Pyramiding

[Jeremiah]

Hi all,
After seeing the pics of Dan's new Hermann I'm worried about the pyramiding on my male Jeremiah. I got him in April and he was very lumpy. He's a Slovienian import but looking at his shell I wouldn't imagine that he is wild caught (or else was very young) He's 5 years old. He's 11.5cm and weighs 340 grams. He's gained 20 grams since April and is on a strictly weeds diet.

My question is can you see any new growth and how do I know if the new growth is smooth. Is he still small enough to make a difference?
thanks Louise

[piglet]

Hi Jeremiah
The bumby growth on your tortoise is possibly due to excessive feeding even an all weed natural diet can case sudden shell growth leading to pyramiding.
Now i have seen far worse than this on many a tortoise and have animals here who are very much more pyramided compraed to yours .
Do you hibernate your tortoise and how often is your tortoise offered food do you give the aniaml time out doors etc.
In my experience your tortoise does have some growing to do and even though you can't correct whats wrong now you can certainly stop it getting any worse.
Darren
very nice tortoise by the way

[saucysqueezy]

I have noticed that one of our hermann's has began to show a defined shell in that each square marking is slightly raised he's the more active of the two and eats less than the other one yet the other hermann still has a fairly smooth shell

i'll try and post a picture up but i think i'm overly worrying

[Jeremiah]

Hi Darren,

Ive only had him since April but I do intend to hibernate him this winter.
He's outside on dry days from 9am to 7 pm. He loves it outside and is only in on the most miserable of days. When he's outside recently Ive seen him eating dead leaves and decaying plant matter. Does that mean he has a defiecency in his diet? I feed him once a day and until recently he would go several days without eating and just as I'd be getting worried he'd eat. but now he's eating every thing I give him. Which is a small veriety of weeds once a day. (I think it took him several months to fully settle in.)

Thanks Louise
P.S he has a lovely personality too

[piglet]

Louise
sounds like your doing everything normal he sounds like he has a perfect home , as for eating dried leaves its natural tortoises will eat anything and hermann in particular like to try most things , dried leaves would be part of the wild died in the drier araes of a hermans range .
the bumping of the shell is probably due to incorrect feeding at his holding arae prior to you buying him most are fed on cabbage and lettuce to excess
Darren

[saucysqueezy]

Originally Posted by piglet

, as for eating dried leaves its natural tortoises will eat anything and hermann in particular like to try most things ,
Darren

feel lucky louise, ours has a fetish for leather which is a costly nibbling fetish for a tortoise to have!

[Fallen Angel]

Originally Posted by saucysqueezy

feel lucky louise, ours has a fetish for leather which is a costly nibbling fetish for a tortoise to have!

Is it ok for torts to eat leather?

[Jeremiah]

As long a he's only eating it!
I'd worry when he asks for a jacket and a pair of leather chaps!!!!!!!!!

(JOKING! just incase anyone takes me seriously)
Louise

[Eddie]

my tort eddie, looked very similar to Jeremiah at that age. the breeder told us he had over eaten and was very greedy, hes now 10 and his shell is still a little bumpy, but it has smoothed out slightly. take a look at the pictures in the thread named "My eddie, advice welcome"

[Jeremiah]

Hi Eddie,
You tortoise is beautiful . I admired him on the other post.

I'll be very happy if Jeremiah's shell resolves itself and looks like Eddies in a few years.
Thanks for that!
Louise