Pyramidding soggy or dry?

[Mighty_Quinn]

think i need to invest in one of these, dont thing the little spray bottle i have does the trick.....how often should the topsoil be changes out??

[Alan1]

if you can avoid them peeing in it it can go on for a few months, 3 months maybe but it depends how big it is and how good you are at getting them to pee in the bath and picking up old food and craps

[Ozric Jonathan]

My tortoises basically all get the same care and conditions but they are all different in the smoothness of the growth. What's going on there? Maybe some of them are more prone to getting a bit bumpy, maybe some of them are poor at drinking the water. Or maybe some of them make different choices about how much basking to do at what temperature.

[Alan1]

Mine were 2 year olds from Slovenia when I got them, one was smooth and one was slightly bumpy only up the central scutes. Now at aged 6 they are still the same, the bumpy one's scutes have remained in proportion to the rest of it, no better and no worse.

Prescott exotic vets reckon the damage is done between age 0 and 2 and recommends a viv be used until the age of 2 for easier control of humidity. He is in fact of the opinion that they shouldn't actually be sold under the age of 2

[filardimarg2]

My sister in law has a tortoise that is hardly ever bathed, the soil is never wetted or sprayed, it is fed on salad all the time & is kept on a small table. The tort is very big for it's age, like 5 inches long & has a heat mat & uv, no basking bulb.
My 3 are bathed most days, fed mainly weeds, just the odd day fed pellets, i wet the soil every night, i use a basking bulb & uv & they are kept in a large table. They are aslo about the right size for their age (so i'm told)
My sister in laws tort is VERY pyramidded, mine are smooth......i think this tells you what causes pyramidding.

Marg.

[Ozric Jonathan]

Originally Posted by Alan1

exotic vets reckon the damage is done between age 0 and 2 and recommends a viv be used until the age of 2 for easier control of humidity.

I agree that the first 2 years are crucial and if the growth becomes bumpy during that time then it is never going to be smooth.