Is this the beginning of pyramiding?

[ashlyn]

So I recently took over a friend's 2 year old redfoot, and I'm concerned about the shape of his scutes. He looks a little bumpy. Does this look like the beginning signs of pyramiding? I can answer any questions about previous diet and conditions. If it is, what changes do I need to be making?

 

[wellington]

Not the beginning, it's been going on for a while.
RF need 80% humidity. The high humidity will get him to start growing smoother. Start now and by the time it's an adult, you likely will hardly notice it.
At two, he can still be in a closed chamber, not an open top table. A pop up greenhouse in pic can be placed over the enclosure. Then wet the substrate from the bottom by pouring warm water into the corners. Getting the bottom layers wet while keeping top layer dry, this helps to prevent shell rot which is common in RF.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

So I recently took over a friend's 2 year old redfoot, and I'm concerned about the shape of his scutes. He looks a little bumpy. Does this look like the beginning signs of pyramiding? I can answer any questions about previous diet and conditions. If it is, what changes do I need to be making?

Hello!

It's pyramiding. Not too bad, but it's not the beginning either. As I can tell (not an expert opinion!) it's pure cosmetic and there are no serious underlying problems like MBD (metabolic bone disease).

You may check current living conditions of the tortoise against this care sheet: https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/redfoot-tortoise-care-sheet.175319/ and make adjustments or ask more questions.

As wellington posted above - maintaining high humidity is essential for redfoots. But correct heating/lightning and diet are important as well. So, of course, you can post some details on his previous and current husbandry and we'll try to point out what should be improved.

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

Is that a red bulb I see in the photo of the indoor enclousure?

 

[ashlyn]

Not the beginning, it's been going on for a while.
RF need 80% humidity. The high humidity will get him to start growing smoother. Start now and by the time it's an adult, you likely will hardly notice it.
At two, he can still be in a closed chamber, not an open top table. A pop up greenhouse in pic can be placed over the enclosure. Then wet the substrate from the bottom by pouring warm water into the corners. Getting the bottom layers wet while keeping top layer dry, this helps to prevent shell rot which is common in RF.
View attachment 378317

Not the beginning, it's been going on for a while.
RF need 80% humidity. The high humidity will get him to start growing smoother. Start now and by the time it's an adult, you likely will hardly notice it.
At two, he can still be in a closed chamber, not an open top table. A pop up greenhouse in pic can be placed over the enclosure. Then wet the substrate from the bottom by pouring warm water into the corners. Getting the bottom layers wet while keeping top layer dry, this helps to prevent shell rot which is common in RF.
View attachment 378317

thank you for your advice!

 

[ashlyn]

Is that a red bulb I see in the photo of the indoor enclousure?

Yes it is, it's what came with him and what I was told to use. Is there a problem with it?

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

Yes it is, it's what came with him and what I was told to use. Is there a problem with it?

It could make non edible things look edible. An incandescent flood bulb, not a colored one, is the best option. Also, some red bulbs are spot bulbs and can worsen the pyramiding.

 

[ashlyn]

Hello!

It's pyramiding. Not too bad, but it's not the beginning either. As I can tell (not an expert opinion!) it's pure cosmetic and there are no serious underlying problems like MBD (metabolic bone disease).

You may check current living conditions of the tortoise against this care sheet: https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/redfoot-tortoise-care-sheet.175319/ and make adjustments or ask more questions.

As wellington posted above - maintaining high humidity is essential for redfoots. But correct heating/lightning and diet are important as well. So, of course, you can post some details on his previous and current husbandry and we'll try to point out what should be improved.

I'm not sure what humidity his enclosure was kept at as it was not monitored, but I do know there was no soaking, no spraying substrate, and he was fed regular spring mix with nothing else. regular calcium 2x a week. As far as I can tell he was kind of neglected.

As of right now I am looking into getting a hygrometer but I wasn't sure what to go for if y'all have recommendations. so far he's had red leaf lettuce/ collard greens and some vegetables as well as a small amount of fruits twice in a week (I used zucchini, squash, red bell pepper, carrots, watermelon, strawberries) to clarify that is greens with a fruit or veggie to go along with it 2x in a week. I made sure they were all prepared properly for his little mouth to handle it. I've also been misting his substrate 2x a day and making sure to change out his water every day. I can't tell exactly what his heat lamp is but it says 250 v and 660 w, and his uv light is Reptisun 18" 15 watts 5.0 uvb. Again, if y'all have any additional recommendations for better more suitable equipment that would be great.

