comparison between raising pancake or sulcata

[marcy4hope]

besides the obvious differences in size - as far as raising a youngster, could anyone give me more info on raising a pancake tortoise. i'm currently raising a sulcata. "he" is 13 months old and has a great looking shell. i keep humidity levels high. this winter, i would like to get a second tortoise to raise (separately from the sulcata, of course) and am debating between a pancake tortoise or a leopard tortoise. am just researching right now and would love advice from experienced pancake owners. this is a current photo of my 13 month old.

 

[Tom]

The enclosure for a pancake would need to be built with their wild habits in mind. More vertical space with horizontal shelves for hiding. And you'll need to make it more escape proof as they can climb as well as some lizards. The diet for a pancake would also likely include less grass and more leafy green stuff.

Personality wise, they are going to be a bit shyer than your sulcata. Some keepers report that they only come out every other day to eat and then go hide again. Some people say they hide all the time indoors, but are active and outgoing outside, while other keepers say just the opposite. It will really just depend on your enclosures and the individuals you end up with.

 

[tortadise]

Baby pancakes are more delicate than a baby leopard. They do hide alot. I have witnessed them rarely eat any grass like tom said. They really only eat greens not even really cactus all that much. They are awesome, kinda reclusive. They will run out to the food masacre it and then go back to their hides. Same temps as a sulcata, The hides need to have humidity but ambient humidity does not need to be a crucial part of the enclosure. They are pretty smart, and can climb very very well like tom stated as well. It depends on you. They differ quite a bit from sulcatas and leos. Lots of hides are needed, and they dont bask. they like water bowls to urinate/defecate in all the time. Crushed granite mixed with dirt is a great substrate for these guys with a nice stack of flag stone shimmed 2-4" high for hides.

 

[EKLC]

I have a pancake and a sulcata. My pancake has a very rocky enclosure and has a rock tunnel he likes to spend a lot of time in. However, he comes out to climb and eat every day, and its pretty fun to watch. He will eat cactus and greens from hand, but will make a run for it if I don't play my cards right.

I like that pancake torts are very good indoor torts. I feel better about keeping my pancake inside if the weather is bad because a pile of rocks is all his heart desires.

That's just my experience, I have not kept pancakes for long

 

[mrlax]

I have no experience with Sulcatas but we do have a 3.5 mo/old pancake that has been doing great in our care. Oscar hatched in mid-June, and we took him home in July. He was around 24g then and is now around 41g. Obviously a much smaller species, he has thrived in our indoor enclosure. We have a mesh outdoor enclosure we let him play/bask in when the temperature is appropriate and the sunlight hits our deck to warm it up, but that is getting rare this time of year in San Francisco as we are mostly fogged in. He is eating everything we give him - the majority of his diet is wheat grass (bought at the grocery store and trimmed daily), red & green dandelion leaves, moistened Zoo-med grassland tortoise pellets, kale, and then occasional spineless cactus, zucchini, shaved carrots, arugula, and sometimes a tiny bit of mushroom. Wheat grass is a part of every meal, but we mix the other things up and his meals are never identical from day to day. He is a great eater and always is excited when food is placed in his enclosure. We have not given him any fruits...

He has about 12hrs of light, 24h of heat via ceramic bulb with a high-temp of near 100, low around 78-80 w/ a shut-down thermostat at 83 (in the low zone). Humidity stays around 45-50%, we mist 2-3 times a day. He gets a bath for about 15 minutes daily (and usually poops in it). He does spend a lot of time in his little 'hideouts', but activates around 10am daily, gets a bath, then eats like a monster. We supplement him with a bit of a calcium powder (called Miner-all- for indoor reps) 5-6 times a week, and once a week with a multi-vitamin called Herptivite. Additionally, I have some heavily blendered (nearly powdery) alfalfa/timothy hay which I sprinkle on his food lightly for added fiber. After eating, he will sometimes lay out under the basking light (UVB 10.0) with his little legs extended, or sometimes he passes out in his food dish even. He wanders around a bit during the day, likes to climb!, takes an afternoon nap, then usually comes out to nibble a bit more. A few of his pics and pics of his enclosure are attached- his water bowl isnt shown as I was in the midst of cleaning- but we use a small, shallow terra-cotta flower pot/plate. He likes his water bowl and I catch him drinking every day or so.

I'm by no means an expert, but I'm using a variety of advice derived from both the breeder in the Bay Area as well as this forum. I have little experiences with tortoises, but this guy seems to be prospering from what I can tell. I would highly recommend this species as a pet, especially if mostly indoors. My wife and I are truly fascinated by this little creature. If any more veteran keepers of this species sees any problems/concerns with the care I have described, I truly would appreciate your advice!