My tortoises are pyramiding :(

[oacason]

I know this has been posted about before. I have been accidentally neglecting my tortoises' humidity needs. They are in separate 4x2 enclosures with reptichip and Cypress mulch mixed as substrate. I recently noticed that my younger one (19 months old) is pyramiding pretty bad. The slightly older one seems to be too (almost 3 years old).
I have never dumped water in their substrate like I've been reading about the past few days. I spray the top of their substrate every week or so, and have hardly ever soaked them. I feel really bad about this.
I'll attach pictures of them and their enclosures. I've ordered two digital hygrometers that come with a tracking app. I want to do this right so they don't pyramid more.
Any tips for keeping the substrate damp easily? How often should I be soaking them? I have a large watering can I used a few days ago, but it's really large and bulky/hard to use.

 

[Lyn W]

Unfortunately you can't reverse the pyramiding but it is possible to stop it getting worse if you make changes now.
This is the caresheet you need which will advise you about temps, humidity, diet substrate etc. It's aimed at rearing babies but a lot of the information will be relevant for older torts.

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...

tortoiseforum.org

I soak my leopard every other day - sometimes every day if I don't see him drink. It is a way to make sure they are well hydrated because they can absorb water through the cloaca.

What bulbs are you using?

 

[oacason]

Unfortunately you can't reverse the pyramiding but it is possible to stop it getting worse if you make changes now.
This is the caresheet you need which will advise you about temps, humidity, diet substrate etc. It's aimed at rearing babies but a lot of the information will be relevant for older torts.

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...

tortoiseforum.org

I soak my leopard every other day - sometimes every day if I don't see him drink. It is a way to make sure they are well hydrated because they can absorb water through the cloaca.

What bulbs are you using?

Yeah, I know I can't reverse it. But I don't want it to get worse.
I use 30-40 watt incandescent flood bulbs, depending on what's available. I haven't been able to find the 30 watt ones anymore, so I believe they're both 40 watt floods. Keeps their basking areas 95-100 degrees.
They both have Arcadia 12% UVB tubes I replace yearly.

 

[Tom]

Yeah, I know I can't reverse it. But I don't want it to get worse.
I use 30-40 watt incandescent flood bulbs, depending on what's available. I haven't been able to find the 30 watt ones anymore, so I believe they're both 40 watt floods. Keeps their basking areas 95-100 degrees.
They both have Arcadia 12% UVB tubes I replace yearly.

How much water to dump in and how often varies with each enclosure, and varies seasonally in the same enclosure too. Go by feel. It shouldn't be soppy wet.

What is the temperature directly under the heat lamp at tortoise shell height. Let a Digital thermometer sit there ad cook for a while to check it. It should be no more than 100.

There is no need to replace the bulb every year. Buy a solar meter 6.5 instead and then you will know how much UV your bulb is producing. The Arcadia 12% HO tubes only need to run for a couple of hours mid day. They last for years when used this way. Looks like you need some ambient lighting too, if the UV tube will be off more of the time.

There are four elements to heating and lighting:

1. Basking bulb. I use 65 watt incandescent floods from the hardware store. Some people will need bigger, or smaller wattage bulbs. Let your thermometer be your guide. I run them on a timer for about 12 hours and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. I also like to use a flat rock of some sort directly under the bulb. You need to check the temp with a thermometer directly under the bulb and get it to around 95-100F (36-37C).
2. Ambient heat maintenance. I use ceramic heating elements or radiant heat panels set on thermostats to maintain ambient above 80 degrees day and night for tropical species. In most cases you'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT, as long as your house stays above 60F (15-16C) at night.
3. Ambient light. I use LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most bulbs at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish. Strip or screw-in LED bulb types are both fine.
4. UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. In colder climates, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. I like the 12% HO bulbs from Arcadia. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html A good UV bulb only needs to run for 2-3 hours mid day. You need the basking bulb and the ambient lighting to be on at least 12 hours a day.

Daily soaks, and frequent spraying of the carapace will help stop the pyramiding as will higher ambient humidity, and ensuring the heat lamp isn't too hot.