HELP:Tortoise Pyramiding??

[ashleyr21]

I got my little Russian Tortoise (Her name is Marvin Hank) at the March NARBC (North American Reptile Breeder Conference). I have no idea how old she is. I give her plenty of greens and other vegetables. Once a week, I put this tortoise salad dressing on it (MADE FOR TORTOISES!! not made for people). She seems to have pyramiding starting on her scutes. HELP!! The second picture is in her cage (her cage is inside my bedroom, i'm in the process of building an outdoor cage. Thread soon to come!!) The first picture is on the floor of my bedroom, she is showing dark scutes off!! She is about roughly about 5 inches.

 

[wellington]

The yellow lines are new growth. Adult Russians need a humidity of 30-40 percent. This will also help to keep her growing smooth. Russians don't seem to pyramid as easily as others.

 

[ashleyr21]

The yellow lines are new growth. Adult Russians need a humidity of 30-40 percent. This will also help to keep her growing smooth. Russians don't seem to pyramid as easily as others.

Thanks! how do I keep the humidity up?? This is her cage- it is 4.25 feet long by 2 feet.

 

[wellington]

Put a top over 1/2 to 3/4 of it or give a humid hide. For my adult, I go for the hide. Also, try to hang your light and not use the clamp. They have been known to fail and either burn the tort, start a fire or both.

 

[ashleyr21]

Thanks!! I will fix the light ASAP!!!! Thanks from Marvin Hank (my tortoise) also!!

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Ashley, and Welcome to the Forum!!

I love your happy doggie.

Marvin Hank is long past the age where pyramiding happens. He's/she's almost full grown. Besides that, I don't see pyramiding at all.

Pour some water into a corner of the habitat (but I think you'll need to remove everything first and line it with a sheet of plastic), so the underneath parts of the substrate gets wet, but the top stays dry. At Marvin's size/age, you really don't need to worry so much about humidity. Just wet the substrate a bit and when it dries out, wet it again.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

But she needs a safe secure hide to sleep in. I say safe and secure because that's what they are looking for. Not something big, but safe and secure...just big enough for the tort to turn around in...i use cardboard mailing boxes or 1/2 logs...

 

[johnsonnboswell]

The tortoise dressing does no good. It doesn't hurt to use it on rare occasions but should not be part of regular care.

 

[Tom]

I agree with all of the above advice.

Also be sure to never let your dog have access to Marvin unsupervised.

Here are a couple of threads for you:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/

 

[ashleyr21]

Hi Ashley, and Welcome to the Forum!!

I love your happy doggie.

Marvin Hank is long past the age where pyramiding happens. He's/she's almost full grown. Besides that, I don't see pyramiding at all.

Pour some water into a corner of the habitat (but I think you'll need to remove everything first and line it with a sheet of plastic), so the underneath parts of the substrate gets wet, but the top stays dry. At Marvin's size/age, you really don't need to worry so much about humidity. Just wet the substrate a bit and when it dries out, wet it again.

Thanks!

 

[ashleyr21]

The tortoise dressing does no good. It doesn't hurt to use it on rare occasions but should not be part of regular care.

I only use it once a week. It has a little bit of calcium, but I mainly use it because it adds some fruity flavor, without the sugar.

 

[ashleyr21]

But she needs a safe secure hide to sleep in. I say safe and secure because that's what they are looking for. Not something big, but safe and secure...just big enough for the tort to turn around in...i use cardboard mailing boxes or 1/2 logs...

Sorry I probably should have mentioned but, I took out her hide so I could show the whole habitat. I use a box that is secured to the side of the cage. It takes up about 1/10 of her cage. Thanks for the advice though!

 

[ashleyr21]

I agree with all of the above advice.

Also be sure to never let your dog have access to Marvin unsupervised.

Here are a couple of threads for you:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/

Thanks, I really enjoyed reading the threads. The beginner mistakes one was actually quite helpful!

 

[johnsonnboswell]

I only use it once a week. It has a little bit of calcium, but I mainly use it because it adds some fruity flavor, without the sugar.

