Tortoise Pics

Roachman26

Roachman26

Seventh Instar
Turns out my pyramiding theories were correct. These are my sulcata hatchlings from mid-May. They are now 4 months old and totally smooth. :)

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For those who missed it the first time around, pyramiding has nothing to do with diet, protein, calcium, sunshine or any of the other things that people usually say. It is all about humidity, hydration and moisture. This only applies to hatchlings and very small ones. Even the desert species, like sulcatas and Leopards, need high humidity and warm temps as babies.

Thanks for looking.

 
Roachman26 said:
Turns out my pyramiding theories were correct. These are my sulcata hatchlings from mid-May. They are now 4 months old and totally smooth. :)
dhamvc.jpg


zn92qc.jpg


29dxt7b.jpg


For those who missed it the first time around, pyramiding has nothing to do with diet, protein, calcium, sunshine or any of the other things that people usually say. It is all about humidity, hydration and moisture. This only applies to hatchlings and very small ones. Even the desert species, like sulcatas and Leopards, need high humidity and warm temps as babies.

Thanks for looking.
Click to expand...
Incredible discovery! Good job. :)

Hopefully more people will learn about this. :o

 
Roachman26 said:
For those who missed it the first time around, pyramiding has nothing to do with diet, protein, calcium, sunshine or any of the other things that people usually say. It is all about humidity, hydration and moisture. This only applies to hatchlings and very small ones.
Click to expand...
First bit is incorrect (there is a reason many of us 'usually say' such things), but you are spot on about humidity for hatchlings....of course, this is not news, particularly. Nice G. sulcata, by the by.

 
Toirtis said:
First bit is incorrect (there is a reason many of us 'usually say' such things), but you are spot on about humidity for hatchlings....of course, this is not news, particularly. Nice G. sulcata, by the by.
Click to expand...
I've studied this exhaustively for the last 20 years and have observed all sorts of crazy stuff all over the globe. It has been an obsession of mine since my very first failure in the early 90's. The first bit of info IS correct and that's why its noteworthy enough for mention. I used to say "such things" too until I learned better and saw it repeatedly contradicted with my own eyes. Like the smooth adult sulcatas from New Orleans and South FL who eat dog and cat kibble as a staple. They might not be in such great shape on the inside, but they were wild caught smooth on the outside.

If you've got some time, check this out. It will explain in detail why and how I got to these conclusions.

http://tortoiseforum.org/Thread-The-End-Of-Pyramiding

Thanks for the compliment on my youngin's.

 
I'll be excited to see how things go for you! We are interested in breeding Sulcatas too, in the near future, so I have been doing some research for awhile now. I, too, was duped into believing that it was a dietary issue, so... I'm so glad I found this thread! I thought that these guys were a desert species & needed things hot & dry...so, I'm very happy to find out NOW that I was mistaken, versus finding out after I'd had some for awhile & they were failing.

So, I have seen these things that look like a snake, but are actually PVC, bent up & drilled for misting (they are sold retail, but I forget the name of them)...would it be beneficial to have something like that going in an outdoor enclosure for them at all times? (Or on a timer, so that they are only misted part of the day?) Or, perhaps a misting/soaker hose, hung over the enclosure in one area that is turned on & off periodically? I'm just looking for something a bit on the lower-maintenance side, since I have some 200+ animals to take care of every day! (By myself & not including invertebrates!) ;)

Thanks!

-Carey Kurtz-

Green Oasis Reptiles

 
This is only for hatchlings and babies. Adults are fine in the dry air. This simulates what they go through in the wild. Babies hide out in humid places. Once thy get big enough, they start hanging out topside more often in the hot dry air.

 
Roachman26 said:
This is only for hatchlings and babies. Adults are fine in the dry air. This simulates what they go through in the wild. Babies hide out in humid places. Once thy get big enough, they start hanging out topside more often in the hot dry air.
Click to expand...
Fascinating! I was just reading on a website the other day that they will dig large burrows to hang out in during the heat of the day and that the burrows tend to have the "right" humidity for them...so, I presume the babies would do that, too! (Or perhaps hang out in the parental burrows more often?)

-Carey Kurtz-

 
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