Feeding and Nutrition :: Pyramiding

[Mech Cb]

How can I tell if my turtle is starting to do the pyramiding from over-eating? I think mine may be starting, but I'm not sure if I'm just being paranoid.

[theartbook35]

Well, first, putting up a picture of the shell will help.

If the scutes start taking on the shape of a cone that is really protruding outward, then yes, the turtle is beginning to pyramid. If it very slight, chances are it will become less noticeable with a few sheds.

[Mech Cb]

I'm looking for my camera-once I find it, I can get pics. I just changed the water, so it's a great time to get pics!

[marisa]

The shape of the individual scutes takes on a raised appearance, not the shell as a whole. The shape of hatchlings' shells sometimes looks a little "pointy" but this is not pyramiding.

That pic of the shell dry would help.

[Mech Cb]

.







See on the top of his shell where it's a little pointy? That's what I'm talkin about.

[untsmurf]

That's normal, it's not pyramiding. Pyramiding occurs on all scutes, not just a few.

Here's a link full of pictures of turtles with pyramiding:
http://www.turtlestuff.com/pyramid.html

We should have a sticky with pics of what pyramiding looks like and how to prevent it.

[Mech Cb]

I was thinking there would be one for such a common thing, but I guess I was wrong. So what are some early signs I can watch for to make sure I'm not overfeeding. Right now, we're not sure on his age, so we're feeding every day just to be careful.

[untsmurf]

Age is basically impossible to know unless you or someone you know witnessed the turtle hatching. You can guess, but you can't really be 100%. Because of that, you should go by the size of your turtle or its approximate age. Between 1'' and 3'' turtles should be fed by the hatchling guidelines. Around the 3''-4'' mark, you should start lessening the amount of pellets and introducing veggies to your turtle's diet. All the nutrition guidelines are on the main site, located here:

http://www.redearslider.com/index_nutrition.html

[steve]

Also keep an eye out for seams that get too wide, indicating fast growth or scutes overlapping, also indicating fast growth (or a lack of shedding).