Pyramiding: Is it dangerous

[Shari_n_Harry]

I am new to raising RES. I did my research after I found my little hatchling injured on a sidewalk at campus. I fed Harry hatchling food for the first or 4 months, and supplemented his diet with spinach, lettuce, and melon. I also provide him with a "turtle tab" for calcium supplement. He's has a basking light and a UVA/UVB light with a floating dock that sits approximately 12 inches below the light (as recommended by the manufacturer). Unfortunately, I must have done something wrong, as he has some pyramiding and scalloping at the edges of his shell. He is now currently 4 inches, and I am feeding him a varied diet of meal worms, shrimp, turtle pellets, and fresh fruit an veggies. I know that pyramiding doesn't go away, but is it dangerous? Is it painful for them? Does it reduce their lifespan or is it just a cosmetic issue? I greatly appreciate anybody's input on this subject. Cheers!

 

[Star-of-India]

Sounds like you're on the right track. Send a picture.

 

[Shari_n_Harry]

Cheers! Here's Harry's back. I've looked on Google and the pyramidding oesn't seem too bad, but I worry that I've done damage to him in his early life due to my inexperience. I'm hoping that at this point it's just aesthetics.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Shari, and welcome to the Forum!

That doesn't look like a red ear slider to me. The bumpiness of that turtle's shell isn't anything to worry about. With the care you've described, I don't see how it happened, but with continued care like that he should be just fine. Water turtles shed the top layer of keratin and eventually the shell should smooth out. To answer your question, no, pyramiding isn't dangerous. It is merely cosmetic.

May we see a picture of his head?

 

[wellington]

I agree with Yvonne, that it doesn't look like a RES. Sounds like you are doing very good by him and he will have a happy life with you.

 

[Shari_n_Harry]

Hi Shari, and welcome to the Forum!

That doesn't look like a red ear slider to me. The bumpiness of that turtle's shell isn't anything to worry about. With the care you've described, I don't see how it happened, but with continued care like that he should be just fine. Water turtles shed the top layer of keratin and eventually the shell should smooth out. To answer your question, no, pyramiding isn't dangerous. It is merely cosmetic.

May we see a picture of his head?

Thanks for your response Yvonne! I found this little fellow on a sidewalk. He was less than an inch in diameter, bright green, and had a small crack on the top of his shell. Our campus is located near a bayou, so I figured he was a victim of a bird "catch and release". I took him to a vet to get him checked out, and the vet gave him a clean bill of health. It was the vet who told me that he was a RES. I had never heard of this kind of turtle before, but apparently they are very common here in the Bayou's and ponds. I never thought I have a pet turtle, but the vet assured me that he had a better chance of surviving if I looked after him until he was at least 4 to 5 inches. He suggested I release him after than to a turtle rescue. But here's the thing.... if I've taken on the responsibility to look after this little fellow, he's here to stay. My vet isn't a specialist in turtles, so he is quite possible wrong about the turtle species. If you have any other ideas about what kind of turtle he is, please let me know. I have been doing all I can to keep him healthy and happy based on the assumption that he is a RES. Any suggestions and/or advice would be grand!

Cheers!
SW

 

[FLINTUS]

To answer your question, no, pyramiding isn't dangerous. It is merely cosmetic.

This is a dangerous post to put across Yvonne. While pyramiding as a thing is mainly cosmetic, it generally signals (and can cause) other problems, such as MBD, high density, too fast growth etc. These can severely impact upon the tortoise.

 

[Shari_n_Harry]

Thank you for your response. Given my current care protocol (lower protein turtle pellets, calcium supplements, fruits and vegetables, 100 power sun UVA/UVB light for 12 hrs, dry basking area with a good temp (85 to 90 degrees) and clean water that I check ammonia regularly), I think Yvonne was merely suggesting that at this point it is probably cosmetic. I will keep an eye on him and if anyone knows of a good turtle vet in Houston TX, please let me know.

 

[FLINTUS]

Thank you for your response. Given my current care protocol (lower protein turtle pellets, calcium supplements, fruits and vegetables, 100 power sun UVA/UVB light for 12 hrs, dry basking area with a good temp (85 to 90 degrees) and clean water that I check ammonia regularly), I think Yvonne was merely suggesting that at this point it is probably cosmetic. I will keep an eye on him and if anyone knows of a good turtle vet in Houston TX, please let me know.

