I have 2 Sulcatas that I have had for about 7 months, I was told they were 6 months old when i got them. They have been housed in the same enclosure with same bedding(bed-a-beast and sand). They eat they same things and one seem to be pyramiding and the other isnt. They have Heat and UV-B lamps and I spray the bedding a couple time a day to try to get the hmidity up. I feed them Spring mix, collards, Kale, romaine, and an occasional strawberry. I also give some Ca powder sometimes to suppliment the UVB, since they are too young to go out. Cant figure out why one is pyraminding and the other isnt when they live in the same environment and eat the same things. Any thoughts?
Perplexed by pyramiding!!
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maybe one eatsmore of one thing then the other? or just individuals are different.. outside sun in a secure enclosure would be good for them at times...
They should both have the pure Calcium supplement nearly daily in my opinion. The UVB issue is more with D3, not Calcium (all torts need Calcium, but some keepers believe only those without UVB need D3).
Could you give us pictures of the two torts? And, some of their enclosure? See this thread for posting pictures http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-1408.html
What is the humidity at the substrate level (I'm just curious)?
This is puzzling. It could just be that one is having some vertical growth before evening out. Another possibility is just that it's an anomaly between the two torts--they can't be expected to behave in the same way. This is also true of their biology. I'd be interested to see what Danny has to say.
Welcome to the forum!
Could you give us pictures of the two torts? And, some of their enclosure? See this thread for posting pictures http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-1408.html
What is the humidity at the substrate level (I'm just curious)?
This is puzzling. It could just be that one is having some vertical growth before evening out. Another possibility is just that it's an anomaly between the two torts--they can't be expected to behave in the same way. This is also true of their biology. I'd be interested to see what Danny has to say.
Welcome to the forum!
Humidity/hydration are the key issues in pyramiding- usually far more than diet or lighting based on actual studies.
If one is and one is not, then my main guess would be that the smooth one is blocking the bumpy one from the good hiding places, access to water or good food, etc. We often see this sort of passive domination in indoor or small outdoor habitats.
It would be helpful for you to get a couple decent humidity gauges and see what the humidity REALLY is in various places in the habitat. Usually, misting by itself is a very short-term solution and can actually make things worse since it evaporates quickly and draws additional moisture with it (for example- your skin will feel much dryer if you mist and wait than it felt before hand).
One good idea in a book I read recently is to sew up some linen bags with sphagnum moss inside. Soak the bags and hang them inside hiding places. They will release the moisture more slowly and the semi-enclosed place will become humid as a result.
If one is and one is not, then my main guess would be that the smooth one is blocking the bumpy one from the good hiding places, access to water or good food, etc. We often see this sort of passive domination in indoor or small outdoor habitats.
It would be helpful for you to get a couple decent humidity gauges and see what the humidity REALLY is in various places in the habitat. Usually, misting by itself is a very short-term solution and can actually make things worse since it evaporates quickly and draws additional moisture with it (for example- your skin will feel much dryer if you mist and wait than it felt before hand).
One good idea in a book I read recently is to sew up some linen bags with sphagnum moss inside. Soak the bags and hang them inside hiding places. They will release the moisture more slowly and the semi-enclosed place will become humid as a result.
I have seen tortoises in the same enclosure, fed the same do this. 
I think humidity/hydration and diet are the keys to pyramiding. Hydration helps the body absorb nutrition, but if the diet is lacking in an essential element than it doesn't help that the tortoise is hydrated.
So you can't seperate the 2 as they are both very important.
Also if your feeding a varied diet everyday, you don't know if one tortoise is eating 1 or 2 foods all the time that it shouldn't be eating, but just once a week. I'm all for a varied diet, just one thats varied weekly and not daily. I try to feed just one thing every time I feed. That way I know that everyone is eating the same thing.
Also like Katie said, you need to be supplementing with calcium at every feeding with a growing animal.
Danny
I think humidity/hydration and diet are the keys to pyramiding. Hydration helps the body absorb nutrition, but if the diet is lacking in an essential element than it doesn't help that the tortoise is hydrated.
So you can't seperate the 2 as they are both very important.
Also if your feeding a varied diet everyday, you don't know if one tortoise is eating 1 or 2 foods all the time that it shouldn't be eating, but just once a week. I'm all for a varied diet, just one thats varied weekly and not daily. I try to feed just one thing every time I feed. That way I know that everyone is eating the same thing.
Also like Katie said, you need to be supplementing with calcium at every feeding with a growing animal.
Danny
The linen bags with moss is a really cool idea!
Awesome thoughts as always Danny.
Awesome thoughts as always Danny.
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