Have I ruined my hatchling?

[TuckerDucker]

I got my redfoot when he was 3ish months old. His shell was dented, but the actual scutes were smooth. I did everything his breeder told me to do, I was constantly looking for more care info on the internet, and somehow... I still missed some incredibly vital information. I was using a coil UVB light. I didn't have a lid on his enclosure so the humidity wasn't staying in at all. I wasn't soaking him for 15 minutes a day, I would put him in his water dish and leave.

Now he's 7ish months old, and I've corrected as I've learned. But I already notice he's pyramiding. I feel awful. I've been doing my best and looking for the best care info out there, but every "fool proof way to raise hatchlings" is different and contradict each other.

Is there anything else I should be doing to help my little guy? Can pyramiding reverse?

He lives indoors in a large Rubbermaid tub. He has two hides, but he usually enjoys burying under moss. I have a warm mist humidifier in his tub. I have coconut soil as his bedding, but some cypress mulch on top and sphagnum moss on top of that. There is now a lid on the tub keeping the humidity in. I just started actually soaking him for 15 minutes a day. He has access to a shallow water dish. We feed him usually one kind of food a day and mix it up between kale, red leaf lettuce, acorn squash, and mushrooms. A couple times a week we give him apple or mango. Once a week we give him mealworms. Every few days we sprinkle calcium powder on. He now has a UVB tube light. We have a white light heat light we run during the day and a no-light heat bulb we run at night. His enclosure's usually around 90 degrees during the day and 77ish at night.

Is there anything I'm missing or need to change? I'm sorry this is so much, I'm just so confused and my guy's suffering because of my lack of knowledge.

Thank you for any help!

 

[Yvonne G]

Pyramiding isn't the end of the world. Your little tortoise is just fine. Just amend his living conditions to a warm, humid area and you're good to go. Who cares if the shell has a bump or two. I have several like that, and I love all of them.

 

[TuckerDucker]

Pyramiding isn't the end of the world. Your little tortoise is just fine. Just amend his living conditions to a warm, humid area and you're good to go. Who cares if the shell has a bump or two. I have several like that, and I love all of them.

Thank you so much for that. That's incredibly relieving to hear coming from you!

 

[jacksknight]

Thank you so much for that. That's incredibly relieving to hear coming from you!

Yep, our first one is a little bumpy but nothing major. The second we got is pretty smooth and the third is completely smooth. It took us some time to figure out what we are doing but now even the first one has smooth growth between his scutes. He just a has a little character. By the time he is full size it wont hardly matter. Ill post pics tomorrow if i remember so you can see.

 

[TuckerDucker]

Yep, our first one is a little bumpy but nothing major. The second we got is pretty smooth and the third is completely smooth. It took us some time to figure out what we are doing but now even the first one has smooth growth between his scutes. He just a has a little character. By the time he is full size it wont hardly matter. Ill post pics tomorrow if i remember so you can see.

That makes me feel a whole lot better! I'd love to see some pictures.

With dogs and rabbits I was able to learn as I went and it didn't feel like a big deal when I messed up and learned and corrected, but man, it's hard seeing the bumps and knowing that I did that with my mistakes. Hopefully it's just smooth sailing from here

 

[Anyfoot]

That makes me feel a whole lot better! I'd love to see some pictures.

With dogs and rabbits I was able to learn as I went and it didn't feel like a big deal when I messed up and learned and corrected, but man, it's hard seeing the bumps and knowing that I did that with my mistakes. Hopefully it's just smooth sailing from here

I’ve yet to find anyone who can grow 100% of redfoots smooth, they all grow smooth up until about 5 months old then things change.
So many breeders claim they have the key because they sell on at 3 to 4 months old when they are smooth.
Don’t worry about it. Soak your baby daily, feed a mixed diet and don’t offer a basking spot. You won’t keep the humidity high enough unless it’s a closed system.
Can I see a photo of yours please?

 

[TuckerDucker]

I’ve yet to find anyone who can grow 100% of redfoots smooth, they all grow smooth up until about 5 months old then things change.
So many breeders claim they have the key because they sell on at 3 to 4 months old when they are smooth.
Don’t worry about it. Soak your baby daily, feed a mixed diet and don’t offer a basking spot. You won’t keep the humidity high enough unless it’s a closed system.
Can I see a photo of yours please?

I opened the lid up for the picture, but it normally has a lid. This is also without the UVB tube light.

 

[jacksknight]

That makes me feel a whole lot better! I'd love to see some pictures.

With dogs and rabbits I was able to learn as I went and it didn't feel like a big deal when I messed up and learned and corrected, but man, it's hard seeing the bumps and knowing that I did that with my mistakes. Hopefully it's just smooth sailing from here

Here ya go, i will post the pictures from first to last. First tortoise is Groot, second one is Rocket, the third is Drax. Groot is a bit bumpy, Rocket is pretty smooth and Drax is very smooth.