New in Colorado, trying to be less ignorant

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SpongeMom

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Hello. I am Shari in arid Colorado and our family is trying to keep a yellow foot happy and moist. We've had Roxy for 7 months and she is about 4 1/2 or 5. I have a friend who does tortoise/turtle rescue who sent Roxy to us. To be honest, we were sandbagged. We enjoy her but a lot of smoke was blown up you-know-where as far as her care goes. I've worked hard to try to figure out what she needs.

I was told Roxy was undesirable because her growth is stunted. Something about being shipped as a hatchling before her egg sac was absorbed. I have no idea if this has any bearing on anything, but Roxy is 5.25 inches. Is that small?

Roxy also has, I believe, significant pyramiding. I didn't know there was such a thing till reading led me to it. She came that way, and I don't know her history before my friend got her from who knows where.

Roxy has a tremendous appetite and loves everything. She is gregarious and not a hider. She also loves our bearded dragon, for some unknown reason. She gets to visit with him regularly and seems to adore him. He is a lump and not very exciting but she gets in his face and becomes rather pushy. He closes his eyes and ignores her. I know species are not supposed to mix, but visiting seems important to Roxy.

Any advice on the pyramiding? Does it ever go away or is she stuck with it? And what about the supposed stunted growth? Anything to it? I'm fine with her size and don't care at all if she never grows. I just want her comfortable and content.
 

Jacqui

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Hi and welcome! Being shipped so young makes life a bit harder on them, but does not mean the tortoise should be stunted if cared for correctly. The pyramiding with proper care will not go away, but as the new growth comes in it gives the appearance of less pyramiding. Can we see pictures please?
 

SpongeMom

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I realized after I posted that I meant to say we've had Roxy for a year and 7 months, not 7 months. And she is probably closer to 6. It's been a long week so excuse my brain cramp.

Here are a couple of photos so you can see the pyramiding. Roxy's in a home with some real and fake plants and a quiche dish that she loves to soak in. Her home came from our local reptile humane society and was originally a custom-built snake habitat. It measures 56 x 22 x 22. The fixture at the top allows for a UV tube and has 2 ceramic sockets, both with rheostats. She's cozy, I think.

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Jacqui

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Looks like reverse pyramiding. Do the center of the scutes actually go down toward the body instead of skyward?
 

SpongeMom

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Here is another picture that may show the scutes better. There is actually a raised spine down her back, but they are indented as they appear. I have no idea how long they've been this way. Nothing has changed much since we've had her.

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Yvonne G

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She's not pyramided. She looks like she has been kept much too dry. I know you haven't had her very long, but are you keeping her in a moist/humid environment? Do you moisten the substrate?

Here's a thread we did on reverse pyramiding:

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-39843.html
 

Torts4Life!

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Hi and welcome to the forum!! This place is great for any questions you have. I'm sorry to hear about your tort but I'm sure with your care she will have a much more comfortable life! I love the story about visiting with your beardie as well :) Did you get her at the colorado reptile humane society in Longmont??
 

SpongeMom

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Roxy didn't come from the Colorado Reptile Humane Society in Longmont, but our bearded dragon did. We adopted him when he was 4. Roxy got her start who knows where but ended up in a tortoise rescue in California. She came with several issues, I guess, but they don't seem to impact her. That's good. I want her to be happy.

It is very hard to keep things humid and moist in Colorado. Her habitat was recently redone to try to bump up those requirements. Her substrate is kept damp and I've taken other measures to try to make it better for her. I just received a heating mat that we installed under the glass bottom of her home. It was originally made for incubating bird eggs but has become popular in the reptile world. It heats the glass and the damp substrate, which increases the humidity. We're still tinkering with how warm to make it to achieve the best results. I know the air temperature is good. Her habitat ranges from the mid 70s to the mid 80s, day and night. And she eats like a horse. I think appetite is a good sign of general health. If so, she's doing pretty well.
 
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