Start of pyramiding

[Franklin2011]

Does anyone know, generally, when pyramiding starts in juveniles if it does happen?

 

[Maggie Cummings]

It starts with hatchlings... They need to be kept pretty moist, if they are not they starts pyramiding right away

 

[steven]

It starts with hatchlings... They need to be kept pretty moist, if they are not they starts pyramiding right away

is there any way to even their shells out when they are juveniles so it doesn't carry over to adulthood?

 

[Missy]

Wants it starts you can correct the problem so that it does not get worse but it will never be perfectly smooth. If the problems are corrected then as the tort grows it it less noticeable.

 

[dmarcus]

The best thing is to stop it from continuing if it has already started and if its not to bad it will not be that noticable when they become large adults.

 

[stena29]

What is that???

 

[chill8]

This drives me nuts, I live in texas where it is very humid, I feed them almost all grass/hay, I give them cacium supp, I give them lots of soakings, I wet down there enclosure, and I still have pyramiding on my torts WHAT AM I MISSING ?!?!?

 

[Yvonne G]

Pyramiding starts during the first year of a hatchling's life. If you can keep it under control during that period, your probably home free. One of the best ways to stop pyramiding in hatchlings is to provide them with a humid hiding place. I took a plastic hamburger serving basket and cut a door way in one end. Then I packed it with sphagnum moss and "sewed" the moss to the plastic basket. You kind of scruntch it up a bit so that when you turn the basket upside down, there's a very slight opening for the baby to climb into. Then you just keep it moist. Because of the plastic being an open weave, you can just sprinkle water over the top when you feel it needs it.

We're still in the learning process with pyramiding and moisture. One thing that is hard to understand is there are many, many smooth sulcatas in Arizona and that's one of the driest states in the Union. And, like you said, Texas around the gulf is very humid, and yet Texans grow bumpy sulcatas.

That's what's so good about having our Forum community. People from all over the world can get together and share ideas on tortoise-keeping.

 

[BrinnANDTorts]

This drives me nuts, I live in texas where it is very humid, I feed them almost all grass/hay, I give them cacium supp, I give them lots of soakings, I wet down there enclosure, and I still have pyramiding on my torts WHAT AM I MISSING ?!?!?

If your humidity is around 80 percent constantly and you are misting them down a bunch everyday (every time you go check on him and see him mist him) and soaking them then they shouldn't be pyramiding..
Keeping the substrate moist doesn't mean you have humidity. Only a digital humidity gauge can tell whether or not its humid in your enclosure (if you have an open top enclosure it probably is not very humid)
Do they have a humid hide ?? where its more like over 90% humidity? It needs to be 80 degrees everywhere in the enclosure too.

---

Does anyone know, generally, when pyramiding starts in juveniles if it does happen?

Pyramiding starts as soon as babies have their first growth if they aren't kept in the correct conditions. If you already have a pyramided tortoise you can not "reverse" what pyramiding has already done. You change their conditions to be hot, humid, with mistings and daily soaks so that any new growth they get is smooth. After a long time when their has been enough new smooth growth the old pyramiding may not be noticeable , it all depends on how severe the pyramiding was to start off with. Severe pyramiding will probably be noticeable for a very long time