There are no shower curtains in nature. Has it ever occurred to anyone that a bit of pyramiding is normal? Explain to me why a tortoise in it's natural habitat is pyramiding? With that said, you can help it not get bad. You can give humidity in a tortoise table without it looking like a weed grow tent....simply use a moisture retaining substrate like coco coir or forest floor and pour 20 ounces of water around the enclosure daily and finish with misting once a day. MVB bulbs, CHE's, ANY bulb producing heat will make humidity on a damp substrate as they bask. After a year my smooth shell Russian male is still smooth, and my female who had deformities when I bought her is now improving.
Even with daily mistings/soakings and a moisture-containing substrate, the humidity at the top of their shell may still be too dry. Leopard tortoises are one species that tends to pyramid more than others in captivity, especially if kept in open air tortoise tables (my theory is that their shells are higher domed than others like Russians so the humidity just an inch higher from the ground may not be enough compared to a more flat shelled tort). Leos in the wild are found with either none or very minimal pyramiding at most. Sure a bit of pyramiding is mostly cosmetic, but it can also be a sign that young tortoises may be kept too dry (hatchlings especially are very prone to dehydration). Hoppy lived the first 3 months of his life outside in a tortoise table in "humid" Orlando and already started showing signs of hatchling failure syndrome (pyramiding, failure to gain weight for 2 months) so I came to the decision that I should try this method of raising him instead. Also, leopard tortoises in the wild hatch out during the rainy season where there would be a lot more humidity than an open air tub that goes through daily dry spells with the occasional break with misting. If I can find any evidence of a leopard tortoise that was raised in a tortoise table that doesn't have pyramiding, then I might reconsider my methods. But even then it would still be just one successful story compared to the hundreds others that were raised in a closed chamber. Nothing we do about keeping tortoises in captivity is natural. True, they don't live in enclosed chambers in the wild, but they also don't live in tortoise tables either. What the closed chamber method is doing is trying to recreate the natural humidity and temperatures that would normally be seen during the rainy season when leos start hatching.
They can’t dig enough in open top tortoise table but if it’s open top and on the actual ground and they can dig inches into the ground then open air is fine. So if there minimal ability to dig then closed chamber is best. To give them more humidity like they would find in the microclimate underground
Pyramiding is relatively normal for leopard tortoise , in the wild these tortoises raised scutes are believed to alert animals like elephants to lift up their feet when they are stepped on
I got my hatchling greek tortoise back in Jan. 11, 2020 and his original weights was 0.63oz. I then weighed him again on Feb. 7 and his weight was 0.67oz. From Feb.7-Feb. 28 his weight remained the same. I weighed him this morning and his weight is 0.63oz. I feed him every morning a mixture of different greens alternating between dandelions, tortoise diet, kale and timothy hay. He always has water available in a very shallow deli lid cup, and i soak him a few times a week. I have uva/uvb lighting, and keep his warm side between 85-100 degrees and cool side between 70-85 as well as humidity 60-80 % . For substrate i have him on a mixture of soil and coco bark. I do currently have him in a 10 gallon tank, but i do have a tortoise table ready for him. I just wanted him to get a little bigger and established before transferring him over to a bigger space. Should i be concerned about his weight? He or she for that matter is my first tortoise and I really want to ensure his has a long healthy life. Could he possibly be suffering from failure to thrive syndrome
From the little info that you've told me, it seems you've got all the temps and humidity set up correctly. I would still try to get him to a larger enclosure asap though. A 10 gallon is super tiny, even for a hatchling. Hoppy took forever to start gaining weight when I first got him, then all of a sudden several months on, he just started packing on the grams. Be patient and wait. They all grow at different speeds. With the kale however, I would limit that in the diet since it works like spinach...too much oxalate content that binds calcium and can form kidney stones
This is really great information and I really appreciate it. I've been scouring the web for literally months doing my due diligence before getting my tortoise and I'd heard mention here and there about humidity, but THIS is the most educational and comprehensive piece of information I have come across on the subject. It would be soooo awesome to see an update....would be great to see what your tort looks like 2 years later, and also any ideas on closed enclosures would be great! Just curious....have you seen any examples of Burmese Star Tortoises raised using this method? They seem to be quite susceptible to pyramiding as like the Leopards.
