Ok I am going to post pictures of him soon and I don't think Tortellini is pyramiding but I would like to know how to I dentify it in a 6month old sully he is about 2.5" and his shell looks good to me but I was wondering if anyone had a picture of a 6month (or younger) with pyramiding for comparison
Pictures of baby with Pyramiding?
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look at Toms threads... or just pictures in general..
post pics.. and we can answer..
post pics.. and we can answer..
This is the best pictures I could ge with my fone
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Pyramiding occurs with growth in overly dry conditions. This tortoise is not growing and therefore not pyramiding. They hatch at around 2.5" at 6 months old they should be near 4" or more. His scute margins are thick and raised indicating that if he was growing much it would likely be in a pyramiding fashion. This tortoise needs the wet routine.
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Tom said:
Listen to Tom, he knows his stuff!
Well here is my set up
I use cocoir and have the humidity at 60-75% cool side 80 warm 90 hotspot 100
Fed grasses and spring mix and soaked at least 4 times a week (usually 5 or6)
I also take him out a lot and have him out side in the sun
I have had him since january and he has grown alittle but not too much
He is very active and eats well and soaks him self every day
He basically looks the same as when I got him
I use cocoir and have the humidity at 60-75% cool side 80 warm 90 hotspot 100
Fed grasses and spring mix and soaked at least 4 times a week (usually 5 or6)
I also take him out a lot and have him out side in the sun
I have had him since january and he has grown alittle but not too much
He is very active and eats well and soaks him self every day
He basically looks the same as when I got him
Try to get humidity to 80% or more and the coolest temp should be 80 all over, day and night. You would also benefit from a humid hide. What are you using to measure your humidity? I would guess its not very good. Reads Toms threads below and make adjustments to your set up as needed. If your baby was kept too dry when it was hatched, it my pyramid some, not matter what you do. However, you would still be a blue to make it minimal and get smoother growth.
His temps never drop below 80 and I have a digital humidity gauge that actually works very well . . . I have a hide for him and I am going to get him a better one . . . I got him when he was about 4 months old (he is actually 7 months now) and he was about the same size (he is alittle bigger)
Maybe, and I am no expert on this, he is catching up from the previous not so good care to your better care and it is taking some time for his system to adjust. In a few months, with summer months ahead, I wonder if you will get a burst of smooth growth then. Interesting to see if this happens.
Your set up sounds pretty good to me....how many times a day do you feed him? Have you tried mazuri or zoomed grassland pellets? They help with growth if given moderately couple times a week
Well that's the weird thing I got Tortellini from Drew here on the forum and from what I understand his set up was great. . . He was very careful when he gave me Tortellini that I knew how to take care of him properly so I don't think it was that he didn't have great care. . . And yes I have tried mazuri but I don't really like giving it to him cuz he always seems slugish for a day or two after I feed it to him
I don't know Drew or how he cares for his tortoises, but if he does it well, then this might be the result of how this baby was started BEFORE Drew ever got it. Most sulcatas are started way too dry, and it causes this sort of thing pretty regularly. Some people also leave babies in the incubator instead of using a brooder box set up. This can and does lead to impaction and failure to thrive sometimes too.
Do you or Drew know how this tortoise was started from the time it hatched? Was it on a dry substrate? How often was it soaked? Was it left outside all day in a hot dry climate? Did it have a hide box? Did it have a brooder box right after hatching or was it left on the substrate in the incubator for a week? All of these things might give us clues to understanding what went wrong, but the solution will still be the same: Simulate the hot, humid, wet, African rainy season in a closed chamber.
Do you or Drew know how this tortoise was started from the time it hatched? Was it on a dry substrate? How often was it soaked? Was it left outside all day in a hot dry climate? Did it have a hide box? Did it have a brooder box right after hatching or was it left on the substrate in the incubator for a week? All of these things might give us clues to understanding what went wrong, but the solution will still be the same: Simulate the hot, humid, wet, African rainy season in a closed chamber.
Oh and I feed him 2-3 times a day and he always had left overs
I don't know how he was started off and that might be the cause, if this is the case how do I fix it? Soak more? Feed different foods?
Bringing this back to the top
I just got one more question.
How do I help him grow?
I just got one more question.
How do I help him grow?
looneybug said:
love him. feed him. give him an optimal growing enviroment (see Tom's care sheets). and "Viola"! Growth will occure!
Try some weeds, flowers and Mazuri. You cannot go wrong with feeding it. Many people use it with great success. Do you think he could have parasites? His enclosure should be really steamy and warm with the proper temps of course. Do you have a humidifier in his enclosure? Can you show us a picture of his enclosure? I can't remember if we saw it.
Looneybug, we know you care very much for your baby otherwise you wouldn't be here. Tom gave you some reasons why your baby may be dry and not growing well. Now, what you have to do is 1. Make sure you have a temp gun to measure how much heat your baby is getting inside her hide and overall in the enclosure. 2. Your baby needs two warm soaks DAILY. Until your baby starts to show signs of growth and the scutes lines begin to soften and spread out, I would continue to soak her daily. 3. Feed her mazuri every other day. The reason why your baby seems inactive after eating mazuri is because she needs more water. It's difficult to get water into her because you can't make her drink. So, provide a soak after she finishes eating mazuri. Leave her in the soak for 30 minutes. You may even put pedialite into the water to give her some energy. You may even be surprised at how much better she'll look after a while. 4. Try to keep her enclosure covered so that the only opening is where you have her uvb light and ceramic heat emitter. If you do use a closed chamber, make sure you know how hot it gets and how cool it gets. You need 4 different temps in the enclosure (Tom's threads tell you all this). Ideally, you want to get temps around 90-95 degrees with high humidity of 80% all the time. 5. Expose her to as much sun as possible with shaded areas if she needs to. Expose her to natural weeds and grass, and a variety of greens.
I Think if you do this everyday, you'll see a big improvement. I wish you the best.
Oh, and In case someone wants to criticize anything I stated here, know this...I don't give advice on something I haven't done myself with the same species. Everything I stated here I've already experienced with my own babies, and my torts are healthy and thriving.
I Think if you do this everyday, you'll see a big improvement. I wish you the best.
Oh, and In case someone wants to criticize anything I stated here, know this...I don't give advice on something I haven't done myself with the same species. Everything I stated here I've already experienced with my own babies, and my torts are healthy and thriving.
sibi said:
...but...but...but.... naaa I got nothin!
Very good advice.... I personally don't soak so often, but I never had a pyramiding problem either.
Off topic I gotta say Tortellini has got to be one of the funniest most awesome names I've ever heard of for a tortoise! I'm probably going to have to steal it.
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