Keeping different species together? no drink? photocycle importance?

[Muffindog]

Ok, so I have a friend who has been keeping tortoises (indian star, radiated tortoise, sulcata, aldabra and red footed tortoise) for a long time, he is keeping them all together indoor, no direct sunlight and he only brings them outside twice a week (weekend). He is using 3 big wattage lightings from exoterra when they are indoor, one is UVA+UVB, another one is UVA only to provide heat, and the last one is infra red bulb, he never once turn off the lamp at night, all lights on 24/7. He feeds them every night with only salad lettuce (the curly edge one) that I read somewhere is not good for tortoise because it can interrupt calcium absorption and he never provides drinking water for his tortoises, he just made the vegetables wet when he gave it to them.

So now he is keeping his tortoise with three violations against the care sheet (different species together, lighting, food and water) for years but his tortoises are all healthy, agile and eat like pigs, the only drawback is that somehow his tortoises are growing slow and lightweight, but their carapace are all beautiful with no sign of pyramiding at all.

How do you guys think about this? How can he do that but all of his tortoises have no problem at all? Does photocycle really important? How about the foods and no water? Small space with 5 different species together? How is that even work? Looks like some people can just keep pets so easily and some can't, even with all the struggle?

I live in Indonesia btw, humidity level is pretty high and air temperature is somewhere around 30C. Can't wait to hear what you guys think about this !

 

[tortadise]

All I can say, is Indonesia is a very good climate for all of those species to be outside, almost year around. I'd have some concerns during the rainy season. But if they had shelter set up properly shouldn't be an issue. Keeping them separate should be done for sure. All those species require a bit different care, food, and need to be separated in my opinion.

 

[Yvonne G]

It takes a very long time to see ill effects of bad care on a tortoise.

 

[wellington]

I think this is animal neglect. How would he like to never see sunlight, have no water, eat the same bad stuff every day, never have the lights turned off and have to live in a small overly crowded space with no way out? Maybe he should spend some time in a prison. That might give him a clue.
Hopefully it won't happen to the poor animals, but when the s**t hit's the fan, it will hit big and the torts will pay dearly.

 

[bouaboua]

I believe it is common practice in some Asian countries that some tortoise hobbyist live in a high-rise apartment, most of time the space are scared. So they housing them all together and very limited sun light.

The condition you mentioned that those torts have very slow growth and light weight are the sign their health are in question. Nice smooth shell and no pyramiding cannot be the only evident of good health. Tortoise under that kind of care may not able to breed, or facing early death. Only few year, or even few more years of keeping them under such terrible conditions may not really show the difference but you cannot say it is the "RIGHT" practice or promoting this kind of practice.

 

[Muffindog]

All I can say, is Indonesia is a very good climate for all of those species to be outside, almost year around.

yes you are right, but I always afraid keeping them outdoor, it makes me worry all the time... so I just take my torts outside at daytime and put them inside at night, they are juveniles anyway...

Hopefully it won't happen to the poor animals, but when the s**t hit's the fan, it will hit big and the torts will pay dearly.

I hope it won't happen either, I heard that next month he will move to a new house with a garden in the front yard, let's hope that I can convince him to put his torts outdoor...

I believe it is common practice in some Asian countries that some tortoise hobbyist live in a high-rise apartment, most of time the space are scared. So they housing them all together and very limited sun light.
The condition you mentioned that those torts have very slow growth and light weight are the sign their health are in question. Nice smooth shell and no pyramiding cannot be the only evident of good health. Tortoise under that kind of care may not able to breed, or facing early death. Only few year, or even few more years of keeping them under such terrible conditions may not really show the difference but you cannot say it is the "RIGHT" practice or promoting this kind of practice.

well, actually it's a rent house and it has a backyard and has direct sun light in the morning... he just feels it's unnecessary and doesn't have the time to put his torts outside everyday.

I have to agree with you, it couldn't be the "RIGHT" practice, and I won't follow his footsteps anyway. The first time I saw them I was thinking it's like a time bomb but it's difficult for me to tell him the right way since he's been keeping those torts like ten years ahead of me and never have had any problem with his way, that's why I'm so curious about this