Hi Brian, check out tortoiseforums.com. People there use this method all the time. Hoppy is doing great! He's about gotten 5x this size? I'll have to check his weight charts. I've since moved him to a Lifetime garden bed (a lot of people use that as an enclosure since it has a plastic top covering to trap in the humidity). His shell has developed incredibly well. A small bit of pyramiding at two of his top 2 scutes, but there's only so much you can do when there's genetics at play too. Other than the top back, he literally has no pyramiding. All the side scutes are perfect. I'm really happy with how he is progressing. He'll soon be big enough to live outdoors safely once the weather picks up. I'll definitely be making a video soon. A lot of start tortoises on that forum are also raises in closed chambers. Let me know if you have any questions
I think mine has this mine is like two months old three hasn’t gain any weight since I got him shell is super soft I swear the breeder I got it from I think he gave me the sickest one out of the batch when I got him the moss he was in was cold and he already had diarrhea also I took him to the vet cost like 200 dollars to give him antibiotics
I wouldn't worry about this little pyramiding, with correct food and humid hide and UVB, it wouldn't get any severe. But if you really want a very smooth shell, I've seen a lot of keepers using closed chamber to keep the humidity really high and stable. But, it's not natural. No animal in the nature lives in closed chamber. Even the tortoises found in their original habitat have signs of some pyramiding. So I think more research are still needed for the husbandry of hatchling, yearling and juvenile tortoises to test the long term impact of the closed chamber theory.
zora zhao He is currently in a closed chamber setup and I agree, it's not natural for tortoises to be in a setup like this, but from what I've read, it appears that closed chambers result in the least amount of pyramiding and hatchling failure, that's why I've chosen this method for Hoppy. Every tortoise I've seen that was raised in an open air (tortoise table) environment as a hatchling has developed a significant amount of pyramiding despite having constant access to a water bowl and humid hide before they even reach a year old. Yes leopard tortoises in the wild can still have some form of pyramiding but there have also been lots of sightings of this species being completely smooth as well. And across all species of tortoises, it seems that captive torts tend to have more pyramiding than wild ones so obviously we still haven't figured out the correct husbandry, but closed chambers produce the smoothest shells so in my opinion they seem to be on a more correct path to proper husbandry than a tortoise table. Pyramiding has been linked to environmental conditions during periods of shell growth...the leading theory now is that keratin that is hard, dry, and inflexible to the bony growth of the shell at growth plates is what causes pyramiding. There's still some debate on whether it's the inflexibility of the growth plate that causes the bone to grow outwards into a pyramid or if it's the growth plate that's pushing down into the shell as the tortoise grows. So closed chambers were designed for young hatchlings up to about 2-3 years old, when they stop growing as fast (depending on species). Once they reach near adult size, they can be kept outdoors with little concerns for pyramiding. This is why I'm concerned about the little bit of pyramiding Hoppy is showing. I'm stopping the progression before it becomes a bigger problem later on. The closed chamber won't reverse what he already has, but it can slow or stop it altogether so as an adult he can still have a relatively smooth shell.
zora zhao Thank you. I agree they need humidity, but in the wild they don’t get high humidity all the time like some people think they need. They aren’t in enclosed humid habitats in the wild. Does high humidity help prevent pyramiding? Yes, but that doesn’t mean that’s how they should be raised in captivity. Humidity, yes. Really high humidity, I just don’t think so bc they don’t get it in the wild.
Donna Nelson There's new data that has come up showing that leopard tortoises and sulcatas hatch during the rainy season and hatchlings are usually found living around marshes where undoubtedly the humidity would be really high. I totally agree that these closed chambers are not natural for captive tortoises but there is an incredible amount of evidence from several tortoise keepers who have been using the closed chamber method for 10+ years (over 20 for one) and have had 100% survival rate (they keep all their hatchlings to measure their data) with babies growing into adults that have the most wild-type looking shell, rounded and with minimal pyramiding. Maybe one day, someone else will discover a different way of raising hatchlings that produce these same results without using a closed chamber. Again, I encourage every tortoise keeper to do ample amounts of research on how to raise their hatchlings and decide for themselves which method they prefer. There is no one right way to do it. I'm just going by the method that I've found to be backed up by the most evidence to produce the most "natural" looking tortoise. If I can find a keeper who has raised hundreds of hatchlings in an open air enclosure like a tortoise table and had success against pyramiding and hatchling failure, I would of course like to know more about their methods, but so far I haven't seen any.