Oh, sorry, I thought it was something like oil for the shell. It's probably okay, but in the long run it's better for them to graze or eat their greens straight.

Some of my crew developed a taste for particular commercial products, and when the formula changed we were in trouble.

 

[michiganice91]

I agree with the others too. I think your roosky looks good and not very pyramided at all. Just keep the calcium to phosphorus ratio high and do some solid research on what to feed and not feed your tortoise. As for humidity you can use a simple spray bottle and spray once a day or install a misting system if you're really worried (not really necessary though). Another good idea is to buy some New Zealand sphagnum moss and put it in the enclosure. NZL sphagnum retains moisture for like 36+ hours, then just re-wet it and you're good to go again!

 

[ashleyr21]

Oh, sorry, I thought it was something like oil for the shell. It's probably okay, but in the long run it's better for them to graze or eat their greens straight.

Some of my crew developed a taste for particular commercial products, and when the formula changed we were in trouble.

Okay, thanks!

 

[biochemnerd808]

Sounds like you've already gotten solid advice above. Your tortoise is beautiful, I really like the dark coloring.

I'd like to add that in order to keep the humidity up, it may help to chuck the bark chips and switch to coconut coir (sold as bricks of 'Eco Earth' at the pet store) or top soil (no additives, no perlite, no fertilizer... ACE brand is good), or a mix of both. The bark chips get awfully dry.

For a water dish, I'd use either a planting saucer, or a pyrex pie dish (I get mine from Goodwill). Those are deep enough for tortoise to soak and drink, but easy to clean. I sink them into the substrate and put flat river rocks around it.

I agree that you shouldn't rely on the clamp. They are known to fail, and can cause a fire... To hang a lamp, I like using those L-brackets they sell for $2 at the Home Depot for hanging shelves. I just string a wire through the screw hole at the end, and hang the lamp from that. They have dome lights with a ceramic fixture at the hardware store for about $12... cheaper than at the pet store, and less likely to overheat than the plastic fixture. If you are using a MVB (mercury vapor bulb) with produces heat and UVB, those need to be hung straight up and down anyway - at an angle, they will have a shorter life. If that isn't an MVB, you would need to add a separate UVB source, e.g. an 18" UVB strip light. This will help promote a healthy shell, too.

 

[ashleyr21]

Sounds like you've already gotten solid advice above. Your tortoise is beautiful, I really like the dark coloring.

I'd like to add that in order to keep the humidity up, it may help to chuck the bark chips and switch to coconut coir (sold as bricks of 'Eco Earth' at the pet store) or top soil (no additives, no perlite, no fertilizer... ACE brand is good), or a mix of both. The bark chips get awfully dry.

For a water dish, I'd use either a planting saucer, or a pyrex pie dish (I get mine from Goodwill). Those are deep enough for tortoise to soak and drink, but easy to clean. I sink them into the substrate and put flat river rocks around it.

I agree that you shouldn't rely on the clamp. They are known to fail, and can cause a fire... To hang a lamp, I like using those L-brackets they sell for $2 at the Home Depot for hanging shelves. I just string a wire through the screw hole at the end, and hang the lamp from that. They have dome lights with a ceramic fixture at the hardware store for about $12... cheaper than at the pet store, and less likely to overheat than the plastic fixture. If you are using a MVB (mercury vapor bulb) with produces heat and UVB, those need to be hung straight up and down anyway - at an angle, they will have a shorter life. If that isn't an MVB, you would need to add a separate UVB source, e.g. an 18" UVB strip light. This will help promote a healthy shell, too.

Thanks!! I am out of town for the week(I have a tortoise sitter) so I will make sure to do that as soon as I get back!! ( also-are you the person who runs tortaddiction?? I love that blog!!! I love reading your stories about the baby torts!!!)

 

[biochemnerd808]

Yep, that's me!

 

[Yellow Turtle01]

A lot can cause pyramiding but cut back on the protein! Check to make sure your lighting is correct, your UVB may have gone bad.Unfortunately you can't reverse pyramiding, but you can try and stop it!