My male has low body weight.

Peter_in_Thailand

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I am new to tortoises having only kept snake and lizards for many years however I fell for pancake tortoises there is something special about them.

I have a group 1.3.1 my females and juvenile are doing well however I am concerned about my male his body weight is lower than the females. He eats and drinks regularly unfortunately where I live in Thailand the Vets don't have much experience with Tortoises. I haven't seen any worms in his stool and am reluctant to treat him with Panacur until his weight increases.


What should I do?
 

Peter_in_Thailand

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Here is a photo of their enclosure.
K9Kmnai.jpg
 

Yvonne G

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Males usually are a bit lighter than females. As long as he eats and acts normal otherwise, I wouldn't worry too much. Try putting him in warm water daily for about 15 minutes (into a container he can't climb out of). Dehydration makes them seem a bit light.
 

Gabriel Mattei

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I guess you live in Thailand right? I own many pancake tortoises, they are amazing! That cage for them is too small, crowded and dry. I keep mine outside in huge enclosures with scattered slate rocks all over the enclosure. I never feed them store greens I just plant my own seeds, I get from tortoise supply. Can I ask you how long have you had them for and also did you produce any hatchlings? You may be wondering if it is too humid to keep them outside but no it isn't, believe it or not our climate is perfect for them. We don't get cold snaps, humidity is perfect to keep them hydrated and I never had any tortoise get respiratory infections from living outside. What I would do is get them outside and feed them more grasses (you can get dried hay and grass at chatchuchak and sprinkle it on their food for now). You bought them from chatchuchak right?
 

Peter_in_Thailand

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Hi Gabriel,
I have only had them a few months now and yes I bought them at Chatchuchack. I also grow my own food for them we have two large tubs of water morning glory that we harvest daily for the tortoises and iguana. I supplement them with Mazuri LS and as a treat some Mazuri Tortoise and lizard. I have tried giving them some Timothy Hay I soak it first but they don't seem to like it much. I also give them varied greens like kale etc plus some shredded carrot and pumpkin squash. Of course supplement with vitamins and calcium.

Unfortunately I don't have the space or the security to make them a large enclosure. The enclosure in the photo has a heavy locking steel screen on it. During the day we have a tortoise run on the grass where they get more exercise and sun.

How long have you been keeping your Pancakes? Have you had any breeding success? I would love to buy CB Pancake tortoises. I have bred snakes and lizards for years however this is my first try at tortoise and they are my favorite.
 

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Yelloweyed

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Hi :waves:, isn't chatuchak amazing! I wasn't interested in reptiles when I lived in Thailand but we did get a rhesus monkey from that market.
 

Gabriel Mattei

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Yes i have bred pancake tortoises for 5 years and they are difficult to breed if wild caught. This is because they are shy and it takes a LONG time for them to get used to their surroundings. I would really skip morning glory as a staple as it is high in oxalic acid again if I were you I would order the tortoise supply african grazer and grow it in a big tub that has drainage or anything on that line. From my point of view giving them a healthy diet makes them so much more active. Do you know what shop you bought yours from, just describe it or the vendor. Just curious to know if you might have found a new shop in the maze. Just a question what species of lizards and snakes do you breed?
 

Peter_in_Thailand

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I only found one vendor that sold them. The shop is tiny and outside not undercover. In Thailand so far I have only bred ball pythons. Green Tree pythons are my focus however it will be another year before I attempt to breed them. Otherwise I have a few Leopard Geckos and Blue Tongue skink. I haven't bred them they are just pets.
How about you what are your interests?
 
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