All Turtles Message Board

cstanton819 · Level 3 Joined: 29 Nov 2004 Posts: 139

I was just watching t.v and they were talking about pyramids on the top shell of a tortise and that it was a bad thing and it was due to poor feeding. My baby is not a tortise but he is starting to get pyrimids at the center of his shell. should I be concerned and if so what do I do about this.
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STRAYKINGFISHER · Posted: Tue Jan 04, 2005 2:52 pm Post subject: Re: pyramids

That would depend on the type of turtle, some turtles have a ridge along the length of the turtle, that is how they are, piramids on a turtle are very serious, someone posted on this board a link to pictures of piramids on a turtle.
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xVBBB Girlx · Level 3 Joined: 15 Jul 2004 Posts: 321 Location: the US

if he gets prymiding then it shortens his life span i would cut down on the amount of food given to him so it doesnt get any worse, and as STRAYKINGFISHER said it does matter on the type of turtle it is, wish you luck
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My brother David

Willie · Level 3 Joined: 16 Sep 2002 Posts: 383 Location: Wisconsin

How much food have you\'ve been feeding him? Often, people who feed to many reptile sticks see there turtles pyramiding. Cut back down a bit and see how that works.
Willie
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2 Eastern Painted Turtles
2 Common Snapping Turtles
2 Texas Diamondback Terrapins
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1 Texas Map Turtle

cstanton819 · Level 3 Joined: 29 Nov 2004 Posts: 139

thanks
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dixieee · Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2005 2:13 pm Post subject: Re: pyramids

ok then keep floating green leaves in the tank with him so he\'ll eat it when he is hungry
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Wed 10/27/2004 is the worst day..i lost my best friend Leo

so now i have a female RES, Green, and a cute stupid male YBS, Mint

5/4/2006 RIP Lemon, u were my first rescue and i'm so proud of u. will never 4get u

STRAYKINGFISHER · Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2005 3:16 pm Post subject: Re: pyramids

I read that pyramiding is irreversible, so be careful about feeding.

Try these sites for info on pyramiding:

http://www.chelonia.org/Articles/Pyramiding.htm
http://www.turtlestuff.com/pyramid.html
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mariza · Level 4 Joined: 10 Jul 2003 Posts: 1339

The degree to which it can be reversed depends on the age of the turtle (and how long the condition has existed). If you feed your turtle a balanced diet and don\'t overfeed in addition to a proper habitat, you shouldn\'t have to worry about pyramiding.
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""You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed."" -Antoine de Saint Exupery-

STRAYKINGFISHER · Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2005 4:45 pm Post subject: Re: pyramids

o0hamburger0o · Level 3 Joined: 07 Dec 2004 Posts: 201

is to much feeding the result of this?
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i didnt burn down that house this box of matches was all i could save
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my turtle is just the best

mariza · Level 4 Joined: 10 Jul 2003 Posts: 1339

4. Too much grocery produce containing too much moisture, few vitamins and little fiber.
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""You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed."" -Antoine de Saint Exupery-

o0hamburger0o · Level 3 Joined: 07 Dec 2004 Posts: 201

i took a closer look at my turtle and found out they are over wieght so i have cut back to once a day and i am feeding them premade hot house turtle food that is recomended by turtle breeders so this food wont have to many vitimins will it
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i didnt burn down that house this box of matches was all i could save
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my turtle is just the best

dixieee · Posted: Fri Jan 07, 2005 3:54 am Post subject: Re: pyramids

u can also take them for a walk daily..if the weather is too cold outside then do it at home..i use cushions or books or anything to make a fence and they have the whole area to walk and excersise..they\'re doing it every other day now cz i have exams but when i\'m done they\'ll do it at least 1 hour daily
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Wed 10/27/2004 is the worst day..i lost my best friend Leo

so now i have a female RES, Green, and a cute stupid male YBS, Mint

5/4/2006 RIP Lemon, u were my first rescue and i'm so proud of u. will never 4get u

cstanton819 · Level 3 Joined: 29 Nov 2004 Posts: 139

So I relly need to watch what I feed him and how much. I kind of don\'t want to put floating greens in there because it really makes for more tank cleaning. I think maybe it might be the animal protiens. I was feeding him frozen beefheart at least three times a day. I stopped that though. But how do I know if he is getting enough vitamin D3. Should I get him some supplements?
I also don\'t exercise him. Should I start doing this?
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mariza · Level 4 Joined: 10 Jul 2003 Posts: 1339

He can get the Vit D3 he needs from a UVB light (he needs this in addition to a heat/basking light). Many reputable commerical pellets also contain Vit. D3 (and many powdered calcium supplement do as well), but A UVB light would be the best as added insurance. (In the summer, taking him outside on warm days for unfiltered sunlight several times a week would meed his UVB needs.) The UVB rays are converted to Vit D3 when he basks.
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""You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed."" -Antoine de Saint Exupery-

yaya · Level 4 Joined: 10 Jun 2004 Posts: 558

Mariza,u said the ratio calcium/vitD/phosphorus are important...i know it\'s easy to give too much phosphorus but my question is;is it easy to give too much calcium and vitD? like i use rep-cal for supplement(roll the humid pellet in it)is there a average i should do it?should i do it every time i feed or only once a week?? maybe i should post that in another post?!?Sorry!!
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i'm not a expert,i just try to help....

mariza · Level 4 Joined: 10 Jul 2003 Posts: 1339

I\'ve heard both that too much calcium is possible and that it isn\'t really a worry with turts. The symptoms of too much Vit. D3 are similar to those of having not enough Vit. D 3. If you feed a varied, balanced diet, your turtle should be OK. I used Rep-cal as well, and my RES gets it about twice a week (he\'s going on 3 years of age--if he were a hatchling, I\'d give it a bit more often). The Rep-Cal contains Vit D3 and he also gets some Vit D3 he gets commerical food like Reptomin. He basks a lot under a combo UVB/UVA mercury vapor light, which gives out a lot of UVB rays compared to regular UVB lights. He gets a lot of plant matter that has good calcium content (dandelions, kale, collards, chicory, etc.) I also keep a few pieces of cuttlebone floating in his tank as a secondary calcium supplement and replace as needed. I think www.tortoisetrust.org has info on the calcium/phosphorus/Vit D3 connection if you do a search on the site (sorry, don\'t have the link in front of me).
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""You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed."" -Antoine de Saint Exupery-

yaya · Level 4 Joined: 10 Jun 2004 Posts: 558

thx a lot...i will check it out...
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i'm not a expert,i just try to help....

booboo · Posted: Tue Jan 11, 2005 5:33 pm Post subject: Re: pyramids

what do pyramids look like does anyone have pix
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once a turtle owner always a turtle owner

xVBBB Girlx · Level 3 Joined: 15 Jul 2004 Posts: 321 Location: the US

its like raised bumps on the turtles shell that come to a rounded point each scute becomes one not something you realy want to happen Exclamation

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My brother David