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Old 17-01-2012, 09:10 PM   #21
pwinkie03
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i appreciate what you are saying, and if it comes to it when they are bigger then ill have to make the space for them, i'm not the kind of person to just get fed up of an animal and bung it up on a website. I will have a big outdoor enclosure for the summer, space outside is not an issue. if i have to separate them at a later date, then i will find the space for them. i have 2 spare bedrooms at the moment but am thinking about space i can use long term. i am seeking advice to make it the best it can be before getting an animal. i've already spoken to 4 pancake owners from another site, and am waiting to hear back from others, i have a friend who keeps many different reptiles and strong contact with a reptile reserve and very good reptile shop who can help me whenever i need it. the feedback i've had from them has been positive, so i'm giving it a go. if i build the table and it doesn't work then obviously i will have to rethink, but where's the harm in trying? i understand that you are just giving your opinion, and thank you for it, im not taking the decision lightly, i understand its a massive responsibility! thats just the kind of person i am! Louise
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Old 18-01-2012, 07:46 PM   #22
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Your doing your best and you will figure out the best design eventually! I think it will be a wicked house once its all done + dusted. Best of luck with building it and working it all out x
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Old 18-01-2012, 11:54 PM   #23
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thanks! we just went to buy all the stuff to build it, ill make a new thread soon showing the build once i've got a few pictures Louise
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Old 25-01-2012, 10:17 PM   #24
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Originally Posted by pwinkie03 View Post
thanks! we just went to buy all the stuff to build it, ill make a new thread soon showing the build once i've got a few pictures Louise
Looking forward to it
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Old 25-01-2012, 10:39 PM   #25
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already had 2 disasters! managed to smash our car window trying to get the wood in *doh* and then cut the piece of wood at the wrong angle making it too small so we had to buy another lot... hopefully ill have some pics of the beginnings by the weekend! Louise
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Old 26-01-2012, 09:35 PM   #26
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I will be interested to see how this works. I know Pancakes are famous for being good climbers, but, in my experience, unless they have to they don't actually tend to climb up anything too steep. The drawings do give the impression of fairly steep ramps. I would cover the bottom few inches of the plexi glass with something solid or they will spend their lives trying to walk through it.

You may find that they will spend all of their time on the bottom level where the heat lamp is and with this in mind be sure to place hides on all levels. They need to be able to dissapear at a moments notice in order to feel secure.

I'm not sure what age the Pancakes you plan to get will be, but if only youngsters I would actually have suggested a smaller enclosure rather than anything too large. I originally had my 6 hatchlings in the table below, but found that they just spent all of their time hidden.



I quickly downsized their enclosure to the much smaller tub shown below and because the vast majority of the enclosure was covered they would actually spend more time out in the open than when in the larger table.



They are now 4 years old and have moved from the tub to the first table shown and more recently into an even larger table. I personally think their time spent in the smaller tub where they felt secure has made them much bolder as they have got older.

Hope that helps - you will enjoy Pancakes, they're a great species to keep!
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Old 26-01-2012, 10:35 PM   #27
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Your idea with the UVB tubes under each floor is a good one.

The ramps... you can glue either sand or gravel for better footing. You can also add rails for footing.

As for falling... they are designed to deal with it. The shell is very soft and they can very easily right themselves. I had one fall from 2.5 meters without injury.

Final suggestion... Henrys design is the most common with most Pancake tortoise keepers. This setup is relatively inexpensive and something that is really close to what they really seem to like and doesn't look bad. They really do like to climb even if they don't have to.
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Old 26-01-2012, 11:11 PM   #28
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Can't wait to see this design built,its like grand design's for tort tables,don't be suprised if Kevin mecloud pitches up half way through the build lol
Looking forward to seeing the pictures
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Old 26-01-2012, 11:18 PM   #29
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Henry-flash View Post
I will be interested to see how this works. I know Pancakes are famous for being good climbers, but, in my experience, unless they have to they don't actually tend to climb up anything too steep. The drawings do give the impression of fairly steep ramps. I would cover the bottom few inches of the plexi glass with something solid or they will spend their lives trying to walk through it.

You may find that they will spend all of their time on the bottom level where the heat lamp is and with this in mind be sure to place hides on all levels. They need to be able to dissapear at a moments notice in order to feel secure.

I'm not sure what age the Pancakes you plan to get will be, but if only youngsters I would actually have suggested a smaller enclosure rather than anything too large. I originally had my 6 hatchlings in the table below, but found that they just spent all of their time hidden.

I quickly downsized their enclosure to the much smaller tub shown below and because the vast majority of the enclosure was covered they would actually spend more time out in the open than when in the larger table.

They are now 4 years old and have moved from the tub to the first table shown and more recently into an even larger table. I personally think their time spent in the smaller tub where they felt secure has made them much bolder as they have got older.

Hope that helps - you will enjoy Pancakes, they're a great species to keep!
Thanks, that is really helpful! the bottom third of the plexiglass will be covered and the drawing is no longer quite accurate, i have addressed the steepness issue so it wont be nearly that steep! The pancakes i will hopefully get from Alex, are 2011 hatchlings, bearing in mind what you have said i might try them with the ground and first level, and if they don't use it just close off both upper levels until they are bigger! When designing it i was very aware that all people kept saying was "more space more space!" and being the floor space was only aprox 2ftx4ft had to reach a more long term solution before being able to continue. There will be multiple hides on each level, i want them to feel safe . im prepared to downsize if i need to, I have ALL the stuff i need, in theory i could get them tonight and i would be ready! lol.. its just building the table thats taking time. If i start them off in say, a plastic storage tub for example, what kind of size would you recommend? its been really useful having feedback from a pancake keeper!!! thank you so much, Louise
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Old 26-01-2012, 11:22 PM   #30
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EJ View Post
Your idea with the UVB tubes under each floor is a good one.

The ramps... you can glue either sand or gravel for better footing. You can also add rails for footing.

As for falling... they are designed to deal with it. The shell is very soft and they can very easily right themselves. I had one fall from 2.5 meters without injury.

Final suggestion... Henrys design is the most common with most Pancake tortoise keepers. This setup is relatively inexpensive and something that is really close to what they really seem to like and doesn't look bad. They really do like to climb even if they don't have to.
thanks for your feedback! i was planning to use astroturf on the ramps, to make it nice and grippy.. and also they wont be nearly as steep as they look in that design, we soon adapted our plans! im thinking now to start in a smaller tub, while the big one is being built, then by the time its all finished and perfect, the torts will be a bit bigger and i can introduce them to the proper table one level at a time. It really helps having pancake keepers views, so thank you again! Louise
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0.0.2 Pancake Tortoise - You can see more of Sheldon, Swarley and Spartacus (RIP) at... http://www.youtube.com/user/SheldonandSwarely


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