Pyramiding

[_simon_]

From what I've read recently pyramiding also occurs in wild tortoises so not sure how it could be down to over feeding?

[Lyn]

I have no idea. I have 5 tortoises, all kept the same, mostly pretty smooth but one is a bit bumpy. I just try and do the best I can for them and all appear happy and healthy.

[Alan1]

I think I would go for the drying out of a membrane (can't remember what it's called) as a hatchling theory which EJ suggested he believes also and is kind of suggested here too

I have encountered animals with very prominently humped shells in a very arid, water-deficient coastal habitat on the island of Sardinia. As a result of failing rains, the water supply in this region has decreased to such an extent over the past years that hundreds of tortoises virtually dry out every year now. It only takes one extremely dry summer to cause juveniles to grow a humpy bone shell

it's worth reading the whole article
http://www.testudo-farm.de/html/formation_of_humps.html

[pagan queen]

Originally Posted by _simon_

From what I've read recently pyramiding also occurs in wild tortoises so not sure how it could be down to over feeding?

Maybe they're in an area with plenty of food so don't need to go long between meals.

[Eremiel]

the pet shop told me if i feed them to much they would go all bumpy but i dont really know

[NATURALIS]

Originally Posted by caledonia

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?

heat !, climate, on a table we tend to keep them at opimum temps every day whilst it isnt like that in nature.

[Ozric Jonathan]

Slightly off topic, but as we noticed even the totally wild tortoises in corsica do not have entirely smooth shell growth. This might be connected to water supply as there is virtually no rain some years on the island from mid June to late August. There are streams of course, but it might be hard for those tortoises to find any water at times in the summer.

[Helen M]

I like to think there are different kinds of pyramiding caused by different factors.. Its probably quite complicated though.

Helen xx

[Alan1]

Originally Posted by Helen M

I like to think there are different kinds of pyramiding caused by different factors.. Its probably quite complicated though.

Helen xx

there most probably are Helen

[Balboa]

as red foot marg said, "heat" or better lack there of is one that's not on the list that is heavily promoted by one of our members.

Personally, I was tempted to vote humidity, but instead chose "other", as I would say its more correctly identified as environment.

At present, my current belief is along the lines of the actual mechanism by which pyramiding occurs is the scute condition during the growing season. If the material is damaged by being overly dry, excessively hot, etc. it will effect the shape of the carapace.

I tend to feel that the observations by others on food, exercise, etc. are secondary issues that can lead to behaviors that encourage pyramiding. An unhealthy tort may bask excessively and dry out their scutes in an effort to feel better, a tort with gout will not want to move enough to maintain temps, proper microclimates for the moment, etc...

I've used the analogy of a sun-burn before. Do you blame it on what you ate if you get a sun-burn? What if you ate a big meal and a few beers and fell asleep in the sun. You may then blame it on the meal, but the sun is still the actual mechanism of damage.

I have a pet theory that torts are actually designed to pyramid under certain circumstances. It seems to me the ones that pyramid in nature seem to be found in drier, hotter climates than the majority of their species. The pyramiding improves their ability to shed heat when necessary.

I've always been willing to admit that i may have it all wrong however