Navigating the Incubation of My First Pancake Tortoise Egg 🐢🥚
![](https://panzerparadies.de/images/avatars/7f/1-7f44a1065e8e89fe49b7c29a99becbeb2951a9c0.jpg)
As mentioned in the introduction, it was high time for a new terrarium for the Pancake Tortoises, and now it's also slightly larger.
A major inspiration came from owners in the German Facebook group "Pancake Tortoise – Malacochersus tornieri". A big thank you for the inspiration. The terrariums I saw there were mostly open terrariums. The advantages seem clear, which I didn’t realize immediately. You live and learn. Since my Pancake Tortoises' terrarium is right by the window, they now get a bit more natural light. I also considered a post by "Oliver Fischer" from X-Reptile on Reptil-TV. I've now increased the lighting intensity. Instead of two 70-watt bulbs, I'm now using one 70W and one 100W HID lamp. Additionally, an LED lamp lights up the back wall. I'm currently considering whether to install a third lamp, 35W or 50W HID, but I'm waiting to see how the new light output looks over the next few days. After all, the African savanna is quite bright.
I had the plates made to order at "Expresszuschnitt" and ordered matching aluminum profiles from "Alusteck." Everything custom-made. Ideal for someone not so handy like me.
The following materials were used:
It took me two days, and I even took a day off work for this. But it was worth it. The old shabby wooden terrarium is history and will soon be disposed of in pieces as bulky waste, and the new terrarium shines in the living room. Here and there, I will still make minor adjustments soon. First, I miscalculated the floor substrate slightly. I will add some more sand-clay over the next week. Secondly, a new ballast is needed. One of the devices made a cracking noise when turned on and then, unfortunately, stopped working.
In retrospect, I've made some minor adjustments, including expanding the lighting with another LED. The broken ballast was replaced. Furthermore, I've added a bit more sand-clay.