Growth look okay?
- Thread starter MidwestyB
- Start date
The two very top scutes are pyramiding.
What kind of heating and uvb are you using?
How far away from the tortoise shell are they?
What kind of heating and uvb are you using?
How far away from the tortoise shell are they?
65 watt incandescent flood bulb &
Florescent High Output UV tube. Both on 12 hours. Heating is 6 inch above and UV is about 12 inches. I have it on top of a screen. Now i’m thinking not enough is reaching him. He does get soaked daily and goes outdoors in sunshine to do so most days.
Any humidity for the tortoise?
Personally I think your heating is too close. That should be 12 inches away....and use a regular incandescent 65 watt bulb not a flood....
Also I'm not real sure about the bulb rays going thru a screen...
Actually a flood incandescent is the right one to use. A regular incandescent can be used too but a flood is safe.
I think it's too close also.
A few things:Between 50-80% with daily soaking and in a closed chamber. What the heck am I doing wrong?
1. Have you checked the basking temp directly under the flood lamp by laying a digital thermometer on its back and letting it cook there for an hour? 6 inches sounds much too close, but only your thermometer can tell us for sure.
2. In some cases a 65 watt flood is going to overheat a closed chamber, so if your is not overheating the whole chamber, then you might have too much ventilation. Is the heating and lighting inside the enclosure, or outside on top? If the closed chamber is 8 feet long and the room temps are always in the 60s, then the 65 should be just about right. If the enclosure is smaller and/or room temps are in the 70s or more, then this may be a clue.
3. Stopping pyramiding in progress is MUCH harder than preventing it in the first place. 60% humidity is too low. Go to 80+% until you have several months of smoother growth. Also, I don't think I could maintain 60% humidity in any of my closed chambers even if I tried, so that is also a clue that things are too dry and there is too much ventilation. Even with dry substrate, for a snake or a bearded dragon, humidity likes to hover around 80% just with a water bowl and a humid hide box. If yours is 60%, something is wrong.
4. 12 inches is MUCH too close for a HO UV tube. However, the screen will filter a small amount out. Only a meter can tell you if there is enough UV reaching the tortoise, but not too much.
5. "...on top of a screen..." BINGO! This is your problem. Its not a closed chamber with a screen top and heating and lighting outside. Most of your heat is going up and into the room, and it creates a chimney effect which dries everything out, including your tortoise's carapace. Get a large closed chamber with the heating and lighting inside. Do this ASAP. Every day that goes by with your tortoise in the current enclosure does irreversible damage, as seen in your pictures. The longer it goes on, the harder it is to stop it.
Thank you! I should’ve clarified that I have a shower curtain covering the screen to keep humidity in. I will adjust the heat and lighting right away. I’m guessing I need to wet the substrate more often. He has been digging down lower lately, so duh. Needs more moisture. I feel awful. UGH!!
Does it tent up over the heating and lighting too?
That pyramiding started long before you got him.
Don't be too upset. This tortoise now has a great life with a great owner who is doing everything possible to minimize the previous pyramiding. Pyramiding is largely cosmetic, so there is no reason to think that your tortoise won't have a long healthy life.
Enjoy your tortoise. This is supposed to be fun. You are doing a great job.
