Sulcatifornia said:
Hi Alyssa:
Welcome to the forum!!
The End Of Pyramiding
- Thread starter Tom
- Start date
Hi Alyssa:
Welcome to the forum!!
Paganthegoat said:
Ed is right. (He usually is...)
These guys in this thread are a good example. They went from 35 to 600 grams in one year and I really wasn't trying to grow them fast. That's pretty fast and they are pretty smooth. Growing them fast was not the goal here, but it was a side effect of all the healthy hydration.
Growing them fast was not my goal either just keeping them alive in the early 80`s was considered over here as an achivement, so it was some time before i actualy knew i had a problem. There was no internet and more or less no books, the only available resourse was the BCG in the UK .
So its great to see another take on the subject , what interests me tho is lots of different Tortoises come from different habitats , some of which dont actualy have a lot of humidity , so is this the case accross the board on all baby Tortoises as i have Mediteranian species ?
Not for one minite trying to argue a point just trying to find out as much as possible and not make assumptions on my part
So its great to see another take on the subject , what interests me tho is lots of different Tortoises come from different habitats , some of which dont actualy have a lot of humidity , so is this the case accross the board on all baby Tortoises as i have Mediteranian species ?
Not for one minite trying to argue a point just trying to find out as much as possible and not make assumptions on my part
They are different habitats but very similar micro habitats.
Paganthegoat said:Growing them fast was not my goal either just keeping them alive in the early 80`s was considered over here as an achivement, so it was some time before i actualy knew i had a problem. There was no internet and more or less no books, the only available resourse was the BCG in the UK .
So its great to see another take on the subject , what interests me tho is lots of different Tortoises come from different habitats , some of which dont actualy have a lot of humidity , so is this the case accross the board on all baby Tortoises as i have Mediteranian species ?
Not for one minite trying to argue a point just trying to find out as much as possible and not make assumptions on my part
Ah right , thank you for that
I share Ed's opinion on this question. I have so far tried the "wet" routine with both subspecies of leopards (42 of them), lots of sulcatas (dozens), and a few CA Desert torts. I know that it is safe and it works with all of those. I can't speak from personal experience with any others yet. Lots of people have been posting on the forum with other species, including Mediterranean ones, with good results. They key seems to be the temps. Just don't let it get any cooler than 75 if you go high on the humidity. This is a bit higher than most people recommend for most Testudo sp. I often see a night drop down to 65 recommended. I wouldn't do that in a very humid environment. For an adult in an open tort table, sure. But not for a baby in a humid tank. Just my opinion and as I said it is totally untested by me, yet...
- Joined
- Jun 24, 2011
- Messages
- 9
Hey Tom,
Great thread you have going - very informative for newbs like me. I have a sulcata hatchling that was purchased with what I think is mild pyramiding. He is still only about 2-2.5 inches long so I'm hoping there is a chance to get him relatively smooth again as he grows. Have you had much luck turning things around for hatchlings that got off on a rocky start?
Has anyone ever used a household humidifier to amp the humidity in the room they keep their tortoise table in? I'm wetting down and remixing the coconut substrate I'm using, as it is the only way I can keep the humidity over 80 and thought keeping more moisture in the whole room might help.
Great thread you have going - very informative for newbs like me. I have a sulcata hatchling that was purchased with what I think is mild pyramiding. He is still only about 2-2.5 inches long so I'm hoping there is a chance to get him relatively smooth again as he grows. Have you had much luck turning things around for hatchlings that got off on a rocky start?
Has anyone ever used a household humidifier to amp the humidity in the room they keep their tortoise table in? I'm wetting down and remixing the coconut substrate I'm using, as it is the only way I can keep the humidity over 80 and thought keeping more moisture in the whole room might help.
Tonka said:
Tonka's Dad, I know there is one member using a humidifier to up the humidity right in the tortoise enclosure (Hustler) in Canada. As far as people using them to humidify the entire room I believe there are a few on here doing just that. As far as trying to keep the humidity over 80%, thats a bit overkill. If you back down your basking temps to a more moderate 85-95 degrees you wont need as much humidity to compensate. Good luck
Tonka said:
80% seems a bit high, but I use a humidifier at the moment as well (Reptifogger). On the lowest setting, my humidity percentage level is 70% so that is where I have it. If you decide to use a humidifier, I would recommend you not go below 80 degrees on the coldest side during the day. I'd even suggest you turn it off at night while everyone is asleep and other heat elements are off (i.e. Daytime heat lamp).
- Joined
- Jun 24, 2011
- Messages
- 9
Thanks for the insight on the over 80% - nice to know I can back off on that a bit since re-wetting the substrate (well beyond just misting) was a pain. I'll have to look into the reptifogger.
