I was given the pellets...

[alejandra92963]

I was given the tortoise pellets to feed to my "new" sulcatta. The more I read the more I think that this is a bad thing. People talk about pyramiding and stuff and I have to wonder if my Tonka is doing that. I would hate to be doing the wrong thing. My mother in-law gave him to my 2 yr old son, so I have a new tortoise. I want to do the best I can for him, any ideas? I am going to post a picture of his shell if anyone can tell me if his shell is "pyramiding" and if there is anything I can do to help it or stop it from happening more. I am also putting up pictures of the new addition!!
Thanks so much!!

Alex

 

[Sweetness_bug]

She/he does have some pyramiding, But its not real bad. and it can be corrected through proper diet. usually improper diet/care is cause for pyramiding. But honestly its not real bad. I have seen a lot worse

 

[Edna]

My mother in-law gave him to my 2 yr old son, so I have a new tortoise.

Hahahaha! You might want to ask what she plans to give him when he turns 3!?!

 

[alejandra92963]

My mother in-law gave him to my 2 yr old son, so I have a new tortoise.

Hahahaha! You might want to ask what she plans to give him when he turns 3!?!

I am not sure that is even funny...especially since the tortoise will probably outlive ME!! But thatnks for the laugh I needed it. I am getting stressed cause it appears as if I am doing this all wrong, and I am doing just what SHE told ME to do...ARGH!! I am looking for a new enclosure now...

 

[Sweetness_bug]

My mother in-law gave him to my 2 yr old son, so I have a new tortoise.

Hahahaha! You might want to ask what she plans to give him when he turns 3!?!

I am not sure that is even funny...especially since the tortoise will probably outlive ME!! But thatnks for the laugh I needed it. I am getting stressed cause it appears as if I am doing this all wrong, and I am doing just what SHE told ME to do...ARGH!! I am looking for a new enclosure now...

You can always build one. Or use a few different bookshelves. They have great ideas on enclosure on here. see some the pics it will give you some ideas. No worries. No need to stress out. Knowledge is power and you are getting some great advise on here

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Yes, he is pyramiding and it will continue unless you take steps right now to stop it. In my opinion and experience it takes 3 things to prevent pyramiding, humidity, good diet, lots of excersize. If you go to the Sulcata forum Tom's care sheet on raising babies and young tortoises will help you make some changes in your husbandry...But here's my suggestions.
In the wild hatchlings and young tortoises live in long burrows. They poop and pee in them thereby creating humidity. You want about 80% humidity for your young tortoise. Feed a good and varied diet. You can get Spring Mix and add dark leafy greens to that and any other stuff you think makes a good diet, leaving out fruit. Their kidneys cannot process sugar the way ours does, so fruit is not a good idea. With that said I confess to feeding strawberries and watermelon from time to time, not very often tho not even once a month. Squash is a good treat, soften it in the microwave...Weeds and hay should be added to his diet as he gets older. Use squash and cactus as a nightly treat. Also in the wild Sulcata tortoises walk and graze for miles so you need to make sure your young tortoise gets lots of exercise. The most important of those things is humidity. Get a good substrate, I use cypress mulch in all my habitats, and keep it moist. Pour water over it and mix it with your hand, you want it more moist than just damp, then you also want to keep a spray bottle handy and mist your tort several times during the day. You won't have to mist so much if you keep the substrate moist.
Use a good UVB or MVB light. Keeping mind that when you mist you lessen the temperature in your habitat so you need a good heat lamp. I use Trex 100 watt MVB. You want your warm side to be 95 to 100 degrees and your cool side to be about 75 to 80 degrees.
I guess that's it for me, you'll get a lot of help here, just keep asking questions and posting pictures, we love pictures...How about a picture of your habitat???

 

[Yvonne G]

There's a little bit of pyramiding going on, but its really not bad. And pyramiding is cosmetic anyway. Unless he's also suffering from MBD (metabolic bone disease), there's nothing wrong with a few bumps on the shell. He's a beautiful tortoise. I've known of a few people who gave their tortoises away because they were too smooth and they wanted a bumpy tortoise because they thought it looked prettier.

If your tortoise is used to eating those pellets, I doubt you're going to have much luck switching over his diet. So here's my suggestion:

Buy a tub of Spring Mix. You can find it in the grocery store produce section. Lay down a small bed of greens (spring mix) then put a glop of the moistened pellets on top of the greens. Every time you feed, reduce the amount of pellets. Towards the end, when you are feeding not much pellets at all, then start mixing them up with the greens. You can even add zucchini and pepper and squash occasionally to the food.

But in the spring, when you can get him set up outside, his diet is going to consist of grass, weeds and plants. That's what is healthy for him.

 

[alejandra92963]

I will try the greens on the bottom. I don't have a vet close to me (within 2 hours) that are tort capable. I would hope he doesn't have anything wrong with him though. He's really neat. I have noticed since we have had him that he no longer "hides" himself in his shell when I change his water or put in food. I can even touch him and he still doesn't hide. Is that normal? I am trying to do the best I can, but it is gonna be winter here very soon and want to make sure he is as healthy as he can be. I want to be able to keep him for years. Nothing like a really neat animal when my son gets bigger. Though its not like he will be able to take him to school for show and tell... maybe a picture will do. Thank you for the advice everyone I am trying to get a 55 gallon tank tonight so maybe he can have some more space until I can make something better. I worry about him being outside as I live in the woods and I know there are deer, so who knows what else is out there. We are not fenced in and its gonna be a HUGE task to keep him in the yard without fencing him in. I don't fence my 2 dogs and am not looking forward to "caging" him in outside either.

 

[Yvonne G]

Please don't spend the $$ it takes to buy a 55 gallon aquarium. That's still too small for a tortoise of his size. Go around to some yard sales and see if you can pick up a 5 shelf book case. Take out the shelves and lay it on its back. That would be more floor space than the aquarium and quite a bit cheaper.

---

Also, you're going to have to get over the no fence mind set. A sulcata is a wanderer. If he's not fenced in you will quickly lose him.

 

[alejandra92963]

I am receiving the aquarium for free as a substitute until I can find somewhere else. I don't have a whole lot of space in my home. My office has a twin bed in it...can I set the bookcase on that? I worry that would be unstable. Other than that our bedrooms are all that's left and we have a very small home. I am gonna do my best though. I PROMISE!