I think my tortoises have started pyramiding. Please can someone have a look at the photos and give advice on what I should do? Thanks x
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Pyramiding (photos)
- Thread starter tortoisesincyprus
- Start date
Hi Julie:
Aw - he's just a little baby!
In order for pyramiding to not start, a hatchling tortoise - from the egg to about one year - needs to be kept in a rather humid environment. Is this a Greek tortoise? Greek tortoises, when full grown, can be kept in humidity from 25 to 45%, but babies need a bit more than that to grow smoothly.
I think that if you use a substrate you can moisten, then keep the hiding place stuffed with moist sphagnum moss, you can nip the pyramiding in the bud. But don't allow the baby to get too cool in all this moisture. Moist/cold is very bad, while moist/warm is very good.
Aw - he's just a little baby!
In order for pyramiding to not start, a hatchling tortoise - from the egg to about one year - needs to be kept in a rather humid environment. Is this a Greek tortoise? Greek tortoises, when full grown, can be kept in humidity from 25 to 45%, but babies need a bit more than that to grow smoothly.
I think that if you use a substrate you can moisten, then keep the hiding place stuffed with moist sphagnum moss, you can nip the pyramiding in the bud. But don't allow the baby to get too cool in all this moisture. Moist/cold is very bad, while moist/warm is very good.
Follow the excellent advice people will give you here, but I'll offer you some hope: we bought a year-old Sulcata from a pet store (don't judge...I know it was STUPID!!!) where the little guy was fed a head of Romaine lettuce and half an apple a day while being housed in a hot, dry aquarium bedded on mulch with no hide. He WAS pyramided. We began feeding him a proper diet and housed him in a kinda' humid room. Two years later, his pyramiding has greatly decreased.
Catch it early as you are & they'll out grow it.
Catch it early as you are & they'll out grow it.
Hi Yvonne thanks so much for replying. I actually just posted on the Greek forum asking if it was a Greek haha! I think so because I live in Cyprus and got him from someone who had lots of tortoises (30+) and wanted rid of some. He's about 2 years old and was already bumpy when I got him. I'm pretty sure he wasn't really cared for before I got him. I've got zoo med coconut fiber and terrarium moss substrate but I've been keeping it dry. Will add some moisture. The basking light keeps it warm so should be ok hopefully. I hope it's not too late to help him 
x
Laura thank you so much for sharing your story. I was panicking that he'd be permanently damaged. I've made the mistake of keeping the substrate too dry so I'll try and make their hiding place a bit moist now and see if that will help. I'm doing loads of research so hopefully it will work out ok in the end. Your story gives me hope! x
xLaura thank you so much for sharing your story. I was panicking that he'd be permanently damaged. I've made the mistake of keeping the substrate too dry so I'll try and make their hiding place a bit moist now and see if that will help. I'm doing loads of research so hopefully it will work out ok in the end. Your story gives me hope! x