 

[ashlyn]

It could make non edible things look edible. An incandescent flood bulb, not a colored one, is the best option. Also, some red bulbs are spot bulbs and can worsen the pyramiding.

ok, thank you. do you have any certain recommendations that you would use?

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

ok, thank you. do you have any certain recommendations that you would use?

The Arcadia solar basking floodlight would be my top recommendation

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Hello and welcome!🐢💚 bless you for taking them in!

That is definitely pyramiding, but with the right amendments, it’ll merely be cosmetic.

The red bulb does definitely need switching out, as does the uv.
Diet doesn’t sound too bad so far! These guys actually need a small amount of protein every 7-10 days too.

I think you’ll find this thread I made not too long ago useful to read through, I go over equipment recommendations, levels etc and I include a bunch of diet recommendations at the bottom too!😊

Young red foot/ cherryhead set up

Hello there! In this thread I’m going to include some information on an effective example of a starter enclosure for a red foot/cherry head😊 Care advice for these guys is painfully behind, fb pages, YouTube, pet stores, they’re all repeating the same outdated advice, this forum is made of...

tortoiseforum.org

You might also find this one useful in helping you with what equipment to avoid moving forward👍

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...

tortoiseforum.org

Hopefully this helps! Any further questions, please ask away🥰

 

[ashlyn]

I'm not sure what humidity his enclosure was kept at as it was not monitored, but I do know there was no soaking, no spraying substrate, and he was fed regular spring mix with nothing else. regular calcium 2x a week. As far as I can tell he was kind of neglected.

As of right now I am looking into getting a hygrometer but I wasn't sure what to go for if y'all have recommendations. so far he's had red leaf lettuce/ collard greens and some vegetables as well as a small amount of fruits twice in a week (I used zucchini, squash, red bell pepper, carrots, watermelon, strawberries) to clarify that is greens with a fruit or veggie to go along with it 2x in a week. I made sure they were all prepared properly for his little mouth to handle it. I've also been misting his substrate 2x a day and making sure to change out his water every day. I can't tell exactly what his heat lamp is but it says 250 v and 660 w, and his uv light is Reptisun 18" 15 watts 5.0 uvb. Again, if y'all have any additional recommendations for better more suitable equipment that would be great

Hello and welcome!🐢💚 bless you for taking them in!

That is definitely pyramiding, but with the right amendments, it’ll merely be cosmetic.

The red bulb does definitely need switching out, as does the uv.
Diet doesn’t sound too bad so far! These guys actually need a small amount of protein every 7-10 days too.

I think you’ll find this thread I made not too long ago useful to read through, I go over equipment recommendations, levels etc and I include a bunch of diet recommendations at the bottom too!😊

Young red foot/ cherryhead set up

Hello there! In this thread I’m going to include some information on an effective example of a starter enclosure for a red foot/cherry head😊 Care advice for these guys is painfully behind, fb pages, YouTube, pet stores, they’re all repeating the same outdated advice, this forum is made of...

tortoiseforum.org

You might also find this one useful in helping you with what equipment to avoid moving forward👍

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...

tortoiseforum.org

Hopefully this helps! Any further questions, please ask away🥰

thank you so much I really appreciate it

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

thank you so much I really appreciate it

No problem at all🥰

 

[zovick]

So I recently took over a friend's 2 year old redfoot, and I'm concerned about the shape of his scutes. He looks a little bumpy. Does this look like the beginning signs of pyramiding? I can answer any questions about previous diet and conditions. If it is, what changes do I need to be making?

As Littleredfootbigredheart mentioned, the tortoise would benefit from getting some protein in its diet 2-3 times weekly if not even more as it seems to have been deprived of that food group by its previous owner(s).. It might eat slugs, snails, earthworms, and mealworms. Some people feed them canned dog food also. Way back in the 1960's I used to feed mine Gainesburgers a couple of times a week. They were discontinued in the early 90's.

