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Tom

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It is terrible. The diet info is poor, they should never be fed fruit, the substrate info is deadly, the lack of water and infrequent soaks would lead to death for a baby and not be healthy for an adult, and the light they recommend will cause pyramiding. Just awful. All the old wrong info. Tortoise cow daily? All grocery store food? What about leaves, weeds and flowers?

Here is the correct care info:

I've personally raised 5 pancakes this way, and know of several others. The results have been universally fantastic. Healthy smooth growing tortoises and grow up and reproduce beautifully. And there is no fertility problem with pancakes. They breed just fine and eggs usually hatch. I suspect the author may have had trouble due to his poor care of the animals.
 

Flapjack

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It is terrible. The diet info is poor, they should never be fed fruit, the substrate info is deadly, the lack of water and infrequent soaks would lead to death for a baby and not be healthy for an adult, and the light they recommend will cause pyramiding. Just awful. All the old wrong info. Tortoise cow daily? All grocery store food? What about leaves, weeds and flowers?

Here is the correct care info:

I've personally raised 5 pancakes this way, and know of several others. The results have been universally fantastic. Healthy smooth growing tortoises and grow up and reproduce beautifully. And there is no fertility problem with pancakes. They breed just fine and eggs usually hatch. I suspect the author may have had trouble due to his poor care of the animals.
That link you posted is very detailed. Very impressive, wow. I just want to clarify, that information is the same for pancake tortoises? Born on a rainy day?
 

Tom

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That link you posted is very detailed. Very impressive, wow. I just want to clarify, that information is the same for pancake tortoises? Born on a rainy day?
The care info is the same. Monsoon conditions. Warm and humid in a closed chamber, damp substrate, daily soaks for babies, humid hide box, etc... I don't know if they hatch on the first day of the rainy season like sulcatas do, but its seems likely. Don't know if anyone has the answer to that question for most species. I do know that monsoon conditions in captivity suit pancakes very well and keep them happy and healthy. I also know that the typical dry conditions stunt them, kill them, and pyramid them, just like most other species.
 

Flapjack

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For the humidity would something like this work to help increase the humidity levels?
 

Kapidolo Farms

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It is terrible. The diet info is poor, they should never be fed fruit, the substrate info is deadly, the lack of water and infrequent soaks would lead to death for a baby and not be healthy for an adult, and the light they recommend will cause pyramiding. Just awful. All the old wrong info. Tortoise cow daily? All grocery store food? What about leaves, weeds and flowers?

Here is the correct care info:

I've personally raised 5 pancakes this way, and know of several others. The results have been universally fantastic. Healthy smooth growing tortoises and grow up and reproduce beautifully. And there is no fertility problem with pancakes. They breed just fine and eggs usually hatch. I suspect the author may have had trouble due to his poor care of the animals.
I'd allow for a cooler cool end, into the mid 70's F. Pancakes can heat stress more easily than other species in my experience.
 

Tom

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I'd allow for a cooler cool end, into the mid 70's F. Pancakes can heat stress more easily than other species in my experience.
I kept mine with a background ambient of 80 and had no issues, but it is good to know that lower temps work too. Thanks Will.
 

Tom

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For the humidity would something like this work to help increase the humidity levels?
It would work, but it shouldn't be used. Its not good for tortoises to be breathing in those little microdroplets of water. That fog can become humidity, but its not the same thing as humidity. Humidity should be maintained in your enclosure by reducing ventilation. A closed chamber. I can keep 80% humidity in my Animal Plastics enclosures with bone dry Sani-Chip substrate and a moderately sized water bowl. I did this with my cribos before switching them to coco chips instead.
 

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