Sulcatifornia said:Hello everyone, I'm a new member,
Thanx so much!
Alyssa
Hi Alyssa:
Welcome to the forum!!
Sulcatifornia said:Hello everyone, I'm a new member,
Thanx so much!
Alyssa
Paganthegoat said:My first Tortoises were raised in the early 1980`s , we hadnt a clue no one had and i found i had this Pyramiding, as time went on and everyone learnt more i had read that it was too much rapid growth much the same as a puppy getting a complete high protien puppy food and then being given vitamin and calcium suppliments on top .
We saw this a lot when complete dog foods came out (bone deformaties in pups), and the explaination seemed to make sence for the Tortoises too.
I last saw my youngesters when we moved they were the oldest about 15 years , the pyramiding had smoothed out in later years as i guess they had gone out more as they got older.
With a new clutch in the incubateing chamber im hopeing if thier fertile to get it right this time , very interesting thread .
Paganthegoat said:Growing them fast was not my goal either just keeping them alive in the early 80`s was considered over here as an achivement, so it was some time before i actualy knew i had a problem. There was no internet and more or less no books, the only available resourse was the BCG in the UK .
So its great to see another take on the subject , what interests me tho is lots of different Tortoises come from different habitats , some of which dont actualy have a lot of humidity , so is this the case accross the board on all baby Tortoises as i have Mediteranian species ?
Not for one minite trying to argue a point just trying to find out as much as possible and not make assumptions on my part
Tonka said:Hey Tom,
Great thread you have going - very informative for newbs like me. I have a sulcata hatchling that was purchased with what I think is mild pyramiding. He is still only about 2-2.5 inches long so I'm hoping there is a chance to get him relatively smooth again as he grows. Have you had much luck turning things around for hatchlings that got off on a rocky start?
Has anyone ever used a household humidifier to amp the humidity in the room they keep their tortoise table in? I'm wetting down and remixing the coconut substrate I'm using, as it is the only way I can keep the humidity over 80 and thought keeping more moisture in the whole room might help.
Tonka said:Hey Tom,
Great thread you have going - very informative for newbs like me. I have a sulcata hatchling that was purchased with what I think is mild pyramiding. He is still only about 2-2.5 inches long so I'm hoping there is a chance to get him relatively smooth again as he grows. Have you had much luck turning things around for hatchlings that got off on a rocky start?
Has anyone ever used a household humidifier to amp the humidity in the room they keep their tortoise table in? I'm wetting down and remixing the coconut substrate I'm using, as it is the only way I can keep the humidity over 80 and thought keeping more moisture in the whole room might help.
FranklinAndTara said:I just got a couple of sulcatas... they have been raised outdoors in florida (super humid) and they are Pyramided.... But the woman i got them from said "i only fed them romaine lettuice"
onarock said:Tonka's Dad, I know there is one member using a humidifier to up the humidity right in the tortoise enclosure (Hustler) in Canada. As far as people using them to humidify the entire room I believe there are a few on here doing just that. As far as trying to keep the humidity over 80%, thats a bit overkill. If you back down your basking temps to a more moderate 85-95 degrees you wont need as much humidity to compensate. Good luck
Tom said:I suggest you let your tortoise be your guide.
kbaker said:Tom said:I suggest you let your tortoise be your guide.
Well said...and it took how many posts?
Fernando said:There is an Aldabra breeder here on the forum named Aldabraman (Greg). He lives in Florida and says that you guys have the humidity part, but he attributes it also to diet too. But then again his aldabra are kept outdoors year around.
Tonka said:Thanks for the insight on the over 80% - nice to know I can back off on that a bit since re-wetting the substrate (well beyond just misting) was a pain. I'll have to look into the reptifogger.
onarock said:A recent field study of leopard tortoises at both high elevation and sea level was conducted over a year using remote probe thermometers inserted up the tortoises cloaca.