#pyramiding

Hey there! Mango was rescued when she was two years old; up until that time she had received extremely bad care and has horrible shell deformities as a result.

The other tortoises have perfectly fine shells for captive tortoises. It is almost impossible to get tortoises with perfectly smooth shells in captivity. It’s not entirely understood why this is but it probably has something to do with minor deviations from their exact wild diet and humidity levels but also the fact that captive tortoises spend less time digging through dirt and rocks, squeezing under logs, having their shells chewed by predators, getting banged up in mating attempts or fights, etc.

Mild pyramiding is entirely a cosmetic issue and does not effect the health of the animal. If you would like to read Waffles’ official statement on the issue you can find that here.

Generally it is not a good idea to jump to conclusions about a tortoise’s current care based on the fact that they are pyramided/have other shell deformities. Considering that tortoises live for several decades and that many of them outlive their owners or change hands many times throughout their lives (and that bad care can leave permanent deformities even if it happened years and years ago) it’s really not fair or logical to assume that the current owner caused the issue.

Pyramiding is a shell deformity where the keratin scutes begin to pile up on top of each other, which gives the shell a bumpy look. In extreme cases the underlying bone and spine can become deformed as well. Serious pyramiding can be understood as a form of metabolic bone disease, but it has a lot of causes that can include incorrect C:P ratio, too much protein, low humidity, and insufficient UVB lighting. We don’t yet fully understand exactly what causes pyramiding and it’s very difficult to get a captive bred tortoise without even a slight degree of pyramiding (very mild pyramiding is just an aesthetic issue).

As far as I know all turtle species that have keratin scutes (so this would exclude turtles like softshells that do not have scutes) can develop pyramiding. Though some species of tortoise (such as Indian star tortoises) have naturally bumpy shells that superficially resemble pyramiding. 

Red eared slider with pyramiding (source)

Sulcata tortoise with severe pyramiding (Source)

https://h-qualityitems.com/bodybuilding-workouts-and-pyramiding-the-most-appropriate-way/

Setting goals is an important part of any bodybuilding workouts program and tailoring your workout program to achieving these goals is crucial.

Knowing what you want to achieve and how you’re going to go about it is a surefire way of keeping your interest too.

Here in this article, we need to talk about: Bodybuilding Workouts and Pyramiding | The Most Appropriate Way

Too many people have unrealistic expectations of what they want to achieve and little or no idea of how they’re going to get there.

Before long, the once regular trips to the gym become a grind as the realisation sets in that in order to meet those original goals will require a lot more effort than first thought.

(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPJbFTShwmM)