I have recently acquired a female(?) red footed tortoise from a friend of mine. He has owned her since she was a hatchling but gave her to me when he realized I could better care for it. I don't know enough about tortoises to know how bad of shape it is in, I don't know how detremental pyramiding is to the overall health of a tortoise. I don't know quite a lot of things and I was hoping to get some input. She is a little more than a foot in length and has some massive pyramiding on her shell (some of the pyramiding peaks around an inch from her shell).
When I first got her, she had a pretty bad wheeze, probably due to the low temps. she was kept at(the house stayed at about 70 degrees and she was pretty much right under an air vent). She is now kept in my bathroom where i have closed off the air vent so it stays warm and more humid (I know the bathroom is not the apropriate place for a large turtle, but since none of us have yards, I figured a small improvement is better than none). The wheeze has since cleared up.
I am really curious/concerned about the shell. Not only is she pyramiding, but her shell seems entirely too large for the rest of her. It appears she has trouble walking. She catches her feet on the insides of her shell as she is turning, she also never lifts her shell off of the ground as she moves. I am wondering if there is any way to correct these problems.
Sorry for my ignorance on the subject. I kinda got stuck with a rescue mission with my pants down. Any help or advice is appreciated.


