Humid hides and pyramiding in hatchlings

[paulus]

Hi guys and girls

I have noticed a small amount of pyramiding on one of my hatchlings and obviously I'm quite concerned, they are fed on a diet of weeds sprinkled with calidust some days and reptavite other days, heating is by a standard heat bulb and uv via a 12% UVB bulb the length of the tort table so I feel this is ok, but open to any comments.
The two things I'm considering may be going wrong is lack of humidity or over feeding. Planning to cut down the amount of weeds but I seem to remember someone telling me it not possible to over feed weeds is this right ? I spray the enclosure at night but must admit I don't every night and only recently started.

Should I provide them a humid hide? If so what do you use for this.

Sorry for the long post, all help great fully received.

[Essexbrummie]

How often do you bath them?

[paulus]

Every morning for about 20 mins shortly after the lights come on and just before I feed them
Sorry forgot to add that

[shellonia]

Well I use one of the larger twiggy hides for my hatchlings. You can soak this in water daily and if you don't mind the mess stuff some sphagnum moss under it.You can buy this as a dry 'brick' and just soak as much as you want. But they do drag it around the table so if tidiness is important it won't do!! Daily bathing and spraying is also the most important thing.
Some do just grow faster than others though-I have a huge herman female whose hatchlings are double the size of the others every year, even though their hatch weight isn't a lot different. When you feed a lot of hatchlings you can't stand by as an umpire! Some are just greedier than others.You can only do so much.

[paulus]

This hatchling does seem to be very greedy and has been since hatching! Haven't noticed it on any of the others but they have now gone to new homes and the others we have are still very young. Just want to do the best by the others we have growing! This is our first year breeding so its a steep learning curve! I will get some of the moss tomorrow, thankyou

[Alan1]

At one time I used one of those wooden half log things, habba hut is it? it was made from larch and I used to soak it in water every 2 or three days. these http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=hab...w=1600&bih=731

just noticed that there is some difference in prices for these - some of the giant sized ones are £17 or £19 and surrey pets are only £8.78 and no dilevery fee if you can actually get to their shop in surrey http://www.google.co.uk/products/cat...d=0CGQQ8wIwAQ#

you would only need a small one if getting one. I did find that they tend to climb over them and fall off though

[shellonia]

Originally Posted by caledonia

At one time I used one of those wooden half log things, habba hut is it? it was made from larch and I used to soak it in water every 2 or three days. these http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=hab...w=1600&bih=731

just noticed that there is some difference in prices for these - some of the giant sized ones are £17 or £19 and surrey pets are only £8.78 and no dilevery fee if you can actually get to their shop in surrey http://www.google.co.uk/products/cat...d=0CGQQ8wIwAQ#

you would only need a small one if getting one. I did find that they tend to climb over them and fall off though

Yes they do fall.that's partly why I use the twiggy, bendy ones as they have a bit more foothold

[Alan1]

I use the flower pots now, because they are clay - when you spray them with water it seeps into it but no doubt dries out quite quick too

[Pussygalore]

if you use cork bark over an area that is regulary sprayed it won't dry out so fast, the bark is waterproof so doesn't absorb the moisture in the air, and if that area is near a heat source it will remain nice and humid underneath. Having said that I spray my hatchlings table several times a day I also have growing plants (in the substrate) which because they are watered help keep that area damp and the torts like sitting under the leaves, I have no pyramidding in any of mine.