General Care Discussion :: are my hatchlings showing signs of pyramiding?

[REStless]

My hatchlings live on pellets once a day that will fit the size of their head. Supplemented by cuttlebone once a week and I've offered carrots and lettuce lately, they love the carrots but still not on the lettuce yet.

I don't overfeed but I fear that they might be showing signs of pyramiding. I noticed their shells coming to a point when I bought them but didn't know of pyramiding. Now the more I read, the more I think they have it.

I googled a lot of images and it seems that all the images returned hatchlings with some sort of point on the top of their shell. Is this because they are still underdeveloped and they grow in to their shell?

Any feedback is appreciated. These are the best pics I have, let me know if you wanna see more and I'll get some more up.

Thanks.

[TurtleLover_S&B]

I don't think they're pyramiding,but I think is they're just getting bigger and their shells are changing their shape.

[BullDog]

They're looking OK. It's common for hatchling's shells to come to a "point" in the middle.
Keep them on their proper diet, and they'll be just fine

[mikee]

Rest-l - The larger one on the right may be pyramiding just a little. One sign of that is the jagged outer edge of the carapace. That is not uncommon when the larger gets most of the food. That is why I feed mine by hand. I can tell who is getting what and how much. Watch his diet and go from there. Good Luck! m.

[SpotsMama]

Usually when little turtles are fed too much - or fed too much protein - they just grow too fast. You don't usually see much pyramiding until they get a little older. Pyramiding is when the individual scutes are raised up in the centeer - like little pyramids - giving the turtle an overall lumpy appearance.

[megcornell]

The easiest way for me to notice if hatchlings are overfed is to look at the spaces between their scutes. If they have large gaps it means they're growing too fast.
The best way to safeguard against pyramiding is to feed them a balanced diet and avoid overfeeding.