Buyer question
Is a Pancake tortoise good for beginners?
Usually not: our Animal Library rates the Pancake tortoise 2 out of 5 for beginners (protected, specialist).
Source: the Pancake tortoise page in the Everybarn Animal Library. Pancake tortoise in the Animal Library
The detail
Pancake tortoises are flat, flexible-shelled tortoises from rocky outcrops in Kenya and Tanzania. Instead of retreating into their shells, they run and wedge into crevices, making them unusually fast and agile.
- Best fit
- Experienced keepers
- Handling
- 2 out of 5 (Fast, shy)
- Setup complexity
- 4 out of 5 (Rock crevices, security)
- Feeding ease
- 4 out of 5 (Grazer)
What to weigh
Pancakes are critically endangered and CITES Appendix I, so legal animals are scarce and must be documented. They climb and escape easily.