Pancake hatchlings in their new enclosure (lots of pics)

Meg90

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These two beauties arrived today. They were hatched by fellow forum members Tim/Robin. These are my first babies in the house since about 2008, and its mesmerizing! The kiddo with the thicker cream pattern is a real go-getter, not shy at all. Her sister is a little more reserved, but it is only day one. I have some ideas for names, but haven't quite decided yet.

The plan for these two is to keep a detailed growth chart, scl and gram weight. I am also hoping to find out if a baby with a lot of light pattern initially, ends up lighter (or darker) as an adult than a baby with less light patterning.

When I was looking for hatchlings to purchase, I was initially drawn to the ones with thicker cream markings, but then I found a thread by Cyan who owns a half sibling to these babies (same sire) named Brennan. She didn't have the super thick cream that I was initially looking for, and her transformation was incredible, she got quite a bit of light pattern as she grew. I know these two don't look radically different as far as pattern and color, but one is definitely a little darker than the other. I am excited and curious to see how these babies mature, and if they follow suit patterning wise as their half sib. They are unsexed for now, but incubation points to probable females.

I'm so excited to watch them grow!

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Kapidolo Farms

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Nice looking tortoises, I'm glad my reference worked out for you all @Tim/Robin

When I raised several pancakes at a zoo, I would photocopy their plastron (actual tortoise in the machine, plastron only I don't like putting tortoises on their backs) to link size and growth to an individual until they were large enough to be PIT tagged. The plastron pattern would not so much change as it would grow different as the tortoise grew. What was laid down as a pattern did not change, but how the pattern occurred with new growth was often different, the expected pattern from a small amount of growth would not be realized necessarily.

I also did a volume to weight ratio 1 CC of pancake tortoise weighs very nearly exactly 1GM. As they have strange physiology, tortoise wise, they do not conform to the ratio mentioned elsewhere on TFO. Someone uploaded an image from a Vet Guide Book with an algorithm for estimating proper weight based on length (Susan Donoghue wrote the insert in the book). That ratio does not work best with pancake, but if you use it you will get a consistent chart, that alongside the Donoghue chart would be a handy tool for pancake owners.

Here is formula with a plentiful explanation by @Madkins007 http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/tortoise-weight-formula-tbmi.38420/
 

CourtneyG

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Lovely looking cakes you have there. They will need some humidity though to help with smooth development of the shell.
 

Meg90

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I spray the enclosure once per day as per the advice of Tim and Robin :) I also keep 70 or so New Caledonian Geckos in my reptile room all of whom need humidity, and the current ambient humidity in the room averages around 70%. I do also spray their little caves extra, the ones they usually spend the night in. To simulate a nice moist burrow for them. In the winter I am prepared to cover the cool side of the enclosure to make sure levels stay up :) But thank you for the tip!

I've raised Greeks in the past, this girl was my pride and joy. I had finally gotten a good formula down, and I raised her smoothly from a 5wk old.
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CourtneyG

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I spray the enclosure once per day as per the advice of Tim and Robin :) I also keep 70 or so New Caledonian Geckos in my reptile room all of whom need humidity, and the current ambient humidity in the room averages around 70%. I do also spray their little caves extra, the ones they usually spend the night in. To simulate a nice moist burrow for them. In the winter I am prepared to cover the cool side of the enclosure to make sure levels stay up :) But thank you for the tip!

I've raised Greeks in the past, this girl was my pride and joy. I had finally gotten a good formula down, and I raised her smoothly from a 5wk old.
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Great to hear! I definatly cannot wait to see how they grow and how their shell patterns change. Over winter time mine went into a half hibernation like state, ate less(would go a week without eating) and only wanted grasses to eat, would hardly touch their greens.
 

Meg90

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Did you reduce the photo-period or temp range? Or did they do that all on their own with normal temps and the same amount of light?
 

Meg90

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Little update, took the kids outside on this warm fall day to snap some shots, had to bring my fiance out as well to be a wrangler, these two love to MOVE.
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And a few lil collages of their growth, these pics are 8wks apart exactly.

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