Hermann's Tortoise Pyramiding - Any advice appreciated!

[SnSuzu]

Hi!

My hermann's tortoise is currently 2 or so years old and has been showing signs of pyramiding. I've tried everything I know and was hoping could get any advice here since I don't know many people with expertise. I feed her a "spring mix" and always take out the spinach as well as a mix of weeds such as dandelions and clovers. I also make sure to sprinkle calcium powder and leave cuddle fish bone out. That along with the daily soaks and a 160 watt UV/UVB bulb, (Mega Ray Mercury Vapor Bulb and on from 9am-7pm) I'm really not sure what I can do. Any help would be apprenticed. I'd also like to know just how bad the pyramiding is since I'm not sure what to compare her to as well.

 

[nicoleann2214]

Hi!

My hermann's tortoise is currently 2 or so years old and has been showing signs of pyramiding. I've tried everything I know and was hoping could get any advice here since I don't know many people with expertise. I feed her a "spring mix" and always take out the spinach as well as a mix of weeds such as dandelions and clovers. I also make sure to sprinkle calcium powder and leave cuddle fish bone out. That along with the daily soaks and a 160 watt UV/UVB bulb, (Mega Ray Mercury Vapor Bulb and on from 9am-7pm) I'm really not sure what I can do. Any help would be apprenticed. I'd also like to know just how bad the pyramiding is since I'm not sure what to compare her to as well.



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@Tom

 

[KarenSoCal]

The pyramiding is not yet really bad, but you certainly want to get it to stop progressing.

Pyramiding has nothing to do with what she eats. Pyramiding is caused by growing in conditions that are too dry. It's good that you soak her every day, but as you're finding out, that isn't enough.

The humidity in her enclosure should be 85-90% during the day, and never fall lower than 80% ever, day or night. At the same time, the temp should never be lower than 80°F. Daytime temps should be high 80's to low 90's. If she is not being housed in a closed chamber, it will be impossible to maintain these parameters. Additionally, in order to stop the pyramiding process, you will want to not only soak, but also spritz her shell several times a day with either rainwater, distilled water, or RO water. Her drinking and bathing water should be tap.

Are you wetting her substrate to add humidity to her enclosure? That's about the best way to get the humidity to the levels she needs.

You were given bad advice somewhere along the line, which is unfortunately very common. It's a shame,
because if she had been kept in the proper environment for the past two years, this wouldn't have happened.

Another thing that needs to go is that mercury vapor bulb. That is contributing to her pyramiding. They are very drying, plus they're lousy at providing UVB and are expensive. Get rid of it ASAP.

You want an incandescent flood bulb for basking and daytime heat. At night you need a CHE (ceramic heating element) for heat but no light.

For UVB (and to help stop the pyramiding), it's best if you can get her outside for an hour or so 3 or 4 times a week. She needs access to real sunshine, not through a window or screen. But she also needs to be able to get into shade. Torts overheat surprisingly quickly.

If you are unable to get her outside, then you need a fluorescent tube type UVB.

I'm linking some info that will help explain all this. Please read them and come back with questions. We're here to help!

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

www.tortoiseforum.org

Closed "Chambers"

Been meaning to do this one for a while now... Over the years I have kept a lot of reptiles in a lot of different ways. I've learned a lot of stuff about a lot of species. Since finding and joining this forum almost two years ago, I've learned a TON more. Now I'm not just stumbling around...

www.tortoiseforum.org

4 elements of heating: By Tom
There are four elements to heating and lighting:

Basking bulb. I use 65 watt floods from the hardware store. I run them on a timer and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. I also like to use a flat rock of some sort directly under the bulb.

Ambient heat maintenance. I use ceramic heating elements or radiant heat panels set on thermostats to maintain ambient above 80 degrees day and night for tropical species. You'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT.

Light. I use LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most bulbs at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish.

UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. If you want it anyway, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html