Is my tort pyramiding

[linzis herman]

My hermans tort is 3 years old.has regular baths and spraying but im worried his shell is not good.hes a good eater and very active.hes in a vivarium that was sold with him from the dealer wich is wood sides and glass doors but not shure hes happy in that
Constantly climbing on anything tiping him self over.any advise

 

[Squirt the Dalmation]

Check out these threads. Hope they 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

Housing adult Russian and Hermans indoors

Hello there! In this thread I’m going to include some information an example of an appropriate indoor set up for an older Herman/russian. As much as it’s encouraged to have tortoises in a safe outdoor enclosure, I understand being from the uk myself, that some climates make it difficult to...

www.tortoiseforum.org

Thread 'Sticky: HERMANN'S TORTOISE CARE SHEET *UPDATED' https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/sticky-hermanns-tortoise-care-sheet-updated.101410/

Common keeping errors

Hello everyone! I’d been a long time lurker on this site long before joining just under a year ago now, over that time I’ve seen these husbandry issues come up time and time again, sometimes with dire consequences☹️ I thought this thread might serve as a good visual guide for these common...

www.tortoiseforum.org

 

[zovick]

My hermans tort is 3 years old.has regular baths and spraying but im worried his shell is not good.hes a good eater and very active.hes in a vivarium that was sold with him from the dealer wich is wood sides and glass doors but not shure hes happy in that
Constantly climbing on anything tiping him self over.any advise

Yes, unfortunately your tortoise IS pyramiding. Try to follow the ideas in the threads linked by Crush to help keep it from getting worse. You need to soak the tortoise daily for 20-30 minutes in lukewarm water and increase the humidity in its enclosure. You will probably need to make or buy a new enclosure to get the humidity to the proper level.

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

My hermans tort is 3 years old.has regular baths and spraying but im worried his shell is not good.hes a good eater and very active.hes in a vivarium that was sold with him from the dealer wich is wood sides and glass doors but not shure hes happy in that
Constantly climbing on anything tiping him self over.any advise

Yes, he is pyramiding. What kind of bulbs are you using and what is your humidity like?

 

[linzis herman]

Yes, he is pyramiding. What kind of bulbs are you using and what is your humidity like?

Its a multi basking day light.im thinkin his viv too dry .hes gettin quite big so going to get a tort table

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

My hermans tort is 3 years old.has regular baths and spraying but im worried his shell is not good.hes a good eater and very active.hes in a vivarium that was sold with him from the dealer wich is wood sides and glass doors but not shure hes happy in that
Constantly climbing on anything tiping him self over.any advise

He is pyramiding yes, it’s likely being raised too dry, you definitely want to avoid that kind of substrate, and use the links to double check the bulbs you have, incorrect lighting can definitely contribute.

Being 3 your guy is already reaching an age where a closed chamber typically isn’t necessary, hence the adult housing thread has been linked. However it might not hurt to have your guy with higher humidity for a little bit longer, hopefully you might find a cover option in here that’ll work for whatever upgrade you’re planning, covers also work great in helping to retain heat in winter

Visual inspiration

Hi guys! I’ve had some lovely messages complimenting me on my care sheets I made for all the visuals they include! That makes me so happy because as a visual learner myself, that was my goal🥰 I’ve recently had some requests for some more visual inspiration for set ups that can house babies/...

tortoiseforum.org

Also I know the recommended adult size is intimidating to some, especially if you’ve been lead into thinking he’ll be fine in a smaller set up(very common) but tortoises long term health really does rely on lots of roaming room. If you’re unable to go that big, don’t worry, there’s a few creative ways to tackle this issue. This includes lots of inspiration for an adult set up both indoors and out! The indoor bit has some good ideas to tackle indoor space whilst still providing the needed roaming room!

