Hatchling Growth!

Briannesmith1

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keeping track of my hatchlings weight every month, his name is Jaxx! I got him from Arizona Sulcata.

Born: February 26th, 2018 (38.4 grams)
Adopted: March 13th, 2018 (45 grams)
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1 month: March 26th, 2018 (57 grams)
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2 months: April 26th, 2018 (68.3 grams)
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3 months:
4 months:
5 months:
6 months:
7 months:
8 months:
9 months:
10 months:
11 months:
1 year:
 
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Jay Bagley

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Tom

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Its a great sign that he is gaining weight, but he already has some substantial pyramiding. If you don't change the way you are housing and caring for him ASAP, you are going to have a permanently disfigured tortoise.
 

Briannesmith1

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Its a great sign that he is gaining weight, but he already has some substantial pyramiding. If you don't change the way you are housing and caring for him ASAP, you are going to have a permanently disfigured tortoise.

Thank you! I will work as fast as possible his humidity is at 70% with basking temp around 95, hide 90, “cool” side 82. Is there anything else I can do in the mean time? I want him to thrive :,(
 

Tom

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Thank you! I will work as fast as possible his humidity is at 70% with basking temp around 95, hide 90, “cool” side 82. Is there anything else I can do in the mean time? I want him to thrive :,(

He can thrive and be hydrated with daily soaks and still pyramid. Pyramiding is caused by growth in conditions that are too dry. You can feed them right, soak daily, sun them, give them calcium supplementation, and care for them very well, and they can still pyramid.

Stopping pyramiding in progress is much harder than preventing it in the first place. Here is what you can do:
  1. Soak daily for 45 minutes.
  2. House the tortoise in a closed chamber with 80-90% humidity day and night.
  3. Limit sunning sessions to one hour twice a week in your dry climate. This will be plenty to maintain D3 levels.
  4. Spray the carapace 3-4 times as day or more with distilled, RO, or rainwater. This will prevent unsightly hard water stains.
  5. Use damp fine grade orchid bark for your substrate.
  6. Use a humid hide in your humid closed chamber.
  7. Use a low wattage incandescent bulb for basking instead of higher wattage spot bulbs or MVBs.
  8. Maintain ambient temps in the high 80s to low 90s during the day. These warmer temps make them bask under the desiccating lamps less often and for shorter duration.
Please feel free to ask all your questions. My goal is to help.
 

Briannesmith1

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I have been sunning him about once a day for 30 minutes but I will do less bc during those times the temps can be in the triple digits. I will start soaking for longer I have been doing 25-30 minutes. I have a Fogger running to help with the humidity. I do spray him 3-4 times a day. I have cypress mulch currently in his enclosure but it is very damp and even has some condensation on the wall of his enclosure. I will buy a lower wattage bulb tomorrow! I do see him sunning all the time on his rocks. I just want him to be happy and I swear I have read all of your posts numerous times because I am so stressed about raising him correctly. The second I read about the closed chamber I started building one. How bad is his pyramiding? I will do all I can to stop the pyramiding :(
 

Briannesmith1

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This is the current setup until the completely closed chamber is finished. Is there anything I should change?
 

Briannesmith1

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@Tom would you recommend I just buy this and wire the lights to the inside and hang them with hooks? I don’t have much experience doing this but if it will help my baby I will order it tonight and get it set up ASAP!
 

Tom

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The AP cages are fantastic, but you will need one at least 18" tall and 24" tall is better and easier to work with. I prefer white, and they will install incandescent or florescent fixtures for you upon request. I also like to order a 6" litter dam, instead of the standard 3". This allows me to use 3" of substrate and not worry about the baby falling out when the door is open. 48x24" will only last a few months. better to get a larger one now, so you don't have to order a bigger one in a few months.
 

