Sulcata

[Magnetar]

Should the gular projection on the anterior part of the plastron be forked.

 

[Tom]

Hello and welcome.

Sulcata gulars come in all shapes and sizes. Yours is normal.

I see damage around the top of the carapace. Are you still using heat lamps or CHEs for this big guy? If yes, it's time for a new heating strategy before it gets any worse. Here are two methods that are safe and effective:

Single Tortoise Night Box

I like my larger tortoises to live outside full time. My climate permits this year round with a little help. For people who live where it snows all winter, this type of box is still good for warmer weather, getting them out earlier in Spring, and keeping them out a bit later into fall. You'll...

tortoiseforum.org

Double Door Night Box

As the years have gone by and I build more of these boxes, I learn more and more each time. This one is the latest and I incorporated everything I've learned over the years. I also tried to take lots of pics so I can explain in more detail some of what is going on. It will take multiple posts to...

tortoiseforum.org

Lots of helpful info here too, and questions are welcome:

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[Magnetar]

Hello and welcome.

Sulcata gulars come in all shapes and sizes. Yours is normal.

I see damage around the top of the carapace. Are you still using heat lamps or CHEs for this big guy? If yes, it's time for a new heating strategy before it gets any worse. Here are two methods that are safe and effective:

Single Tortoise Night Box

I like my larger tortoises to live outside full time. My climate permits this year round with a little help. For people who live where it snows all winter, this type of box is still good for warmer weather, getting them out earlier in Spring, and keeping them out a bit later into fall. You'll...

tortoiseforum.org

Double Door Night Box

As the years have gone by and I build more of these boxes, I learn more and more each time. This one is the latest and I incorporated everything I've learned over the years. I also tried to take lots of pics so I can explain in more detail some of what is going on. It will take multiple posts to...

tortoiseforum.org

Lots of helpful info here too, and questions are welcome:

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

Hi Tom thanks for your reply. I only use a heat lamp as a supplement heat source when it is extremely cold.His usual heat source is from a pig mat.He lives in his insulated shed where he comes and goes throughout the year and has plenty of land to graze on
The pyramiding you see on his carapace we believe was caused by a high protein diet probably cat food given when he was a youngster before we obtained him

 

[Magnetar]

Hi Tom thanks for your reply. I only use a heat lamp as a supplement heat source when it is extremely cold.His usual heat source is from a pig mat.He lives in his insulated shed where he comes and goes throughout the year and has plenty of land to graze on
The pyramiding you see on his carapace we believe was caused by a high protein diet probably cat food given when he was a youngster before we obtained him

 

[Tom]

Hi Tom thanks for your reply. I only use a heat lamp as a supplement heat source when it is extremely cold.His usual heat source is from a pig mat.He lives in his insulated shed where he comes and goes throughout the year and has plenty of land to graze on
The pyramiding you see on his carapace we believe was caused by a high protein diet probably cat food given when he was a youngster before we obtained him

Heat lamps aren't good for larger tortoises. They slow burn the top of the carapace, while not effectively heating the core. Heat lamps are necessary and beneficial when they are small, but larger tortoises need different strategies.

I'm not referring to the pyramiding on your tortoise. I'm referring to the cleft around the vertebral scutes. That is caused by excessive desiccation and heat, typically found under heat lamps and CHEs on larger tortoises. Also, pyramiding isn't caused by food or protein. Pyramiding is caused by growth in conditions that are too dry.

Heat mats work great on the bottom, and that might be all you need if the temp is staying 80 or higher in the shed, but most people need some overhead heat, or some ambient heat in addition to the heat mat. The links I left for you demonstrate both.

I know you were just asking about the gulars, but we are a helpful bunch here and we like to help people avoid common pitfalls and misconceptions when we can. Feel free to question any of this. We are all here to talk tortoises.

 

[TammyJ]

Hi and welcome to you and your tortoise.

 

[Magnetar]

Heat lamps aren't good for larger tortoises. They slow burn the top of the carapace, while not effectively heating the core. Heat lamps are necessary and beneficial when they are small, but larger tortoises need different strategies.

I'm not referring to the pyramiding on your tortoise. I'm referring to the cleft around the vertebral scutes. That is caused by excessive desiccation and heat, typically found under heat lamps and CHEs on larger tortoises. Also, pyramiding isn't caused by food or protein. Pyramiding is caused by growth in conditions that are too dry.

Heat mats work great on the bottom, and that might be all you need if the temp is staying 80 or higher in the shed, but most people need some overhead heat, or some ambient heat in addition to the heat mat. The links I left for you demonstrate both.

I know you were just asking about the gulars, but we are a helpful bunch here and we like to help people avoid common pitfalls and misconceptions when we can. Feel free to question any of this. We are all here to talk tortoises.

Hi Tom thanks for your informative and helpful reply, from my knowledge too much protein causes the keratin layer of the shell to grow faster than the bony plates beneath it causing shell scutes to develop, also as you rightly point out when they are babies a very low humidity results in severe shell irregularities. The pig mat maintains a comfortable temp within his housing during the winter months except in exceptional cold weather, in that event there is plenty of room for him.

 

[Tom]

Hi Tom thanks for your informative and helpful reply, from my knowledge too much protein causes the keratin layer of the shell to grow faster than the bony plates beneath it causing shell scutes to develop, also as you rightly point out when they are babies a very low humidity results in severe shell irregularities. The pig mat maintains a comfortable temp within his housing during the winter months except in exceptional cold weather, in that event there is plenty of room for him.

The protein thing has been disproven here. About 15 years ago. You will still find it referenced almost everywhere else, but that is incorrect. Ive seen tortoises grown in Florida that were over 50 pounds at 5 years old and had been eating the cat's kibble their whole lives, for one example. Obviously not the correct diet, but these tortoises were smooth as a bowling ball due to the constant high humidity and moisture.

Forum members have been growing them smooth all over the world since about 2010 on any diet. Even ones that are already pyramiding can be smoothed out over time with high humidity and good hydration.

Here is a whole thread on the matter if you want to dive deeper:

The CAUSE of Pyramiding

I just posted this on anther thread, but as it developed, I thought the title of that thread took away from the message and was best in a thread of its own titled appropriately. I have come to believe through all my trial and error, all the things I read and study, all the experiments done -...

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