Knucklehead move

SteveW

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So you know how you're not supposed to buy compromised animals who's demise is imminent, lest you intervene? But then you find a hatchling pancake in a tiny aquarium on alfalfa pellets being pummeled by a trio of sulcattas and so you spend your leopard money and now I could use some help.

Here's what we know:

Some urates in first soak, nothing unusual
Ate some dandelion and clover
Plastron is super soft. No idea what normal is fir these rascals, but deflection is approaching nerf.

I'm trying MVB/CHE/UV strips in different combos, working on a temp gradient.

Any ideas from pancake folk or others with hatching rehab experience is appreciated.

P.S. Nice to be back, post-app-apocalypse or whatever that was.
 

wellington

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Sounds like a nice move for the tortoise though, that's a really good thing.
I can't help with their care. Off hand I can't think of who has them to give an alert too.
@tortadise might be able too help. Hopefully other Pancake owners will see this.
Good luck hope it all works out.
 

Kapidolo Farms

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When I produced many at the Philly Zoo I kept them in very simple set-up. Each alone in a sweater box on a slight angle. the lower portion wet with a small yogurt cup lid for water, and a yogurt cup cut in half for a hide. The paper towel substrate was changed when soiled or fouled from food. They were fed three times a week (zoo protocol) and I set them in the yogurt cup lid once daily for them to have the opportunity to drink - made for them. The paper towel was wet each morning from changing the lid, but dried out by the end of the day.

The ambient temp and humidity in the room was 78F and about 60 to 70% RH. The sweater boxes where about six inches below what was then the cutting edge in UVB lighting ZooMed T12 'regular' tubes (if I recall correctly). The actual temp under the light was as high as 95F but more often about 87 to 90 at it's daily peak. They grew perfect shells pretty fast. Adult size in about three years.
 

SteveW

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Thanks!! I've currently got a 80-100 degree gradient. The shop was dropping him down into the 70s to prepare for hibernation. Yeah, I know. No signs of UR or pyramiding, so there's that.
In other news I'm considering the name 'Denny' as to me that means both pancakes and poor decision making.
 

Toons1978

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So you know how you're not supposed to buy compromised animals who's demise is imminent, lest you intervene?
Many of us have, I currently have a very healthy cherryhead that was on death's doorstep the day I acquired her. a Month of antibiotics, force feeding, and pedialyte soaks fixed her right up.

Plastron is super soft. No idea what normal is fir these rascals, but deflection is approaching nerf.
That sounds normal to me. Pancake tortoise plastrons are not complete/solid shields, as babies the only bone is along the outer rim of the plastron. Even the carapace boning is reduced. As they age the bones expand some but there will in most cases be an open diamond at the center of the plastron. there was a great research paper published recently on this exact subject. Search "An Updated Description of the Osteology of thePancake Tortoise"
 

SteveW

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Many of us have, I currently have a very healthy cherryhead that was on death's doorstep the day I acquired her. a Month of antibiotics, force feeding, and pedialyte soaks fixed her right up.


That sounds normal to me. Pancake tortoise plastrons are not complete/solid shields, as babies the only bone is along the outer rim of the plastron. Even the carapace boning is reduced. As they age the bones expand some but there will in most cases be an open diamond at the center of the plastron. there was a great research paper published recently on this exact subject. Search "An Updated Description of the Osteology of thePancake Tortoise"

Thanks! I've been doing reading along this line. As a pancake newbie, it sure feels wrong.
 
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