Briannesmith1

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The AP cages are fantastic, but you will need one at least 18" tall and 24" tall is better and easier to work with. I prefer white, and they will install incandescent or florescent fixtures for you upon request. I also like to order a 6" litter dam, instead of the standard 3". This allows me to use 3" of substrate and not worry about the baby falling out when the door is open. 48x24" will only last a few months. better to get a larger one now, so you don't have to order a bigger one in a few months.

What one would you recommend I buy? And with what add ons? I am trying to have my Sulcata live in this enclosure until it is safe for them to live outside. I want to get this situation fixed ASAP or I won’t be able to sleep over it. And my tort will definitely be happier!
 

Tom

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What one would you recommend I buy? And with what add ons? I am trying to have my Sulcata live in this enclosure until it is safe for them to live outside. I want to get this situation fixed ASAP or I won’t be able to sleep over it. And my tort will definitely be happier!
I got the T65 and I think that will work. The T70 will be better, give him more room, and be easier to heat and light because of the extra height.
 

Briannesmith1

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I got the T65 and I think that will work. The T70 will be better, give him more room, and be easier to heat and light because of the extra height.

I wish I had the money for this size cage right now. I am in tears right now worried about him. I don’t know what to do or what cage to get that will last a while and get him proper temperatures and humidity. Will the pyramiding halt if I keep him in the setup I have now with a humidity between 80-90% with 45 minute soaks a day? And once I move out and have a yard I will build him an outdoor home that fits the size needs in a year or two.
 

Tom

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I wish I had the money for this size cage right now. I am in tears right now worried about him. I don’t know what to do or what cage to get that will last a while and get him proper temperatures and humidity. Will the pyramiding halt if I keep him in the setup I have now with a humidity between 80-90% with 45 minute soaks a day? And once I move out and have a yard I will build him an outdoor home that fits the size needs in a year or two.
It doesn't look like he was pyramided when he arrived, so it is happening in your enclosure. I've tried many times to do this with an open topped enclosure and never gotten results that I was happy with. I'd cover the tops, humidify the whole room, spray the carapaces all day long, and they still showed some pyramiding when the heat lamps were outside the enclosure. As soon as I switched to closed chambers with their stable temps, lower wattage bulbs on the inside, and higher daily ambient temps, all of them grew perfectly every time.

You can also build your own closed chamber. Doesn't have to be fancy.
 

Briannesmith1

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@Tom I just built a 4ft by 8 foot open tortoise table for my adult Russian today, he seems like he will be way happier in his new giant home once it is safe for him. As for the Sulcata the humidity is still running around 70% in his partially closed chamber. How long do the Sulcatas have to have a closed chamber w high humidities? Just until they are able to live outside on their own? 10-15 inches?
 

mikeylazer

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@Tom I just built a 4ft by 8 foot open tortoise table for my adult Russian today, he seems like he will be way happier in his new giant home once it is safe for him. As for the Sulcata the humidity is still running around 70% in his partially closed chamber. How long do the Sulcatas have to have a closed chamber w high humidities? Just until they are able to live outside on their own? 10-15 inches?

I have a really cheap easy way to do a closed chamber setup and it will only run you about $100 for a nice sized setup!

I will be posting more about it later on so stay tuned for that! Great option for someone who understands their tortoise will not be in it forever and doesnt want to waste hundreds
 

Briannesmith1

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I have a really cheap easy way to do a closed chamber setup and it will only run you about $100 for a nice sized setup!

Alright I’m intrigued, please continue. I would like a decent sized closed chamber for my Sulcata until I move him outside permanently with a humid shed in my new house.
 

mikeylazer

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Alright I’m intrigued, please continue. I would like a decent sized closed chamber for my Sulcata until I move him outside permanently with a humid shed in my new house.

My new setup is a 3x3x3 (the one I am referring too) and I have the same setup in a 2x4 for my redfoot!
 

mikeylazer

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Ah yes that was for my last leopard tortoise. Very similar setup. My humidity is 95%-100% at all times, and its easy to manage and clean!
 
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