If he was suffering from hatchling failure syndrome your would definitely know. They will look like they are dyeing which isn’t hard to tell. This boy looks like a very happy tortoise Sometimes tortoises thrive when they have some privacy for a bit form their keepers.
yup! Thank you!! That is a lesser known fact that a lot of tortoise keepers don't know, hence why others still insist on using the open air setup, which is not mimicking their natural habitat during hatching season. In the wild, plants really only grow during the rainy season. During the dry season, there is less food and thus less growth for the tortoise. Since pyramiding occurs most prominently during times of growth, it's important to keep this humidity up for as long as possible while the torts are still hatchlings and juveniles. There are theories that suggest that feeding during a "dry season" (open air setup) can lead to pyramiding since in the wild, there wouldn't be much to eat and thus growth naturally slows down in the wild. But since our tortoises are in captivity, and we want to feed it regularly, we need to continue mimicking the wet season. I seen plenty of leopard tortoises as adults with very minimal pyramiding if they were raised in a closed chamber setup.
I had no idea. My baby is 1 year old now and has pyramiding. I will set up a high humidity space for her and hopefully she will be alright. I was thinking of getting her a friend this summer. Is it OK to have a hatchling join her at 1 year old or should I get her a 1 year old companion?
I actually do not recommend housing tortoises together, especially if they are of different sizes, or worse, different species. Reptiles in general are solitary animals and housing them together creates competition, not companionship. I do, however, highly recommend going onto tortoiseforum.org and reading as many articles on there as you can about how to set up a closed chamber. It's really important especially with the heating elements being inside the enclosure that everything is set up properly to prevent a fire risk. Also, depending on how big your tort is, it might only be able to be housed in a closed chamber indoors for only 1-2 years, unless you have a super large enclosure since tortoises need a lot of space for roaming and grazing. Most people don't have that kind of space in their house so end up having to move the torts outside to a yard. But check out the forum and introduce yourself on there. Tons of great experienced owners to help you out.
Hi there, thanks for your video. I start to feel worry if I get one leopard tortoise in the future. I love leopard tortoise and want one. But after i watch this, i am worrying if I can take good care of one in the future. Thanks. Is he still doing okay??
Hoppy is doing quite well! I should make an update video for him. He is over 130 grams now and his shell is growing very nicely. I would highly recommend doing research from multiple, multiple reputable sources on tortoise care and different ways to raise them. Not everyone is on board with the enclosed chamber setup and I have seen other keepers raise their leos in table top enclosures too. But I will tell you the ones I know with the smoothest shell were raised in a humid environment. Good resources I recommend are tortoiseforum.com and the leopard tortoise keepers group on Facebook. There are many people on these 2 sites that have had great success with the enclosed chambers. Good luck!
He's over 2.5 lbs now and growing well! shell with very minimal pyramiding at the top back but otherwise very well rounded. I have to make an update vid soon!
It depends on the species and also on the individual tortoise. I really can't tell you the growth rate but I do know that leopards grow slower than sulcatas! Check out tortoiseforum.org if you're really keen on finding an answer. They have way more experience than me. =)
How many times are you soaking a week how many times are you misting because my sulcata has no pyramiding what so ever and is raised in a open are tortoise table I think thing like real soil and stuff is a most the deeper the better and get the soil wet but a little dry on the top your find that he or she will dig and borrow into but saying open air encloser will cuz pyramiding means you do not have any facts straight at all learn how to keep proper humidity levels which can be obtained inside of an open-air container
jason I soak him daily and mist daily. Hoppy's substrate was recently switched to fir bark that is wet and moist at the bottom, but dry to the touch on the surface. He can burrow in it as he likes.
Slow but steady. he's finally doubled in weight but still really small for his age. All the new growth is coming in nice and smooth. About 85 grams so I wouldn't rule out hatchling failure yet.