Your care seems good to me, from the little I know about turtles, but with all animals, the enclosure will not be the same throughout, so watch if he spends more time in a certain area, he may not be getting the right conditions.

 

[Yvonne G]

After seeing the picture of the head, I guess I was wrong. The shell doesn't look like Trachemys scripta elegans, but the head sure does.

Also, don't worry about what Flintus had to say about my post. It is VERY GOOD to get other opinions on threads such as this so that we can see all sides of a problem. I welcome differing opinions and having someone question my replies.

 

[FLINTUS]

After seeing the picture of the head, I guess I was wrong. The shell doesn't look like Trachemys scripta elegans, but the head sure does.

Also, don't worry about what Flintus had to say about my post. It is VERY GOOD to get other opinions on threads such as this so that we can see all sides of a problem. I welcome differing opinions and having someone question my replies.

Just to be clear, I wasn't criticizing Yvonne, the rest of the advice was sound, but some new keepers can read statements like that, and think 'it doesn't matter at all if he starts going bumpy,' so thought I'd just point it out.

 

[Anthony P]

Pyramiding (as we know it in tortoises) is not really something we worry about in aquatics. If the carapace is bumpy, or misshapen, chances are there is some other issue going on, much different than what we would see in tortoises.

What your turtle has is retained scutes. This is not a bad case of retained scutes, however, and they can be removed with a blunt probe. If scutes are retained for too long, debris can become trapped between the old and new scute, sometimes leading to shell rot type infections.

Try offering Wheat Germ pellets as well, which are meant to help Koi Fish out of hibernation. They should help the process.

 

[Yvonne G]

Interesting. Thanks, Anthony.

 

[Shari_n_Harry]

After seeing the picture of the head, I guess I was wrong. The shell doesn't look like Trachemys scripta elegans, but the head sure does.

Also, don't worry about what Flintus had to say about my post. It is VERY GOOD to get other opinions on threads such as this so that we can see all sides of a problem. I welcome differing opinions and having someone question my replies.

Thanks Yvonne and Flintus,
I will keep a habitat diary and see where my turtle spends most of his time. He seems to really like basking under the 100W PowerSun lamp (which is a Mercury Vaopour lamp that gives both UVA and UVB as well as heat). He'll stay there for 15 to 20 minutes, then swim a few laps for an hour, then back to basking - kinda of like how I used to be when I was kid hanging at the pool!

I have a couple other questions: The first question is regarding his night-time heating. His water is at 80F all night, but his heating lights go out. Should I invest in an infra-red light so that he can bask at night? The second question is regarding his basking time. If the light is emitting UVA and UVB, would I be risking over-exposure to UV radiation if I took him outside for an hour or two, two or three times a week?

Again, thanks for your advice. It's nice to have a forum like this for us newbies to the turtle world.
Cheers!
SW

 

[Shari_n_Harry]

Pyramiding (as we know it in tortoises) is not really something we worry about in aquatics. If the carapace is bumpy, or misshapen, chances are there is some other issue going on, much different than what we would see in tortoises.

What your turtle has is retained scutes. This is not a bad case of retained scutes, however, and they can be removed with a blunt probe. If scutes are retained for too long, debris can become trapped between the old and new scute, sometimes leading to shell rot type infections.

Try offering Wheat Germ pellets as well, which are meant to help Koi Fish out of hibernation. They should help the process.

Thank Anthony,
Do I buy these Wheat Germ pellets at a pet store or at a health food store? This may seem like a stupid question, but do I spread the wheat germ on the scutes, or feed it in his diet? Thanks for the clarifications!
SW

 

[Anthony P]

Thank Anthony,
Do I buy these Wheat Germ pellets at a pet store or at a health food store? This may seem like a stupid question, but do I spread the wheat germ on the scutes, or feed it in his diet? Thanks for the clarifications!
SW

No worries at all..

You can usually buy these pellets at any store that sells equipment/food for pond fish. Now, keep in mind that WalMart and Lowes carry "stuff" for pond fish, but I don't think they have these pellets. They are pellets for Koi. Koi pellets are often fed to turtles as a cheaper option. These Wheat Germ pellets are along the same lines. You can buy a big can of them for like 10 bucks, then they are fed to the turtle just like any other pellet. A turtle your turtle's size should have no problem eating them.

If your turtle refuses them, then it's time for tough love! That may end up being the case, as they are not as smelly as common turtle pellets.

 

[bouaboua]

Good information. Thanks to everyone.