My Suly

[Gregor]

This is my Sulcata. I have her since August.
She is kept in a very humid closed chamber, with big terracotta water dish, daily soaks, misting, 82 F on cool side, 100F under basking lamp and she still has slight pyramiding.

I am just obsessed with pyramiding.

 

[popeye tortoise]

I have been raising Sulcatas for about 15 plus years and all of my tortoise receive the same diet same lighting all the same care and a few of them have shown some signs of pyramiding. I am not as knowledgeable as some of these keepers but sometime I think it may be the individual. Your little guy looks good. if there is any pyramiding it is not much. I hope someone with greater knowledge then me can give you the input you are looking for. Although I have had tortoises for years I went through all the info that this forum has to offer. Remember pyramiding as long as the tortoise is healthy and well taken care of is just aesthetic. Enjoy your Tortoise.

Good luck

 

[Speedy-1]

Are you soaking her Gregor ? If not you might try daily soaking to rehydrate her . It doesn't really look that bad but soaking in warm water could help . I am sure others will chime in .

 

[jockma]

I know some torts grow bumpy no matter what, even when kept in the same conditions as other torts with smooth shells. Could it be dietary? Have you read care sheets on here for what to feed her?

Gosh, she's cute. It really does not look bad at all. If you figure out the cause it will not be noticeable at all as she gets bigger.

Wait, I can't really tell from the pictures but it looks like her new growth is smoother. It's possible the pyramiding came from her home before you got her. It can take a while for pyramiding to emerge because the bone sets the path of growth before it begins to show on the scutes.

 

[Tom]

The new growth that is coming in looks really good. I suspect that what you are seeing there is left over from the time BEFORE you had her.

Are you spraying the shell several times a day?

 

[Gregor]

Are you soaking her Gregor ? If not you might try daily soaking to rehydrate her . It doesn't really look that bad but soaking in warm water could help . I am sure others will chime in .

Yes I soak her every day in warm water. I usualy do it at about 3:45pm when I get home from work and she just waits for me to pick her up and put her in water.

 

[Gregor]

The new growth that is coming in looks really good. I suspect that what you are seeing there is left over from the time BEFORE you had her.

Are you spraying the shell several times a day?

Yes she gets sprayed at least three times a day, if I am home all day she gets even more sprays.

But I just can't get her to sleep in humid hide. Temperature in hide is 88 F 95% humid, but she prefers to sleep a few inches from heat emitter (CHE). And that dries her carapace during the night.
If I put hide in that spot she will just move. I guess she likes to sleep under the "stars"

Oh, well, I love her anyway.

 

[Gregor]

I will keep these thread as a progress thread if that is Ok?

 

[jockma]

Yes she gets sprayed at least three times a day, if I am home all day she gets even more sprays.

But I just can't get her to sleep in humid hide. Temperature in hide is 88 F 95% humid, but she prefers to sleep a few inches from heat emitter (CHE). And that dries her carapace during the night.
If I put hide in that spot she will just move. I guess she likes to sleep under the "stars"

Oh, well, I love her anyway.

My RF had the same issue, I moved the heat emitter further away from the substrate and increased the wattage to allow the heat to "cook" ( ) him more evenly without affecting the temps and drying him out so much.

I really do not see any continued pyramiding in her pics, I think if you continue doing what you're doing you'll end up with a beautiful-looking adult. She's quite a stunner as it is, though!

 

[Gregor]

Picture below is what she looked like when I got her.

 

[jockma]

Picture below is what she looked like when I got her.

It does not look like the pyramiding has gotten any worse. I can't tell from the pictures but it looks like she had "active" pyramiding when you got her, where the area between the scutes has a V shape from the side. I think what you are seeing now is new (smooth) growth between the scutes, which looks more like a \_/ shape. As she gets bigger the pyramided scutes will space out more and you can easily tell if the new growth is smooth. Sulcatas grow fast, you won't need to wait very long.

 

[Speedy-1]

After comparing the before and after photos I would say the new growth is coming in smooth and you have done a great job !

 

[Gregor]

I am not rushing but I think that she has new growth rings that are on the same level as previous rings.
yey

 

[Gregor]

My Sulcata has grown since my last post and now I am 100% sure that she grows smooth. Yey
And she is growing fast. I need to buy a scale to weigh her.

 

[Gregor]

Just an update. My Sulcata IS growing smooth, with every new growth ring.
But I need to change the substrate, because this coco coir contains some sort of dye. Her skin turned all dark, and water in water dish turns brown every time she walks trough.
So what kind of bedding should I get? Coco coir is to messy.

 

[Danylle]

Very cute little baby!

 

[Bducks16]

Just an update. My Sulcata IS growing smooth, with every new growth ring.
But I need to change the substrate, because this coco coir contains some sort of dye. Her skin turned all dark, and water in water dish turns brown every time she walks trough.
So what kind of bedding should I get? Coco coir is to messy.

Orchid bark if it's available in your country. It's basically a fir bark that holds moisture very well.

 

[Gregor]

Some time has past an my Suly has grown. She is now 4,5 inch long and 250 grams.
But despite almost swamp like conditions (80-90%, 83-110F), she hasn't stopped pyramiding.
She only gets to eat grasses, weeds,... No store bought foods.

 

[Yvonne G]

I know it can be very discouraging when you try to do everything "right" and you still see the wrong results. My only suggestion is for you to stop obsessing about pyramiding and just enjoy your beautiful tortoise. There's nothing wrong with the way your tortoise looks. What slight bit of pyramiding there is is merely cosmetic and not life threatening. It's a very pretty tortoise.

 

[popeye tortoise]

Your tortoise is beautiful and looks very well taken care of. As I wrote a while back I have been raising Sulcata's for years and as some of the keepers had said you have done all the right things. Enjoy your tortoise.