pyramiding - help for a newbie!

[abs]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to the forum and about to get my first Hermanns tortoise on Monday and I'm very excited!

I just wanted to ask about pyramiding. The tortoise I'm buying (from a breeder) looks very smooth from the pictures she's sent me, and obviously i want to keep it that way! I've been reading some of the threads about pyramiding and the general consensus seems to be that over feeding and too much protein can be the cause of pyramiding - these are two things I feel I'll be able to control pretty well. The third thing that seems to come up in these threads is that some humidity can help to prevent pyramiding - this is the one that confused me, as I thought the reason you shouldn't keep Hermanns in vivs was because they're too humid and can cause respiratory problems.

Can anyone give me any advice about how to provide sufficient humidity to reduce the risk of pyramiding, but not too much that will cause other problems?

Thank you!

[paulus]

From what I can understand and what I use for my hatchlings is a humid hide, several ways of doing this, either damp sphagnum moss in the hide which is what I use but it can be a bit messy as the tend to pull it out when they come out of the hide in the morning or a damp sponge stuck to the roof of the hide. As I say I use the sphagnum moss and don't find it too bad I just have a clear up with any uneaten food when I bath them in the morning. Also I spray the soil after the light go off at night to dampen down the soil a bit. Hope this is of help, just what I use others may differ

Ohh and welcome to the forum and good luck with your new tort, may it be the first of many

[Bindi]

Some say that the powerful lights we provide our torts with can result in the drying of the new growth on a torts shell, which could possibly contribute to a pyramided appearance.

By providing a humid hide you are giving the tort of the option of a humid area if he wishes. Hatchlings and young torts ( as well as older ones!) often choose to dig down in the roots of plants, for protection and perhaps because it is a little humid in there

[tortik]

I am aiming at 50-60% humidity and to achieve that I spay the enclosure and torts with water every now and then. Also, I have two in the same enclosure, on the same diet, same care etc, and one is perfect, but the other has a bit of pyramiding - not everything depends on us.

[EJ]

It doesn't make much sense to think that too much food or protein causes pyramiding if you give it a little thought. Tortoises need both to properly develop and grow.

The primary factor in pyramiding is temperature... as reptiles tortoises need a good temperature to properly develop. The next important factor is hydration which facilitates the metabloism of all the nutrients the tortoise takes in and helps make the growth margins plyable.

A viv makes it so much easier to maintain the proper environmental conditions mentioned previously. Unless you spray down the enclosure on a regular basis the chances of it becoming too humid in the enclosure are pretty small considering the general indoor climate in the UK.

A small humid hide will usually retain the moisture within a small area.

Check out this book for some added guidence...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Russian-Tort.../dp/0793828821
The book covers all Testudo.

Originally Posted by abs

Hi everyone,

I'm new to the forum and about to get my first Hermanns tortoise on Monday and I'm very excited!

I just wanted to ask about pyramiding. The tortoise I'm buying (from a breeder) looks very smooth from the pictures she's sent me, and obviously i want to keep it that way! I've been reading some of the threads about pyramiding and the general consensus seems to be that over feeding and too much protein can be the cause of pyramiding - these are two things I feel I'll be able to control pretty well. The third thing that seems to come up in these threads is that some humidity can help to prevent pyramiding - this is the one that confused me, as I thought the reason you shouldn't keep Hermanns in vivs was because they're too humid and can cause respiratory problems.

Can anyone give me any advice about how to provide sufficient humidity to reduce the risk of pyramiding, but not too much that will cause other problems?

Thank you!