My redfoot and some questions

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ceeej31

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Hi everyone!
here are some pictures of my redfoot, Sam and his enclosure. i got sam as a baby at a reptile expo a few years ago when i had no idea what i was doing, as a result sam has some pretty serious pyramiding from a lack of humidity when he was young. but since doing some research i have been keeping his tank much more humid and the pyramiding has not gotten any worse. anyway, i was wondering if anyone could tell me what kind of redfoot sam is and possibly sex him (i say him because his plastron seems to have become slightly concave over the past few months).
thanks in advance, Colin
 

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allegraf

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Looks like a cherryhead mix. I tentatively say Sam is a girl.
 

cdmay

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I tend to agree with Allegra in that your tortoise seems to have a mix of traits. But it is always hard to tell from photos alone.
Looks like a female to me as well but you will know for sure in a couple of years.
That pyramiding will not be nearly as noticeable as she (or he) grows as long as the condition doesn't continue. If the humidity and diet are OK the future growth should be mostly normal.
In any case, it is a very pretty little tortoise.
 

ceeej31

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thanks for the replies, lately his growth rate has has been crazy so i don't think i will have to wait too long to know the sex for sure
also, does anyone have any tips on keeping the humidity up? lately i have been spraying the tank heavily at least twice a day and i keep a damp towel over part of the screen. even doing this i have been having trouble keeping the humidity over 70% the past few weeks.
 

tyler0912

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my tortoise had pyramiding like that when i bought it from a pet shop but it hasn't got any worse!
 

ceeej31

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Missy said:
You can try a wet sponge.

i have thought of that but i am worried he might eat it, i just added a big pile of wet sphagnum moss which i hope will help
 

Madkins007

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1. Female- small tail, sharp anal scute angles, small gap between anals and marginals.

2. Cherryhead- mostly dark plastron (I did not see a good plastron shot), mostly dark head/neck skin under bright colored scales. There should be an enlarged scale on the inner elbow of the front legs.

3. Humidity- Someone somewhere once said that you can pretty much predict how pyramiding you will get by how far north you live (or, how dry your climate is). Humidity-related pyramiding has never been shown to be a health issue (although the diet-related version certainly is).

My point with that is that the drier your climate is (even if we are talking about the indoor climate in a modern heated or A/C'ed home), the more 'heroic' your efforts may have to become. Some things you can try:
- Humidify the room, or curtain off a smaller area and humidify that.
- Run a tropical fish tank in the habitat- a tank of heated water generates LOTS of humidity.
- Mostly cover the habitat, put an undersoil heater system in place, and heat the moisture in the bottom of the habitat to rise through the soil.
- Buy or make a timed misting system- something bigger than the HabbaMist or the plans you may find of a fish air pump blowing humidified air.
- Add a drip system on a warmed spongy surface- moss in a flowerpot for example.
 

ceeej31

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Madkins007 said:
1. Female- small tail, sharp anal scute angles, small gap between anals and marginals.

2. Cherryhead- mostly dark plastron (I did not see a good plastron shot), mostly dark head/neck skin under bright colored scales. There should be an enlarged scale on the inner elbow of the front legs.

3. Humidity- Someone somewhere once said that you can pretty much predict how pyramiding you will get by how far north you live (or, how dry your climate is). Humidity-related pyramiding has never been shown to be a health issue (although the diet-related version certainly is).

My point with that is that the drier your climate is (even if we are talking about the indoor climate in a modern heated or A/C'ed home), the more 'heroic' your efforts may have to become. Some things you can try:
- Humidify the room, or curtain off a smaller area and humidify that.
- Run a tropical fish tank in the habitat- a tank of heated water generates LOTS of humidity.
- Mostly cover the habitat, put an undersoil heater system in place, and heat the moisture in the bottom of the habitat to rise through the soil.
- Buy or make a timed misting system- something bigger than the HabbaMist or the plans you may find of a fish air pump blowing humidified air.
- Add a drip system on a warmed spongy surface- moss in a flowerpot for example.
first off, thank you very much for all the info!
i guess it's a good thing that Sam works for both sexes :D
i got a better photo of the plastron just in case it could help, i had always thought she might be a cherryhead and I'm glad to have that confirmed
living in NH the pyramiding now makes sense, I'm pretty sure it's the kind caused by lack of humidity as he gets a healthy diet (collards, dandilion, green and red leaf lettuce, strawberries, blueberries, cantaloupe, mazuri and on occasion zoomed forest tortoise diet and superworms)
his tank used to be in the same room as several fish tanks so maybe i should move him back into that room again to help with humidity, i might also end up buying a humidifier to his tank
 

llamas55

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Madkins007 said:
1. Female- small tail, sharp anal scute angles, small gap between anals and marginals.

2. Cherryhead- mostly dark plastron (I did not see a good plastron shot), mostly dark head/neck skin under bright colored scales. There should be an enlarged scale on the inner elbow of the front legs.

3. Humidity- Someone somewhere once said that you can pretty much predict how pyramiding you will get by how far north you live (or, how dry your climate is). Humidity-related pyramiding has never been shown to be a health issue (although the diet-related version certainly is).

My point with that is that the drier your climate is (even if we are talking about the indoor climate in a modern heated or A/C'ed home), the more 'heroic' your efforts may have to become. Some things you can try:
- Humidify the room, or curtain off a smaller area and humidify that.
- Run a tropical fish tank in the habitat- a tank of heated water generates LOTS of humidity.
- Mostly cover the habitat, put an undersoil heater system in place, and heat the moisture in the bottom of the habitat to rise through the soil.
- Buy or make a timed misting system- something bigger than the HabbaMist or the plans you may find of a fish air pump blowing humidified air.
- Add a drip system on a warmed spongy surface- moss in a flowerpot for example.
Mark, I love the tortoise librarian site
 
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