Enclosure inspiration

Howdy folks! Hope everyone is well! As you all know, I’m a big fan of making threads that cater more towards visual learners like myself, I’ve really been wanting to create a thread full of adult enclosure inspiration for a while now, I’ve managed to find some great references over time! I do...

tortoiseforum.org

That common keeping error thread will help you avoid the wrong bulbs, substrates, housing etc, I always encourage double checking purchases on the forum too before buying

Really hope this all helps! I know it’s a lot to go over sorrybut take all the time you need! They’ll always be folks to help with any further questions! We can break things down bit by bitwelcome to the forum

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

Its a multi basking day light.im thinkin his viv too dry .hes gettin quite big so going to get a tort table

Those multi basking lights can have a trying effect on the shell. Switch it to a separate UVB and heat lamps. For the heat lamp, use an incandescent flood bulb and for UVB an T5 tube from a reliable brand.

Do you have an humidity meter?

 

[linzis herman]

He is pyramiding yes, it’s likely being raised too dry, you definitely want to avoid that kind of substrate, and use the links to double check the bulbs you have, incorrect lighting can definitely contribute.

Being 3 your guy is already reaching an age where a closed chamber typically isn’t necessary, hence the adult housing thread has been linked. However it might not hurt to have your guy with higher humidity for a little bit longer, hopefully you might find a cover option in here that’ll work for whatever upgrade you’re planning, covers also work great in helping to retain heat in winter

Visual inspiration

Hi guys! I’ve had some lovely messages complimenting me on my care sheets I made for all the visuals they include! That makes me so happy because as a visual learner myself, that was my goal🥰 I’ve recently had some requests for some more visual inspiration for set ups that can house babies/...

tortoiseforum.org

Also I know the recommended adult size is intimidating to some, especially if you’ve been lead into thinking he’ll be fine in a smaller set up(very common) but tortoises long term health really does rely on lots of roaming room. If you’re unable to go that big, don’t worry, there’s a few creative ways to tackle this issue. This includes lots of inspiration for an adult set up both indoors and out! The indoor bit has some good ideas to tackle indoor space whilst still providing the needed roaming room!

Enclosure inspiration

Howdy folks! Hope everyone is well! As you all know, I’m a big fan of making threads that cater more towards visual learners like myself, I’ve really been wanting to create a thread full of adult enclosure inspiration for a while now, I’ve managed to find some great references over time! I do...

tortoiseforum.org

That common keeping error thread will help you avoid the wrong bulbs, substrates, housing etc, I always encourage double checking purchases on the forum too before buying

Really hope this all helps! I know it’s a lot to go over sorrybut take all the time you need! They’ll always be folks to help with any further questions! We can break things down bit by bitwelcome to the forum

Thank you.i was new to tortoice and did some research on hermans tort but most of the advise was from the breader were i got him from as a baby .paid alot of money for the viv from same place as tort and told it would be fine for years but i think its way to small.as i said at min hes constantly trying to climb walls ,glass and even had to take stuff out like his rocks n cave etc because he kept tipping over.last summer he loved being ouside in sun .we have spare room so making him larger better suited house.thanks for advise i love herman lots n want him to be healthy n happy

 

[zolasmum]

Thank you.i was new to tortoice and did some research on hermans tort but most of the advise was from the breader were i got him from as a baby .paid alot of money for the viv from same place as tort and told it would be fine for years but i think its way to small.as i said at min hes constantly trying to climb walls ,glass and even had to take stuff out like his rocks n cave etc because he kept tipping over.last summer he loved being ouside in sun .we have spare room so making him larger better suited house.thanks for advise i love herman lots n want him to be healthy n happy

Hello from the UK. I have a hermanns tortoise, who is now 24 years old - we have had him since he was a baby, and
he has brought us a lot of happiness -we think he is wonderful. I hope your little one will bring you much happiness too. You will find people on this forum will be very helpful when you need advice- I wish it had existed when we first got Zola !
Angie

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Thank you.i was new to tortoice and did some research on hermans tort but most of the advise was from the breader were i got him from as a baby .paid alot of money for the viv from same place as tort and told it would be fine for years but i think its way to small.as i said at min hes constantly trying to climb walls ,glass and even had to take stuff out like his rocks n cave etc because he kept tipping over.last summer he loved being ouside in sun .we have spare room so making him larger better suited house.thanks for advise i love herman lots n want him to be healthy n happy

Yes unfortunately breeders are often dishing out very incorrect care advice, many start them far too dry, I’m baffled myself why it’s still such a widespread problem when the hatchlings we see for sale have more often than not stated pyramiding before being soldI’m so glad you've made your way here!