MBD IN SULCATAS (HELP)

[Crazy Tortoise]

Hello, I was wondering if anybody would help me determine if my little buddy has MBD, He is very active and I let him out in the summer here in NJ and I just bought a full spectrum light, I feed him a full head of lettuce once a week and he always has a cuttle bone and water availabe. He has Mild pyrmading but its not the blocky type, Just regular pyramding, He s perfectly fine besides that, Does this mean he has MBD or hes just got pyrmading from not enough D3 From sunlight,View attachment 197948

 

[Crazy Tortoise]

ᕼEᒪᒪO, I ᗯᗩᔕ ᗯOᑎᗪEᖇIᑎG Iᖴ ᗩᑎYᗷOᗪY ᗯOᑌᒪᗪ ᕼEᒪᑭ ᗰE ᗪETEᖇᗰIᑎE Iᖴ ᗰY ᒪITTᒪE ᗷᑌᗪᗪY ᕼᗩᔕ ᗰᗷᗪ, ᕼE Iᔕ ᐯEᖇY ᗩᑕTIᐯE ᗩᑎᗪ I ᒪET ᕼIᗰ OᑌT Iᑎ TᕼE ᔕᑌᗰᗰEᖇ ᕼEᖇE Iᑎ ᑎᒍ ᗩᑎᗪ I ᒍᑌᔕY ᗷOᑌGᕼT ᗩ ᖴᑌᒪᒪ ᔕᑭEᑕTᖇᑌᗰ ᒪIGᕼT, I ᖴEEᗪ ᕼIᗰ ᗩ ᕼEᗩᗪ Oᖴ ᒪETTᑌᑕE OᑎᑕE ᗩ ᗯEEK ᗩᑎᗪ ᕼE ᗩᒪᗯᗩYᔕ ᕼᗩᔕ ᗩ ᑕᑌTTᒪE ᗷOᑎE ᗩᑎᗪ ᗯᗩTEᖇ ᗩᐯᗩIᒪᗩᗷᒪE, ᕼE ᕼᗩᔕ ᗰIᒪᗪ ᑭYᖇᗰᗩᗪIᑎG ᗷᑌT ITᔕ ᑎOT ᗷᒪOᑕKY ᒪIKE TᕼE TYᑭE YOᑌ ᔕEE ᗯITᕼ TOᖇTOIᔕEᔕ ᗯITᕼ ᗰᗷᗪ, ᕼE'ᔕ ᑭEᖇᖴEᑕTᒪY ᖴIᑎE ᗷEᔕIᗪEᔕ TᕼᗩT, ᗪOEᔕ TᕼIᔕ ᗰEᗩᑎ ᕼE ᕼᗩᔕ ᗰᗷᗪ?

 

[saginawhxc]

Looks like simple pyramiding to me. He is still small enough I would move towards trying to keep it from getting worse right away.

Changes to diet and much else are probably going to be needed. If your serious about improving your care then read these three links and take them very seriously.

Beginner's Mistakes
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/45180/

Raising a healthy sulcata or leopard
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/79895/

Diet
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/76744/

 

[wellington]

There is only one type of pyramiding. Yes, your tort is pyramided and that's due to poor humidity when younger and thru the years. As for MBD it's hard to tell in your pic. However they very poor diet you are feeding if o had to guess I would guess he does. Of course that's just a guess do to poor diet. He needs to eat a lot bigger variety and not regular lettuce and he needs to eat every day. Not a head of lettuce a week, but fresh food every day along with fresh water every day in a clay saucer large enough that he can get into it. He needs a light that has UVB, the mercury vapor bulbs are my favorite and also add heat with a ceramic heat emitter for night time heat. Please read the sulcara care sheet

 

[Yvonne G]

He might, as one head of lettuce a week doesn't provide much in the way of nutrition.

 

[Crazy Tortoise]

Hello, I've had my SULCATA for two years now and I mist his tank once a day, give him the prop lettuce and water and he has access to a cuttle bone at all times but he still has pyramiding, any tips to stop the pyrmading

 

[Crazy Tortoise]

an does anybody think this is mbd? and is mbd curable

 

[Yvonne G]

Metabolic Bone Disease is a condition where the bones and shell haven't got enough calcium to make them strong. It's quite painful. What you need to do is start feeding this tortoise daily from this list of foods:

Mulberry leaves
Grape vine leaves
Hibiscus leaves
African hibiscus leaves
Blue hibiscus leaves
Rose of Sharon leaves
Rose leaves
Geraniums
Gazanias
Lavatera
Pansies
Petunias
Hostas
Honeysuckle
Cape honeysuckle
Leaves and blooms from any squash plant, like pumpkin, cucumber, summer squash, etc...
Young spineless opuntia cactus pads

Weeds:
There are soooooooo many...
Dandelion
Mallow
Filaree
Smooth Sow thistle
Prickly Sow thistle
Milk thistle
Goat head weed
Cats ear
Nettles
Trefoil
Wild onion
Wild mustard
Wild Garlic
Clovers
Broadleaf plantain
Narrow leaf plantain
Chick weed
Hawksbit
Hensbit
Hawksbeard


If you can't find any of that food, then get grocery store greens from this list:

endive
escarole
radicchio
mustard greens
turnip greens
any dark, leafy greens

But don't just choose one and feed the same thing all the time. Vary it. Then sprinkle a tiny TINY pinch of calcium powder over the food and mix it in so he can't see or smell it.

MBD happens when a tortoise hasn't been fed calcium-rich foods or has been fed them, but has been deprived of a GOOD UVB light. Calcium needs the UVB from the sun (or a GOOD light) in order to do its job inside the tortoise.

Your tortoise is pyramided from being raised too dry (during their first couple of years out of the egg). Baby sulcatas hatch out during the monsoon season. They hatch out to WET soil, lots of green food to eat, and warm, moist air. When a baby is raised in a dry tank with a dry or spritzed substrate, they pyramid. There's nothing you can do about it now. It's set in stone. But he'll be fine if you vary up his diet and feed and water him daily.

 

[wellington]

Hello, I've had my SULCATA for two years now and I mist his tank once a day, give him the prop lettuce and water and he has access to a cuttle bone at all times but he still has pyramiding, any tips to stop the pyrmadingView attachment 197977View attachment 197978View attachment 197979

What you need to do is get him in a bigger proper enclosure. He is too big to get any proper exercise in that enclosure. Get proper enclosure, proper lighting, proper heat and UVB, proper humidity and proper size water dish and a proper diet. As for the MBD, it would be safe to say he does have it for the poor diet you have been giving him. For now though, worry about changing everything we have suggested and making him a better home and diet and everything should improve.

 

[Bee62]

The soil in the enclosure of your tortoise looks very dry .
If a sulcata don`t get enough humidity the pyramiding starts. Your tort needs high humidity and daily soaks in warm water.
The enclosure of your tort is much too small.
Your tort can barely walk around for training the muscles.

 

[Big Charlie]

In addition to the advice you have already received, you need to have a closed enclosure. Those wire bars are letting out all the humidity.

Off topic: how did you get that crazy font for your user name? Is that an option?

 

[Tom]

Hello, I was wondering if anybody would help me determine if my little buddy has MBD, He is very active and I let him out in the summer here in NJ and I just bought a full spectrum light, I feed him a full head of lettuce once a week and he always has a cuttle bone and water availabe. He has Mild pyrmading but its not the blocky type, Just regular pyramding, He s perfectly fine besides that, Does this mean he has MBD or hes just got pyrmading from not enough D3 From sunlight,View attachment 197948

The following is intended to help your tortoise:
-Pyramiding is caused by growth in conditions that are too dry. Misting and open topped enclosure once a day does nothing. Your enclosure is and has been too dry.
-"Full spectrum" lighting is nice, but it does not give a tortoise the UV that it needs. You need special bulbs for that indoors.
-Your enclosure is wayyyyyyyy to small for that tortoise. It need a large 4x8' enclosure or a whole room devoted to it.
-Lettuce is not toxic or anything, but it is not a good diet for your tortoise. They need grass, and the right type of weeds, leaves, flowers and succulents.

These are the same threads that were linked above. Please take a moment to read them and learn about the proper care and diet for your tortoise:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/

 

[Crazy Tortoise]

In addition to the advice you have already received, you need to have a closed enclosure. Those wire bars are letting out all the humidity.

Off topic: how did you get that crazy font for your user name? Is that an option?