Here is what they were:

Today, the same type of food apparently comes in pouches like this:

https://www.chewy.com/moist-meaty-chopped-burger-dry-dog/dp/127734?utm_source=google-product&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=20642766391&utm_content=&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw_sq2BhCUARIsAIVqmQt7M65feVyFqUH_kimtyHsn4liF6BU6OTo79xKHBPQNNHnfH5SzpRAaAoBoEALw_wcB

Good luck with your new tortoise!

 

[ashlyn]

As Littleredfootbigredheart mentioned, the tortoise would benefit from getting some protein in its diet 2-3 times weekly if not even more as it seems to have been deprived of that food group by its previous owner(s).. It might eat slugs, snails, earthworms, and mealworms. Some people feed them canned dog food also. Way back in the 1960's I used to feed mine Gainesburgers a couple of times a week. They were discontinued in the early 90's.

Here is what they were:

Today, the same type of food apparently comes in pouches like this:

https://www.chewy.com/moist-meaty-chopped-burger-dry-dog/dp/127734?utm_source=google-product&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=20642766391&utm_content=&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw_sq2BhCUARIsAIVqmQt7M65feVyFqUH_kimtyHsn4liF6BU6OTo79xKHBPQNNHnfH5SzpRAaAoBoEALw_wcB

Good luck with your new tortoise!

Could I possibly forage for some protein? I could definitely find earthworms outside, but would other bugs like crickets, grasshoppers, rolly polly/ pill bugs do ok?

 

[zovick]

Could I possibly forage for some protein? I could definitely find earthworms outside, but would other bugs like crickets, grasshoppers, rolly polly/ pill bugs do ok?

Yes, you certainly can do that as well. Crickets and grasshoppers might be devoured, but not sure about pill bugs (although the pill bugs are good to have in the substrate anyway, so if they aren't eaten, nothing is really lost).

A note about crickets: they are very good at escaping and you may end up with a number of them roaming around in your house. Just be aware of that.

I used to raise crickets to feed to my chameleons and had crickets all over the place because they often escaped from the chameleons before being eaten. In the end, I gave one of my big male Veiled Chameleons free range of my tortoise room so he could find and eat the escaped crickets. You never knew where you might find him in the room. I didn't mind it, but it was very disconcerting for my wife who did not like chameleons ("They're always looking at me", she would say).

Anyway, good luck.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Could I possibly forage for some protein? I could definitely find earthworms outside, but would other bugs like crickets, grasshoppers, rolly polly/ pill bugs do ok?

Generally, it's not advised to bring invertebrates from the outside as they can be infested with parasites. However, tortoises in outside enclosures catch and eat them so I would not consider a huge problem. Earthworms have good nutritional value. Crickets and grasshoppers are less preferred and hard to catch for a tortoise.

You can get some pill bugs and they will join "the cleanup crew" feasting on food leftovers, what's left after spot cleaning and so on.

You can also opt for store bought invertebrates (dried, canned or live). And offer boiled low-fat meats like chicken breast, hard-boiled eggs, a shrimp or two.

 

[ashlyn]

Generally, it's not advised to bring invertebrates from the outside as they can be infested with parasites. However, tortoises in outside enclosures catch and eat them so I would not consider a huge problem. Earthworms have good nutritional value. Crickets and grasshoppers are less preferred and hard to catch for a tortoise.

You can get some pill bugs and they will join "the cleanup crew" feasting on food leftovers, what's left after spot cleaning and so on.

You can also opt for store bought invertebrates (dried, canned or live). And offer boiled low-fat meats like chicken breast, hard-boiled eggs, a shrimp or two.

Thank you for your input! How would you recommend I'd prepare hard boiled eggs? with shell or no shell?

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Thank you for your input! How would you recommend I'd prepare hard boiled eggs? with shell or no shell?

Some keepers feed eggs with shell (crumbled, of course). I see no benefit in it, so I peel the egg. Usually I fine cut it and mix with greens (especially, when feeding "experimental" weeds for the first time).

 

[zovick]

Some keepers feed eggs with shell (crumbled, of course). I see no benefit in it, so I peel the egg. Usually I fine cut it and mix with greens (especially, when feeding "experimental" weeds for the first time).

Letting the tortoise eat the shell of a hard-boiled egg is not harmful and is a very good source of natural calcium.