New Ivory...Need Opinions

This guy came to us today, for a steal I should add, wanted to know what you all thought of his Pyramiding.

Normal? Extreme?

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y81...n/100_7581.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y81...n/100_7582.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y81...n/100_7583.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y81...n/100_7586.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y81...n/100_7587.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y81...n/100_7593.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y81...n/100_7594.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y81...n/100_7595.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y81...n/100_7596.jpg

Guessing male, by the last two pictures.

No idea on your question, but that is the coolest tort I have ever seen!!!!!

I have no idea either lol..but man is he cool looking!

Nice tort! He looks really healthy. I think his piramiding is normal.

He's gorgeous. <3 Sulcata? I was considering buying a couple of those including an ivory and a het or two until I really thought about how big they were going to get and how big an enclosure I'd have to build in the house for them. Darn this attraction I have to pale animals. >.< And darn living in a state where it gets so cold!

I don't think the pyramiding looks too bad, but I'm not an expert. Good care oughtta straighten out any issues he has.

He was 100% worth the price, we are very excited about him!!!

I don't know anything about the pyramiding, but if it's bad, I doubt it's too bad because he looks very healthy from here!

Very very pretty. I am jelous. I would love a tort like that, but for the same reasons as Shadera, it just gets too darn cold here.

LOL Thanx Everyone!

Shadera, he is a Leopard Tortoise, I really really dig the Ivory Sulcatas, pricey thats for sure.

I am lucky to be in Cali for that fact, stays relatively warm all year round.

Leopard, really? -runs off to research-

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Originally Posted by Patrick Long

LOL Thanx Everyone!

Shadera, he is a Leopard Tortoise, I really really dig the Ivory Sulcatas, pricey thats for sure.

I am lucky to be in Cali for that fact, stays relatively warm all year round.

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WOW really!?
That's a VERY high white Leopard. Fantastic steal!

That's one awesome animal dude, Congrats on the new addition

dang pat!! what else are you going to add to your collection??!?!?!?

nice pick up!!

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Originally Posted by Shadera

Leopard, really? -runs off to research-

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Yes Indeed! Scour my fried, scour

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Originally Posted by blackcrystal22

WOW really!?
That's a VERY high white Leopard. Fantastic steal!

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Yeah, I was most happy with the price for this guy...If I told ya, youd go like this :O:O:rage:

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Originally Posted by Lewdogg3

That's one awesome animal dude, Congrats on the new addition

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Thanx broski.

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Originally Posted by Lucas339

dang pat!! what else are you going to add to your collection??!?!?!?

nice pick up!!

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LOL. This was a whim, not a planned adventure.

It's not terrible, but not great either. How does he feel in the hand? Light or heavy? Think a sponge - one with a lot of water, the other with just a little. Same size, but one is heavy the other lighter. With torts, you want the solid heavy feel.

Is the shell nice and hard?

Get the diet right with a nice variety. I forget what they eat in the wild, but if they are like Sulcatas, you want a high fiber diet that includes hay grass.

Diet is linked to pyramiding.

Same for humidity. Be sure you have the right substrate and humdity levels. Include digging areas with moist substrate and\or a humid hide.

UVB is debatable, but most use it (and may play a role in the pyramiding as well). Natural sunlight in an outdoor enclosure would be idea.

Offer cuttlebone for calcium.

Yeah Thanx. He will soon be on Mazuri. He is in an outside pen with night heat.

Solid as a rock, heavier than I would have first though, and his shell is extremely hard.

He eats like a monster, stomps like a monster, must be a monster!

Man he is cool!!!! I read somewhere that they are the 4th largest Tort. Is that correct???

Hey Jeff, they are actually pretty small tortoises.

Maybe volley ball size. Nothing compared to Sulcatas, Burmese, or Galapagos.

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Originally Posted by Patrick Long

Hey Jeff, they are actually pretty small tortoises.

Maybe volley ball size. Nothing compared to Sulcatas, Burmese, or Galapagos.

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A good friend informed me that they are INDEED the worlds 4th largest tortoise.

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Originally Posted by Patrick Long

A good friend informed me that they are INDEED the worlds 4th largest tortoise.

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Yeah, it was me - lol :P I thought I read it somewhere but I wasn't sure.

I just imagined that there were more than 4 tortoises bigger than the Leopard...Huge size difference between the 4th and 3rd........

He is beautiful. It is amazing the size difference between #4 and #3 in size. I always thought there would be an in between.
Congrats thou I love how his markings are so crisp.
As for the pyramiding, as long as his shell is pretty hard and he's a lil heavy bugger he should be fine. I agree it has allot to do with diet and husbandry. As long as he is provided that from here on out he should be fine. And it sounds like he is in good hands.
I think when you have to worry is when they seem "hollow" (best way to describe it) and the shell is on the softer side.
Here is a good example of horribly dangerous pyramiding:
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...cture2_353.jpg
This is a Red foot that came to me in 2000. She was eight when I got her and her prior owners kept her in a 40 breeder, with no heat or lighting, and fed her canned green beans. She is pyramided so bad that if she gets herself flipped over she is unable to right herself. She is now about 17 and lives with my mom who fell in love with her. She is doing fine now but the pyramiding never goes away.
I'm sorry if I hijacked your thread...I just wanted to give a good example of horrible pyramiding.
Again congrats on your new little monster. He is beautiful (I just love the lil bits!)
Rusty

Thanks for drawing my attention to these guys, I hadn't even considered them before. Now it's a toss up between one of these and a redfoot. Or maybe I just need a whole herd of tortoises roaming the yard. :P

Rusty, Im glad to hear that the Red foot is now in proper care. Horrendous what people will do to an animal and think they are doing a "good" job.

Shadera, I really could imagine you as a tortoise wrangler...it could be rewarding!

Pyramiding is quite common in leopards with many found in the wild this way. Not as critical as in other torts, as long as hell is hard and healthy. I think that is a fine specimen and great pickup.

Ther are two kinds of leopards as well, paradilis babcocki which are the smaller more common in the pet trade and the paradilis paradilis which get a bit larger.

Raul, I have heard of the two before. The only ones I've seen into rescue are the smaller more common. Do you know how large the P paradilis get full grown?
Rusty
PS I probably should just google that huh..lol

Now seriously is there anything that you dont have? Where do you keep all your critters. Everythime I see you, you have like 3 new animals. lol. Nice pick up though man. I was looking into getting a leo a while back but decided against it.