Rosemary Castillo can you provide more details in what you mean by trouble pooping? How often does he go, where does he go, how often do you soak, what do you feed him, what’s his enclosure set up look like, temps, humidity.
@@StickyFeets he puts his head inside and pushes to poop and when he does poop it comes out liquid and it's brown mix with yellow. He usually poops in his little house that I have him in. I feed him lettuce, cactus, cilantro, cucumber. I only feed him 3 times in one week and I do not put big portions since he is still a baby. When I have him outside his housing I let him out and he eats grass. I only would soak him once ever week. Since I live in California I leave him outside and his housing temperature goes up to 100 degrees. Humidity I'm not sure, I wet it once in a while.
@@rosemarycastillo4901 Sorry this is so late! I hope your tort is doing better now. The yellow stuff in his poop is probably urates (pee), but the poop should have a somewhat firm consistency (like people poop). If it's just liquid and you can't pick it up without it slipping through your fingers, I'd go to a vet to get him checked for parasites. Lettuce and cucumber can be great treats for torts, but keep in mind it's mostly water content. Good for hydration, but nutritionally, not the best. Be careful with leaving him outside especially if it gets that hot. Without shade or protection from the sun, he can overheat really quick. Also baby torts make good snacks for hawks. I wouldn't recommend leaving them outside unsupervised (unless you have some barrier to protect it from hawks) until they're the size of a small watermelon...basically big enough that a hawk or other large bird can't scoop them up.
there should be some law stating only yearlings tortoise can be sold , so called breeders or backyard ones should bare the responsibility , not earning quick bucks to off load hatchling
There should also be more info given on sulcata tortoises and how big they can get. Here in Florida, everyone wants them cuz they're the cheapest but then owners want to dump them once they get too big after a few years. There's so many that are in need of homes here. I love the bigger species but I also don't have much land for when they become adults.
actual ARK thanks!!! I usually don't care how many views my videos get but this topic is near and dear to my heart since I've been so stressed lately with trying to get Hop to gain weight. So really trying to spread the word. This was definitely a beginners mistake but sadly one that is made way too often due to outdated info being passed on from breeders to pet owners. This almost never happens with other reptiles but with tortoises, it seems like people are just scratching the surface as to what the proper care is.
I totally disagree with you. Yes, they need moisture, but keeping in a closed container is not the way to do it. . You are not a professional. Stop trying to give advice about something you know nothing about.
Donna Nelson Everyone is allowed to have their own opinion on how they raise their pets. I choose to follow evidence-based data...if new research comes up that shows another technique that prevents pyramiding better than closed chambers, I'd be more than happy to look into it. Also I couldn't provide all the info about closed chambers in the video since I like to keep them short, hence the links in the description so people can read into this and decide for themselves if this is what they want for their tortoise.
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
It’s not just humidity either. It’s a combination of heat, uvb, proper food, calcium and humidity. It’s a delicate balance.
i realize I'm pretty off topic but do anybody know a good place to stream newly released movies online ?
@Angel Tanner try flixzone. You can find it by googling :)
@Ricky Kaiden Yup, have been using FlixZone for months myself :)
@Ricky Kaiden thanks, I signed up and it seems like they got a lot of movies there =) I appreciate it!
@Angel Tanner happy to help xD
There are no shower curtains in nature. Has it ever occurred to anyone that a bit of pyramiding is normal? Explain to me why a tortoise in it's natural habitat is pyramiding? With that said, you can help it not get bad. You can give humidity in a tortoise table without it looking like a weed grow tent....simply use a moisture retaining substrate like coco coir or forest floor and pour 20 ounces of water around the enclosure daily and finish with misting once a day. MVB bulbs, CHE's, ANY bulb producing heat will make humidity on a damp substrate as they bask. After a year my smooth shell Russian male is still smooth, and my female who had deformities when I bought her is now improving.
Even with daily mistings/soakings and a moisture-containing substrate, the humidity at the top of their shell may still be too dry. Leopard tortoises are one species that tends to pyramid more than others in captivity, especially if kept in open air tortoise tables (my theory is that their shells are higher domed than others like Russians so the humidity just an inch higher from the ground may not be enough compared to a more flat shelled tort). Leos in the wild are found with either none or very minimal pyramiding at most. Sure a bit of pyramiding is mostly cosmetic, but it can also be a sign that young tortoises may be kept too dry (hatchlings especially are very prone to dehydration). Hoppy lived the first 3 months of his life outside in a tortoise table in "humid" Orlando and already started showing signs of hatchling failure syndrome (pyramiding, failure to gain weight for 2 months) so I came to the decision that I should try this method of raising him instead. Also, leopard tortoises in the wild hatch out during the rainy season where there would be a lot more humidity than an open air tub that goes through daily dry spells with the occasional break with misting. If I can find any evidence of a leopard tortoise that was raised in a tortoise table that doesn't have pyramiding, then I might reconsider my methods. But even then it would still be just one successful story compared to the hundreds others that were raised in a closed chamber. Nothing we do about keeping tortoises in captivity is natural. True, they don't live in enclosed chambers in the wild, but they also don't live in tortoise tables either. What the closed chamber method is doing is trying to recreate the natural humidity and temperatures that would normally be seen during the rainy season when leos start hatching.
@@StickyFeets wow long comment 🐢🐢🐢🐢
They can’t dig enough in open top tortoise table but if it’s open top and on the actual ground and they can dig inches into the ground then open air is fine. So if there minimal ability to dig then closed chamber is best. To give them more humidity like they would find in the microclimate underground
Pyramiding is relatively normal for leopard tortoise , in the wild these tortoises raised scutes are believed to alert animals like elephants to lift up their feet when they are stepped on
I got my hatchling greek tortoise back in Jan. 11, 2020 and his original weights was 0.63oz. I then weighed him again on Feb. 7 and his weight was 0.67oz.
From Feb.7-Feb. 28 his weight remained the same. I weighed him this morning and his weight is 0.63oz. I feed him every morning a mixture of different greens alternating between dandelions, tortoise diet, kale and timothy hay. He always has water available in a very shallow deli lid cup, and i soak him a few times a week. I have uva/uvb lighting, and keep his warm side between 85-100 degrees and cool side between 70-85 as well as humidity 60-80 % . For substrate i have him on a mixture of soil and coco bark. I do currently have him in a 10 gallon tank, but i do have a tortoise table ready for him. I just wanted him to get a little bigger and established before transferring him over to a bigger space. Should i be concerned about his weight? He or she for that matter is my first tortoise and I really want to ensure his has a long healthy life. Could he possibly be suffering from failure to thrive syndrome
From the little info that you've told me, it seems you've got all the temps and humidity set up correctly. I would still try to get him to a larger enclosure asap though. A 10 gallon is super tiny, even for a hatchling. Hoppy took forever to start gaining weight when I first got him, then all of a sudden several months on, he just started packing on the grams. Be patient and wait. They all grow at different speeds. With the kale however, I would limit that in the diet since it works like spinach...too much oxalate content that binds calcium and can form kidney stones
This is really great information and I really appreciate it. I've been scouring the web for literally months doing my due diligence before getting my tortoise and I'd heard mention here and there about humidity, but THIS is the most educational and comprehensive piece of information I have come across on the subject. It would be soooo awesome to see an update....would be great to see what your tort looks like 2 years later, and also any ideas on closed enclosures would be great! Just curious....have you seen any examples of Burmese Star Tortoises raised using this method? They seem to be quite susceptible to pyramiding as like the Leopards.
Hi Brian, check out tortoiseforums.com. People there use this method all the time. Hoppy is doing great! He's about gotten 5x this size? I'll have to check his weight charts. I've since moved him to a Lifetime garden bed (a lot of people use that as an enclosure since it has a plastic top covering to trap in the humidity). His shell has developed incredibly well. A small bit of pyramiding at two of his top 2 scutes, but there's only so much you can do when there's genetics at play too. Other than the top back, he literally has no pyramiding. All the side scutes are perfect. I'm really happy with how he is progressing. He'll soon be big enough to live outdoors safely once the weather picks up. I'll definitely be making a video soon. A lot of start tortoises on that forum are also raises in closed chambers. Let me know if you have any questions
I think mine has this mine is like two months old three hasn’t gain any weight since I got him shell is super soft I swear the breeder I got it from I think he gave me the sickest one out of the batch when I got him the moss he was in was cold and he already had diarrhea also I took him to the vet cost like 200 dollars to give him antibiotics
I wouldn't worry about this little pyramiding, with correct food and humid hide and UVB, it wouldn't get any severe. But if you really want a very smooth shell, I've seen a lot of keepers using closed chamber to keep the humidity really high and stable. But, it's not natural. No animal in the nature lives in closed chamber. Even the tortoises found in their original habitat have signs of some pyramiding. So I think more research are still needed for the husbandry of hatchling, yearling and juvenile tortoises to test the long term impact of the closed chamber theory.
