Pyramiding

[Alan1]

I'm just wondering how many people believe what about pyramiding

[Ozric Jonathan]

I blame the Egyptians

[Alan1]

Originally Posted by Ozric Jonathan

I blame the Egyptians

aye they started it

I'm wondering mainly about new owners and what they've been told

[MiShelley]

I've always thought that it's a combination of all the above but I don't know vey much about it!

I think combo of all sorts but I also think it can happen naturally x

[roofee0778]

I think a combination, and I think it's happening to mine a bit, but food seems to be a lot easier to sort than humidity!

[Alan1]

I have heard..

a high protein diet
feeding too much of anything
irreversible drying out of a membrane when a tort is very young
lack of humidity
not hibernating and growing too fast
not living near water (in the wild)..

yet by 2011 no one has the definite answer, only theories. Has anyone heard any other theories other than those?

[Anita Sayles]

I put it down to overfeeding first and foremost, this can be done on natural food stuff and pellets.
I seen smashing growth where people have fed pellets/natural or combined but I think it has to be monitored to ensure a steady weight gain. Especially on a table where exercise is limited.
I also think tortoises must have access to water, Marley does drink a couple of times a day when on his table.
I can't really comment anymore as I don't know.

[Alan1]

I have one tort which is slightly bumpy and was when I got it and another which isn't much bumpy at all. the bumpy one hardly every drinks at all in the bath or from the water dish but the smoother one drinks in the bath every day, a total head under the water job.

it maybe doesn't mean anything at all but I do wonder if it has any connection with the bumpy ones in the wild living nowhere near a supply of water while the smooth ones live near rivers and streams. i.e. some connection to drinking/ not drinking.

Edit.. of course those living near water will also be more likely to be living in a higher humidity but also more likely to have more lush vegetation available so who knows.

If you look around the internet you will find lots of different places telling you what causes it

•too much protein
•too little calcium
•too much phosphorous (a poor calcium - phosphorous ratio)
•not enough D3
•kidney and/or liver disease (which impair conversion of vitamin D to it's active from), small intestinal disease (disrupts absorption), and disease of the thyroid or parathyroid glands (produce hormones which affect calcium metabolism).
However there are some less obvious, though equally important factors involved

•lack of exercise
•hydration status
•grain based diets
•lack of fiber
•too much food
•being kept too cool source
------------------------------------
Pyramiding has been attributed to six things:

Too much protein

Too much food

Inaccessible calcium

Low fiber foods

Lack of exercise

Hydration status source
-------------------------------------------
Two key theories have dominated discussions on this subject:

The abnormal growth is caused by incorrect diet, specifically by high protein, high energy and calcium deficient diets;

The abnormal growth is caused by lack of humidity or by general dehydration or both source
-----------------------------------------------
Causes of Pyramiding
Depending on who you ask, you may get a different answer, so you'll find that it can be hard to 100% determine the cause of pyramiding, as no one really 100% knows what causes it. It's thought that pyramiding in tortoises may be caused by one or more of the following factors:

•Too much protein
•Too little calcium
•Too much phosphorous
•Too many oxalates in diet

•Too much food
•Not enough D3
•Not enough sunlight

•Not enough calcium

•Lack of exercise
•Hydration status (available water)

•Not enough humidity

•Grain based diets
•Lack of fiber source

hmmm, who to believe, what to believe

[pagan queen]

This warm weather I have noticed both my torts, adult and hatchling, don't eat hardly anything. They both have access to weeds in their outdoor enclosures but rarely eat any. During the winter, every day (except one a week) I supplied as much food as they would eat and they scoffed it down. When I bring my torts in in the evening and offer them food they will scoff it down. I therefore believe that too much food causes pyramiding as all those torts that have lived in gardens all their lives have smooth shells and they don't have access to as much food as we are all too willing to provide.

If you think about where torts come from, in general the vegetation is sparse so they don't get to eat a lot. They are slow growing, moving and live a long time so their food intake requirements are not massive. The less you move the less you need to fuel your movement.