how and what causes the shell to pyrimid. i have a baby red foot and i dont want the shell to pyrimid. please tell me how to prevent it and what it looks like in the early stages thank you
2006-12-06 16:27:47 · 6 answers · asked by carrieres102584 2 in Pets ➔ Reptiles
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2006-12-06 16:30:25 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 3⤋
Pyramiding can be caused by any or all of the following:
A) A diet with too much animal protein. (Red-Footed tortoises are primarily herbivorous, but animal protein can make up a small part of their diet.)
B) A diet which contains a high percentage of vegetable proteins (beans).
C) Not enough calcium in the diet. Calcium is very important for proper growth and tortoises should be given supplements.
D) Little or no exposure to natural sunlight. Tortoises kept indoors are much more prone. This is why UVB lighting is important. (Reptisun 5.0 is a good brand of bulb)
E) Inadequate intake of Vitamin D3 in the diet and/or too much Phosphorus.
F) Poor diet of iceberg lettuce, etc.
Their proper diet offered should consist of:
Leafy greens (dandelions, clover, endive, etc. - NO SPINACH OR ICEBERG LETTUCE)
Shredded Vegetables (squash, carrots, etc.)
Fruits
Occasional meat based protein treats (low fat dog food, earthworms)
Be sure you provide lots of variety in the diet and you shouldn't have any problems. Here are some great websites to visit for some more in depth info:
Good luck! And thanks for being such a responsible tortoise owner! ; )
2006-12-07 00:40:47 · answer #2 · answered by Lexi P 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
As far as I know, pyramiding is mainly caused by too much protein in the diet. Keep him on a strict, varied diet, with the proper lighting etc... and he should be fine.
2006-12-07 00:33:27 · answer #3 · answered by snake_girl85 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
proper sunlight during the summer, a heating lamp, uv lamp during the winter. proper food. not having the proper lighting and foods can cause prymiding on any tort. instead of growing out in directions, the shell will instead grow upwards.
2006-12-07 00:31:47 · answer #4 · answered by rockerpunkchik 1 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Pay CAREFUL attention to diet, lighting, humidity, etc. To much protein and grains are known to be part of the problem.
My favorite diet article is http://www.petdoc.ws/TortDiet.html
2006-12-07 18:44:49 · answer #5 · answered by Madkins007 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
thats like saying i want to try to change my dogs hair color. cant be done.
2006-12-07 00:29:09 · answer #6 · answered by michielev 2 · 0⤊ 5⤋