zora zhao He is currently in a closed chamber setup and I agree, it's not natural for tortoises to be in a setup like this, but from what I've read, it appears that closed chambers result in the least amount of pyramiding and hatchling failure, that's why I've chosen this method for Hoppy. Every tortoise I've seen that was raised in an open air (tortoise table) environment as a hatchling has developed a significant amount of pyramiding despite having constant access to a water bowl and humid hide before they even reach a year old. Yes leopard tortoises in the wild can still have some form of pyramiding but there have also been lots of sightings of this species being completely smooth as well. And across all species of tortoises, it seems that captive torts tend to have more pyramiding than wild ones so obviously we still haven't figured out the correct husbandry, but closed chambers produce the smoothest shells so in my opinion they seem to be on a more correct path to proper husbandry than a tortoise table. Pyramiding has been linked to environmental conditions during periods of shell growth...the leading theory now is that keratin that is hard, dry, and inflexible to the bony growth of the shell at growth plates is what causes pyramiding. There's still some debate on whether it's the inflexibility of the growth plate that causes the bone to grow outwards into a pyramid or if it's the growth plate that's pushing down into the shell as the tortoise grows. So closed chambers were designed for young hatchlings up to about 2-3 years old, when they stop growing as fast (depending on species). Once they reach near adult size, they can be kept outdoors with little concerns for pyramiding. This is why I'm concerned about the little bit of pyramiding Hoppy is showing. I'm stopping the progression before it becomes a bigger problem later on. The closed chamber won't reverse what he already has, but it can slow or stop it altogether so as an adult he can still have a relatively smooth shell.
zora zhao Thank you. I agree they need humidity, but in the wild they don’t get high humidity all the time like some people think they need. They aren’t in enclosed humid habitats in the wild. Does high humidity help prevent pyramiding? Yes, but that doesn’t mean that’s how they should be raised in captivity. Humidity, yes. Really high humidity, I just don’t think so bc they don’t get it in the wild.
Donna Nelson There's new data that has come up showing that leopard tortoises and sulcatas hatch during the rainy season and hatchlings are usually found living around marshes where undoubtedly the humidity would be really high. I totally agree that these closed chambers are not natural for captive tortoises but there is an incredible amount of evidence from several tortoise keepers who have been using the closed chamber method for 10+ years (over 20 for one) and have had 100% survival rate (they keep all their hatchlings to measure their data) with babies growing into adults that have the most wild-type looking shell, rounded and with minimal pyramiding. Maybe one day, someone else will discover a different way of raising hatchlings that produce these same results without using a closed chamber. Again, I encourage every tortoise keeper to do ample amounts of research on how to raise their hatchlings and decide for themselves which method they prefer. There is no one right way to do it. I'm just going by the method that I've found to be backed up by the most evidence to produce the most "natural" looking tortoise. If I can find a keeper who has raised hundreds of hatchlings in an open air enclosure like a tortoise table and had success against pyramiding and hatchling failure, I would of course like to know more about their methods, but so far I haven't seen any.
How is the tortoise doing now
Makes a lot of sense to me. Thank you for sharing
If he was suffering from hatchling failure syndrome your would definitely know. They will look like they are dyeing which isn’t hard to tell. This boy looks like a very happy tortoise Sometimes tortoises thrive when they have some privacy for a bit form their keepers.