I GOT TᕼIᔕ KEYᗷOᗩᖇᗪ Oᑎ ᗰY ᑭᕼOᑎE ᗩᑎᗪ I GᑌEᔕᔕ IT ᒪET ᗰE ᑌᔕE TᕼIᔕ ᖴOᑎT, Iᖴ ᑌᖇ Oᑎ ᑭᑕ TᕼEᑎ YOᑌ ᑕᗩᑎ ᒍᑌᔕT GOOGᒪE ᔕOᗰE ᖇᗩᑎᗪOᗰ ᖴOᑎT TᕼIᑎG

 

[Crazy Tortoise]

The following is intended to help your tortoise:
-Pyramiding is caused by growth in conditions that are too dry. Misting and open topped enclosure once a day does nothing. Your enclosure is and has been too dry.
-"Full spectrum" lighting is nice, but it does not give a tortoise the UV that it needs. You need special bulbs for that indoors.
-Your enclosure is wayyyyyyyy to small for that tortoise. It need a large 4x8' enclosure or a whole room devoted to it.
-Lettuce is not toxic or anything, but it is not a good diet for your tortoise. They need grass, and the right type of weeds, leaves, flowers and succulents.

These are the same threads that were linked above. Please take a moment to read them and learn about the proper care and diet for your tortoise:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/

ᑕOᑌᒪᗪ ᕼE ᑭOᔕᔕIᗷᒪY GET ᕼEᗩᖇT Iᖴ I ᔕᕼᗩᖇEᗪ ᗩ ᖇOOᗰ ᗯITᕼ ᕼIᗰ, I ᕼᗩᐯE ᗩ ᗷO᙭ TᑌᖇTᒪE ᗯᕼO ᔕᑭEᑎᗪᔕ ᗰOᔕT Oᖴ ᕼIᔕ TIᗰE OᑌT Oᖴ ᕼIᔕ ᑕᗩGE Iᑎ ᗰY ᖇOOᗰ

 

[cmacusa3]

ᑕOᑌᒪᗪ ᕼE ᑭOᔕᔕIᗷᒪY GET ᕼEᗩᖇT Iᖴ I ᔕᕼᗩᖇEᗪ ᗩ ᖇOOᗰ ᗯITᕼ ᕼIᗰ, I ᕼᗩᐯE ᗩ ᗷO᙭ TᑌᖇTᒪE ᗯᕼO ᔕᑭEᑎᗪᔕ ᗰOᔕT Oᖴ ᕼIᔕ TIᗰE OᑌT Oᖴ ᕼIᔕ ᑕᗩGE Iᑎ ᗰY ᖇOOᗰ

The box turtle and Sulcata should not be roaming the bedroom. This is an accident waiting to happen. We see it all the time on the site.

 

[Tom]

ᑕOᑌᒪᗪ ᕼE ᑭOᔕᔕIᗷᒪY GET ᕼEᗩᖇT Iᖴ I ᔕᕼᗩᖇEᗪ ᗩ ᖇOOᗰ ᗯITᕼ ᕼIᗰ, I ᕼᗩᐯE ᗩ ᗷO᙭ TᑌᖇTᒪE ᗯᕼO ᔕᑭEᑎᗪᔕ ᗰOᔕT Oᖴ ᕼIᔕ TIᗰE OᑌT Oᖴ ᕼIᔕ ᑕᗩGE Iᑎ ᗰY ᖇOOᗰ

No turtle or tortoise should be loose in a room. It usually ends in disaster. Also, species should never be mixed. A lot of potential for disaster there too.

 

[TammyJ]

I sure hope that all the very good and serious advice offered here will be taken. I feel very sorry for the tortoise as it is with him now. He needs a LOT of changes and corrections in his care, enclosure conditions and diet!
Good luck with his progress, and thank you for caring!

 

[TammyJ]

He looks like he is drying out totally.

Please, please read how to help him and learn, you will be glad you did!

 

[Clawem]

I also kept my tortoise on the dry side when I got him even using a dehumidifier to keep him dry after all he is from the desert. I have now changed everything I read about sulacatas and I am glad I did. He is now growing like a weed and I owe it all to people on this forum. Read everything you can here because these are people who have been doing this for a long time and you will be given the right info not old outdated info. They have done all the experimenting so you don't have to.