I just got a couple of sulcatas... they have been raised outdoors in florida (super humid) and they are Pyramided.... But the woman i got them from said "i only fed them romaine lettuice"
There is an Aldabra breeder here on the forum named Aldabraman (Greg). He lives in Florida and says that you guys have the humidity part, but he attributes it also to diet too. But then again his aldabra are kept outdoors year around.
onarock said:
I disagree with the above. I've tried using basking temps that low here in the states and my tortoises just park right under the heat lamp all day. They can't get warm enough and sitting under the light all day just dries out the carapace even more. I find right around 100 to be the best basking temp. In my enclosures they move in and out of the basking spot throughout the day. They bask for a while then move around a bit once they are up to the temp they want to be at. This is the same thing they do outside. They sit in the sun until they are warm enough then start moving around and hunting shade. On cooler days here my adults will sometimes sit in the sun for hours. On hot days, like now, they don't really bask at all, they just walk around doing their daily business in the morning and evening and find shade for most of the middle of the day when its over 100 here.
I suggest you let your tortoise be your guide. There are a lot of individual factors that determine the "best" temp for anyone's set up. Set your temp where ever you want it and then watch his behavior. If he just sits under the light all day and rarely moves out from under it, its probably too cool. If he stays over on the cool side of the tank and rarely basks, its probably too warm. If you get a good mixture of basking and moving around or resting elsewhere in the enclosure, then you've probably got it just right. I'm constantly tweaking my enclosures to get things just right. I make seasonal changes and sometimes make changes as they get bigger or if I see behavior changes.
kbaker said:Tom said:
Well said...and it took how many posts?
Well it says 473 in the upper right corner...
Fernando said:
Yes, our aldabras are kept outside in Florida all year and grow very nice, heavy, and no pryamiding.
This is a fascinating forum. I live in the San Fernando Valley of California which is generally hot and dry (low humidity). My outdoor RT's shell is very smooth, zero pyramiding.
I don't doubt that humidity plays a role in shell development, especially is young torts. However, I think Tom's said it best:
"let your tortoise be your guide".
I got my RT as a young (4-inch) WC. I keep him outside and he's been out there for about 4 years (minus the winters when I bring him indoors). I water the outdoor enclosure several times a week to keep his plants fresh and green. Because of the hot, dry weather, water evaporates very quickly, so the surface of the entire enclosure is generally dry, but just below the surface remains damp most of the time. His enclosure also has a dry hideaway box that is packed with dry orchard grass.
I've found that he's very good at regulating himself. I don't need to obsess about humidity. He seeks out dry areas when he needs them and wet areas when he needs them. While he has the option of burrowing in the dirt which contains subsurface moisture, he almost always chooses to spend his nights in the dry hideaway box. On occasion, if he needs water, he'll climb into his water dish. In the same way, if he needs UV's, he'll sit in the sun. If its too hot out for his taste, he'll sit in the shade, climb in his box, or dig himself a hole to relax in. These animals are far better at regulating themselves then we are at regulating them. Watch your tortoise, use common sense, and as Tom said "let your tortoise be your guide."
I don't doubt that humidity plays a role in shell development, especially is young torts. However, I think Tom's said it best:
"let your tortoise be your guide".
I got my RT as a young (4-inch) WC. I keep him outside and he's been out there for about 4 years (minus the winters when I bring him indoors). I water the outdoor enclosure several times a week to keep his plants fresh and green. Because of the hot, dry weather, water evaporates very quickly, so the surface of the entire enclosure is generally dry, but just below the surface remains damp most of the time. His enclosure also has a dry hideaway box that is packed with dry orchard grass.
I've found that he's very good at regulating himself. I don't need to obsess about humidity. He seeks out dry areas when he needs them and wet areas when he needs them. While he has the option of burrowing in the dirt which contains subsurface moisture, he almost always chooses to spend his nights in the dry hideaway box. On occasion, if he needs water, he'll climb into his water dish. In the same way, if he needs UV's, he'll sit in the sun. If its too hot out for his taste, he'll sit in the shade, climb in his box, or dig himself a hole to relax in. These animals are far better at regulating themselves then we are at regulating them. Watch your tortoise, use common sense, and as Tom said "let your tortoise be your guide."
Your welcome. A recent field study of leopard tortoises at both high elevation and sea level was conducted over a year using remote probe thermometers inserted up the tortoises cloaca. They showed that the desired core temp of theses tortoises is around 92F. They seek out both sun and shade to keep their core at this temp. There are also Senior TFO members that do not use basking spots at all and only provide ambient temp of 86f with very moderate humidity that get great results. (Discaimer..upcoming hearsay, but you can email and ask him yourself) Not wanting to name drop, so I wont, I'll just call him the Godfather of Radiated tortoises and Burmese star tortoieses in this country doesnt even provide a basking spot for his hatchling tortoises untill they are over 4" SCL. And, at this point he only provides a basking spot of 95-98f for 1 hour in the morning and 1 hour in the afternoon.
Anyone who says that their tortoies will just sit under the lamp unless its 100f is probably having other husbandry issues, I suspect not enough, or bright enough ambient light.
Anyone who says that their tortoies will just sit under the lamp unless its 100f is probably having other husbandry issues, I suspect not enough, or bright enough ambient light.
Tonka said:
onarock said:
That doesn't sound pleasant.
Similar threads