We have the same name
@@ivangutierrez3507 rep it
In wild the baby leopard tortoises hatch after rain season so i think your talking true!
yup! Thank you!! That is a lesser known fact that a lot of tortoise keepers don't know, hence why others still insist on using the open air setup, which is not mimicking their natural habitat during hatching season. In the wild, plants really only grow during the rainy season. During the dry season, there is less food and thus less growth for the tortoise. Since pyramiding occurs most prominently during times of growth, it's important to keep this humidity up for as long as possible while the torts are still hatchlings and juveniles. There are theories that suggest that feeding during a "dry season" (open air setup) can lead to pyramiding since in the wild, there wouldn't be much to eat and thus growth naturally slows down in the wild. But since our tortoises are in captivity, and we want to feed it regularly, we need to continue mimicking the wet season. I seen plenty of leopard tortoises as adults with very minimal pyramiding if they were raised in a closed chamber setup.
I had no idea. My baby is 1 year old now and has pyramiding. I will set up a high humidity space for her and hopefully she will be alright. I was thinking of getting her a friend this summer. Is it OK to have a hatchling join her at 1 year old or should I get her a 1 year old companion?
I actually do not recommend housing tortoises together, especially if they are of different sizes, or worse, different species. Reptiles in general are solitary animals and housing them together creates competition, not companionship. I do, however, highly recommend going onto tortoiseforum.org and reading as many articles on there as you can about how to set up a closed chamber. It's really important especially with the heating elements being inside the enclosure that everything is set up properly to prevent a fire risk. Also, depending on how big your tort is, it might only be able to be housed in a closed chamber indoors for only 1-2 years, unless you have a super large enclosure since tortoises need a lot of space for roaming and grazing. Most people don't have that kind of space in their house so end up having to move the torts outside to a yard. But check out the forum and introduce yourself on there. Tons of great experienced owners to help you out.
Alternate Reality i have two leos and they do just fine together, but i don’t think u should put a hatchling with a 1 year old.
I love turtles. This video helps me learn more about the adorable animals. Thank you!
Hi there, thanks for your video. I start to feel worry if I get one leopard tortoise in the future. I love leopard tortoise and want one. But after i watch this, i am worrying if I can take good care of one in the future. Thanks. Is he still doing okay??
Hoppy is doing quite well! I should make an update video for him. He is over 130 grams now and his shell is growing very nicely. I would highly recommend doing research from multiple, multiple reputable sources on tortoise care and different ways to raise them. Not everyone is on board with the enclosed chamber setup and I have seen other keepers raise their leos in table top enclosures too. But I will tell you the ones I know with the smoothest shell were raised in a humid environment. Good resources I recommend are tortoiseforum.com and the leopard tortoise keepers group on Facebook. There are many people on these 2 sites that have had great success with the enclosed chambers. Good luck!
How is Hoppy now?
How is he now
Wouldnt they get pnuemonia if humidity to high?
jimmy jonsom not if the temps are above 80 degrees. Warm and damp is good. Cold and damp is bad.
Update?
He's over 2.5 lbs now and growing well! shell with very minimal pyramiding at the top back but otherwise very well rounded. I have to make an update vid soon!
@@StickyFeets Great I look forward to the vid.
Yay!!! I was looking for an update too🙏❤️🐢
what is the growth rate of a hatchling?
It depends on the species and also on the individual tortoise. I really can't tell you the growth rate but I do know that leopards grow slower than sulcatas! Check out tortoiseforum.org if you're really keen on finding an answer. They have way more experience than me. =)
How many times are you soaking a week how many times are you misting because my sulcata has no pyramiding what so ever and is raised in a open are tortoise table I think thing like real soil and stuff is a most the deeper the better and get the soil wet but a little dry on the top your find that he or she will dig and borrow into but saying open air encloser will cuz pyramiding means you do not have any facts straight at all learn how to keep proper humidity levels which can be obtained inside of an open-air container
jason I soak him daily and mist daily. Hoppy's substrate was recently switched to fir bark that is wet and moist at the bottom, but dry to the touch on the surface. He can burrow in it as he likes.
What do you use for your humidity source?
DDK Music He's in a closed chamber so all the humidity stays trapped inside. I usually just spray down his substrate once a week to maintain it at 80%
Thank you for the video
Updates on your hatching??
Slow but steady. he's finally doubled in weight but still really small for his age. All the new growth is coming in nice and smooth. About 85 grams so I wouldn't rule out hatchling failure yet.
Is this for Sulcata tortoise?
