, huge tail...) and two are obvious females, but I cannot tell on the two biggest. They are right in the middle. Could go either way.
View attachment 159282
They look gorgeous Tom. Perfectly symmetrical too. Nice job.
 

Tom

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I don't see a difference between tuck and trey and the Sundanese tort! What are the differences?

Sudanese tortoises, if these are really Sudanese, get twice as large and have a much higher dome when they are mature adults.

I've not seen any differences in the babies or juveniles. If they hit 100 pounds and stop growing, I will know they are not Sudans. If they grow to 250 pounds and look like a tan Galop, well, you know...
 
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Maggie Cummings

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Oh, he's beautiful Tom. Bigger than I thought, but done, he's so smooth and good looking. Ms. Trey and the bottom one certaining have a lot of new growth lines. Well, done
 

Ansh

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I can't believe how smooth their shells are. Truly the "end of pyramiding". Wish there was such conclusive evidence for star torts...
 

Tom

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I can't believe how smooth their shells are. Truly the "end of pyramiding". Wish there was such conclusive evidence for star torts...

The majority of my stars are this smooth too.

Closed chambers with monsoon season conditions work wonders.
 

Josh Casenave

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Its been a long time since I updated. I don't have weights, but here are some sizes. @maggie3fan This is for you! :)

This is Mr. Tuck. 2 and a half years old now. Its been cold and ugly here, so not the best pics. Its too cold to soak them so you get to see his usual dirty appearance while resting in his night box. I think is weight would be around 30-35 pounds now.
View attachment 159280


Here is Ms. Trey. She is a good looking girl. She's got a big blocky head. She was 42 pounds at her last weight in, but she's put on some size since then. I would estimate her at over 50 pounds now.
View attachment 159281


My thread for my Sudanese tortoise has been closed, so I thought I'd post an update here. Seems appropriate since they were also an end of pyramiding experiment. This is one of the two biggest ones. I still CANNOT tell the sexes on these two biggest ones. I have five left. One is an obvious male (flashing, longer gulars, wide "V" anal scutes, huge tail...) and two are obvious females, but I cannot tell on the two biggest. They are right in the middle. Could go either way.
View attachment 159282
Hello Tom, I have read that humidity causes respiratory infections. Did this ever occur as hatchlings?
 

Tom

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Hello Tom, I have read that humidity causes respiratory infections. Did this ever occur as hatchlings?

Cold temperatures can cause respiratory infections. Humidity does not. I've raised 100's of hatchlings with high humidity, simulating the African rainy season that they hatch into, and never had one problem. Baby sulcatas should not drop below 80 degrees, day or night.
 

JohnnyDigester

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Tom! I tracked you down from a YouTube video and now on here, I need help with my 2 young sulcatas. I have had them about a year and 6 months, they are probablaly 2 to 3 years old maybe. I rescued them from a lady in Northern California, they were kept in a glass tank inside with no lights and nothing but a slippery glass floor to walk on. Upon getting me they both had severe pyramiding, both had super soft shells, and both had flat back legs, as they dragged themselves around in that tank. So time has gone by but I don't know what else I can do to help them... they both live outside, they have a 10'x10' pen with freshly grown sulcatafood.com grass seed, small river rocks in patches to help them walk better, and a box I built for them with a heat lamp to keep it about 70 degrees in the winter time, I am located in so cal, oh and yes a water dish as well. So in that time their shells have become hard again, they are out everyday getting sun and exercise unless it's raining, I give them turnip greens with calcium powder 1 to 2 times a week, and try to soak them 1 to 2 times a week. I have been so worried about them, and I don't know what else to do. The pyramids are still there, both shells have hardened up nicely, the smaller one walks normal now, the larger one still drags himself around but has improved a lot, the rocks really force him to walk correctly. They both had a vet visit when I got them since they had a respatory infection, running nose and eyes... but they have been in good health since. I am probably forgetting some details but that's the majority of my story. any help you could possible offer? I would greatly appreciate it. The smaller one is Barnaby, the large one is Harold.image.jpegimage.jpeg
 

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