Pancake Tortoise — Fact Sheet

Malacochersus tornieri · Pancake Tortoise

📋 At a glance

🏠 Enclosure

• Use a broad indoor pen or secure warm-season outdoor enclosure; crevice safety comes first
• Adult starting footprint: about 150 x 75 cm (1.1 m²); groups need more space
• Use firm soil-sand or dry loam around rock structures, with a small local humid refuge
• Fit a secure lid or inward lip and block cable exits
• Avoid glass tanks with poor airflow, loose rock piles, abrasive gravel, and persistently damp substrate

🪨 Enclosure furniture

• Anchored rock modules, bonded slate stacks, or artificial crevices that cannot shift or crush the animal
• Provide tight shaded retreats, including one that opens for inspection
• Separate basking, feeding, cool, and locally humid zones
• Low stable ledges for climbing and wedging; no unsupported slabs

💡 Lighting

• UVB is essential indoors; aim for Ferguson Zone 3 at shell height in the basking area
• Preferred setup: T5 HO UVB tube plus a separately controlled basking lamp
• A measured mercury-vapor system may work in a sufficiently large enclosure
• Check UVI at shell height; replace lamps by measured output and manufacturer guidance
• Direct outdoor sunlight is useful; glass and most plastics block useful UVB
• Photoperiod: 10-12 h with modest seasonal adjustment; no night light

🌡️ Temperature

• Basking spot: 34-38 °C

• Warm zone: 24-30 °C

• Cool zone: 22-25 °C

• Night: 18-22 °C

• Create a gradient from basking stone to shaded crevices

• Measure rock surfaces with an infrared thermometer and ambient zones with digital probes

• Guard and control heat sources; avoid heat rocks and uniformly hot enclosures

💧 Humidity & water

• General humidity target: 30-50%, with local short-term access around 50-60%
• Keep the enclosure dry and airy overall; stagnant damp crevices are hazardous
• Provide clean shallow water that cannot trap the tortoise or soak the substrate
• Check juveniles and new animals for dehydration; brief controlled soaks may help
• Keep rainfall cues mild; avoid extreme wetting or cooling

🥬 Diet

Feed freely:

• Safe weeds, grasses, plantain, dandelion, sow thistle, mulberry leaves, hibiscus, and other fibrous browse

In moderation:

• Mixed leafy greens and soaked high-fiber tortoise pellets; keep portions conservative

Avoid:

• Fruit-heavy diets, animal protein, dog or cat food, bread, dairy, and rich soft produce

Supplements:

• Plain calcium or cuttlefish bone; use multivitamins sparingly and maintain effective UVB

🩺 Health — warning signs

• Scrapes, swelling, or shell damage → unstable or abrasive rockwork
• Persistent hiding with weight loss → stress, incorrect temperatures, or illness
• Sunken eyes or dry urates → dehydration or excessive heat
• Nasal discharge or wheezing → respiratory disease or damp stagnant housing
• Soft shell or weak growth → inadequate UVB, calcium, or diet Consult a reptile-experienced veterinarian for crushing injury, breathing signs, prolonged refusal to eat, shell softness, diarrhea, or sustained weight loss.