Rosemary Castillo closed chambers can be used for any tortoise, it’s actually been best studied on sulcatas
@@StickyFeets I noticed my baby sulcata is having trouble pooping is that normal? Or should I go to the vet?
Rosemary Castillo can you provide more details in what you mean by trouble pooping? How often does he go, where does he go, how often do you soak, what do you feed him, what’s his enclosure set up look like, temps, humidity.
@@StickyFeets he puts his head inside and pushes to poop and when he does poop it comes out liquid and it's brown mix with yellow. He usually poops in his little house that I have him in. I feed him lettuce, cactus, cilantro, cucumber. I only feed him 3 times in one week and I do not put big portions since he is still a baby. When I have him outside his housing I let him out and he eats grass. I only would soak him once ever week. Since I live in California I leave him outside and his housing temperature goes up to 100 degrees. Humidity I'm not sure, I wet it once in a while.
@@rosemarycastillo4901 Sorry this is so late! I hope your tort is doing better now. The yellow stuff in his poop is probably urates (pee), but the poop should have a somewhat firm consistency (like people poop). If it's just liquid and you can't pick it up without it slipping through your fingers, I'd go to a vet to get him checked for parasites. Lettuce and cucumber can be great treats for torts, but keep in mind it's mostly water content. Good for hydration, but nutritionally, not the best. Be careful with leaving him outside especially if it gets that hot. Without shade or protection from the sun, he can overheat really quick. Also baby torts make good snacks for hawks. I wouldn't recommend leaving them outside unsupervised (unless you have some barrier to protect it from hawks) until they're the size of a small watermelon...basically big enough that a hawk or other large bird can't scoop them up.
91% humidity??? Are you sure??
최재호 yup, closed chambers aim for at least 80% humidity
there should be some law stating only yearlings tortoise can be sold , so called breeders or backyard ones should bare the responsibility , not earning quick bucks to off load hatchling
There should also be more info given on sulcata tortoises and how big they can get. Here in Florida, everyone wants them cuz they're the cheapest but then owners want to dump them once they get too big after a few years. There's so many that are in need of homes here. I love the bigger species but I also don't have much land for when they become adults.
How is he ?
He's huge! Almost 3.5 lbs now
That is awesome info!! Hope a lot of people see this and less tortoises will suffer
actual ARK thanks!!! I usually don't care how many views my videos get but this topic is near and dear to my heart since I've been so stressed lately with trying to get Hop to gain weight. So really trying to spread the word. This was definitely a beginners mistake but sadly one that is made way too often due to outdated info being passed on from breeders to pet owners. This almost never happens with other reptiles but with tortoises, it seems like people are just scratching the surface as to what the proper care is.
Great video very informative
My tortoise churromina might have it. She lived 3yrs. She is still alive. She has never grown.
What is your husbandry like? Temps, humidity, diet, UV, soaks, supplements, setup?
How old is he?
Unicorn Indy which one? Dogs are 2 and 3. Tortoise is 5 and a half months
its better to just buy a 30 dollar mini greenhouse.. shower curtains are okay but the greenhouse can provide more space for exercise.
hopes your tortoise survives
He's doing really well! Has about quadrupled in size and weight!!
@@StickyFeetsFeets good for your little tortoise how old is he?
Ysabel Choi he will be about 2 years old this coming August :)
Your dog 😍🤣
Kelly Nicole hahahaha I know right?! its not really apparent in the video but he was full-strength pressing his nose into my face. He's a weird doggo
Bro Ur dog looks so much like mine wtff
Take it to a vet. It might have a parasite.
I totally disagree with you. Yes, they need moisture, but keeping in a closed container is not the way to do it. . You are not a professional. Stop trying to give advice about something you know nothing about.
Donna Nelson Everyone is allowed to have their own opinion on how they raise their pets. I choose to follow evidence-based data...if new research comes up that shows another technique that prevents pyramiding better than closed chambers, I'd be more than happy to look into it. Also I couldn't provide all the info about closed chambers in the video since I like to keep them short, hence the links in the description so people can read into this and decide for themselves if this is what they want for their tortoise.
You have such a pretty nose...🙊
You are so wrong on so much of what you are saying. I hope people just do their own research.