Because pyramiding is not just an external thing. It has internal affects as well, especially combined with a poor and readily available captive diet.
Oh, btw, congrats on the platynota, they are a very nice species!
Pyramiding time frame question
- Thread starter CassandraM
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Oh, btw, congrats on the platynota, they are a very nice species!
Thanks!
I've had my baby platynota inside a closed enclosure I made since I got them last September/October and so far they are not pyramiding at all. I've read it's recommended to keep them in a warm humid closed enclosure until adult age around 4 years old, I'm not sure if that was Bill Z or Jerry Fife that wrote that.
It's a high expense with the electricity for those 4 years but the results will be adult size platynotta with perfect smooth carapaces, that's what I'm aiming for. I totally agree about the importance of diet and supplements too.
Here's some pics from last month.
I've had my baby platynota inside a closed enclosure I made since I got them last September/October and so far they are not pyramiding at all. I've read it's recommended to keep them in a warm humid closed enclosure until adult age around 4 years old, I'm not sure if that was Bill Z or Jerry Fife that wrote that.
It's a high expense with the electricity for those 4 years but the results will be adult size platynotta with perfect smooth carapaces, that's what I'm aiming for. I totally agree about the importance of diet and supplements too.
Here's some pics from last month.
I was talking about g.elegans not platynota regarding the humidity btw. They are the kind of tortoise that needs humid hides and it can't be too low, but too high constantly and you will have respiration problems. I have seen them in their home range, and while the general area is humid, they tend to favor the tea hills, where it was cooler and also less humid.
Mine love the humid hide that I built, and I have not had any respiration issues with them. I've used this with g.elegan babies too, and no pyramiding.
In the wild most stars are found in very hot and humid places but their range covers other areas as you described. My stars favor the warmer and more humid areas of my closed enclosure. I have been to different countries in south east Asia (12 trips) and it was always very hot and humid there, except at night.
Platynota are also prone to pyramiding, so I hope mine will grow to adult age with a very smooth round dome carapace, that's my goal. I am concerned about respiratory issues, so I'm moving them soon to a new enclosure that is more airtight and less wet. I'm going to maintain this warm humidity and the closed enclosure setup as long as I live in Illinois. Where I live the winters are long and dry, I don't want to waste all that energy to heat a whole room so I will be keeping them inside a closed enclosure for many years to come. Some platynota females get huge as big as a giant radiated so because of space requirements I will probably be selling one of them and keep the other as a life long pet. The hard part is which one to sell, because both are round, smooth and cute, but Nova has a striking defined star pattern and outgoing personality so I will probably keep her.
In the wild most stars are found in very hot and humid places but their range covers other areas as you described. My stars favor the warmer and more humid areas of my closed enclosure. I have been to different countries in south east Asia (12 trips) and it was always very hot and humid there, except at night.
Platynota are also prone to pyramiding, so I hope mine will grow to adult age with a very smooth round dome carapace, that's my goal. I am concerned about respiratory issues, so I'm moving them soon to a new enclosure that is more airtight and less wet. I'm going to maintain this warm humidity and the closed enclosure setup as long as I live in Illinois. Where I live the winters are long and dry, I don't want to waste all that energy to heat a whole room so I will be keeping them inside a closed enclosure for many years to come. Some platynota females get huge as big as a giant radiated so because of space requirements I will probably be selling one of them and keep the other as a life long pet. The hard part is which one to sell, because both are round, smooth and cute, but Nova has a striking defined star pattern and outgoing personality so I will probably keep her.
I have seen otherwise and quite a few keepers are using the humid methods to raise them now with no issues. People used to say the same thing about leopards. A lot of their reputation is based on people's experiences with WC imports which are obviously going to be more delicate and problematic. This is true of yesteryear's leopards and stars which are still being imported.
Its still a somewhat free country here, and you can do whatever you want, but in my opinion, if you are going to keep something so rare and precious as a platynota, you should be making every effort to breed it.
I want to get a baby male for my 2 females more because the larger female often tries to walk over or mount the smaller female, I know how you believe that you should never keep only two tortoise but either 1 or more than 2, because of one will always be dominate, right?
I guess the main reason is my business is very slow this last 2 months and I just can't afford another platynota right now. I would love to have 1.2 but I just can't afford it now
I guess the main reason is my business is very slow this last 2 months and I just can't afford another platynota right now. I would love to have 1.2 but I just can't afford it now
Can you afford a separate enclosure so they don't have to live under that sort of stress?
Have you thought about loaning one of the females to a breeding project? Is there a US studbook for platynota?
@Tim/Robin might know the answer to that. I think he raises them.
Thank you for your comments but my 2 platynota babies will not be breeding for many years because they are only 6 month old.
Unless things change soon I will probably sell one of them now, then sell the other to a breeder when she's of age 8-10 yrs., but for now breeding is not even possible.
I've kept my 2 babies in a custom built enclosure, and they are incredibly nice specimens, nice heavy solid weight, alert personalities and smooth round carapaces, no signs of any pyramiding. The closed enclosure setup is a good investment so that your tortoises will be like mine and are worth more money because they are exceptional. Pyramiding time frame, yeah make the effort to keep them smooth.
Thanks
