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and we LOVE PICS
I have to agree with outside time....I myself have and do use the large rabbit cage wire top for the little ones here....they need outside time but need to be protected (I live in the high desert and ravens are always on the look out for a yummy treat)....the rabbit wire cage top works very well....and it is totally mobile which makes moving the outside space around very handy....
Also, please understand that the greatest development for a baby tort is in the first years....and if you plan to keep your baby indoors until it is five, well I feel you are doing a great disservice to your baby....as well as you will find that he will be a weaker tort in general...he is designed 100% to be born, survive to a suitable size then to begin to thrive...all of which should be inclusive of outside time...this is a desert "arid" species...which does not mean to bake his little butt in a dry enclosure under artificial lights as his world....because these little guys remain in their burrows (which has cooler temps and retain a healthy level of humidity) for such a large part of their rearing years...to deprive him of this part of his life cycle, well, just seems unfair....this species of tort is a tenacious one....however, they need some basics in their life to allow their growth to perform as they are designed to....
Now, I know that some folks do not want to brumate a tort until it is 5 years old (I use to believe this but do not support this way of thinking as a straight line rule). If your friend has three CDTs and they are of different sex---she really should have them housed males away from females---that is actually part of the rules the state outlines---after all, CDTs are a protected species---so the goal to allow folks to host them in their home is to not increase the captive population, but rather to support the displaced CDTs that are backed up in large numbers in alot of rescues....so you may want to share with your friend this part of having a permitted CDT
I would use organic spring mix as a base for your torts diet....I would back off of the bok choy except for a few times a week....dandelion greens and their flowers are a wonderful nutritious food to offer....but dandelion and bok choy as regular parts of the torts diet is going to be too hard on the kidneys over a prolonged period of time...so if "I" were going to choose one---I would ditch the bok choy and allow the dandelion green and flowers to remain....also, the tort will fool you into feeding what "they" want by making you think that they don't "like" some of the items you offer....well, if you get a tort that has you in a training program (lol) you will need to recall quickly that the tort can and will only eat what you present.....so if you want to change up the diet you will want to decide what you are going to feed and then cut that new food item up really small and toss it in with the stuff that the tort likes----then spray the heck out of the entire pile with water---dripping wet...this will make it very difficult for the little bugger to pick and choose what parts to eat....be tough
Lastly, because this species is a desert arid species...they are equipped to be in the sun (shady areas provided of course to self regulate their temps)...they NEED to have exposure to the sun....they need to be out in the fresh air....they need the inspiration for exercise to remain healthy...and outside is so so so very important.....you have a perfect tort....a perfect age....a tort that is now captive by no choice of its own....it is 100% on you to do what is right by this tort.....
What is your current indoor set up for your tort at present? What is the substrate, the artificial uva/uvb and heat set up? What type of hide are you providing in the enclosure...are there hiding places in the hide outside of the hide in the enclosure? How deep is your enclosure substrate? How often do you soak this baby in warm water soaks?
and we LOVE PICS I have to agree with outside time....I myself have and do use the large rabbit cage wire top for the little ones here....they need outside time but need to be protected (I live in the high desert and ravens are always on the look out for a yummy treat)....the rabbit wire cage top works very well....and it is totally mobile which makes moving the outside space around very handy....
Also, please understand that the greatest development for a baby tort is in the first years....and if you plan to keep your baby indoors until it is five, well I feel you are doing a great disservice to your baby....as well as you will find that he will be a weaker tort in general...he is designed 100% to be born, survive to a suitable size then to begin to thrive...all of which should be inclusive of outside time...this is a desert "arid" species...which does not mean to bake his little butt in a dry enclosure under artificial lights as his world....because these little guys remain in their burrows (which has cooler temps and retain a healthy level of humidity) for such a large part of their rearing years...to deprive him of this part of his life cycle, well, just seems unfair....this species of tort is a tenacious one....however, they need some basics in their life to allow their growth to perform as they are designed to....
Now, I know that some folks do not want to brumate a tort until it is 5 years old (I use to believe this but do not support this way of thinking as a straight line rule). If your friend has three CDTs and they are of different sex---she really should have them housed males away from females---that is actually part of the rules the state outlines---after all, CDTs are a protected species---so the goal to allow folks to host them in their home is to not increase the captive population, but rather to support the displaced CDTs that are backed up in large numbers in alot of rescues....so you may want to share with your friend this part of having a permitted CDT
I would use organic spring mix as a base for your torts diet....I would back off of the bok choy except for a few times a week....dandelion greens and their flowers are a wonderful nutritious food to offer....but dandelion and bok choy as regular parts of the torts diet is going to be too hard on the kidneys over a prolonged period of time...so if "I" were going to choose one---I would ditch the bok choy and allow the dandelion green and flowers to remain....also, the tort will fool you into feeding what "they" want by making you think that they don't "like" some of the items you offer....well, if you get a tort that has you in a training program (lol) you will need to recall quickly that the tort can and will only eat what you present.....so if you want to change up the diet you will want to decide what you are going to feed and then cut that new food item up really small and toss it in with the stuff that the tort likes----then spray the heck out of the entire pile with water---dripping wet...this will make it very difficult for the little bugger to pick and choose what parts to eat....be tough
Lastly, because this species is a desert arid species...they are equipped to be in the sun (shady areas provided of course to self regulate their temps)...they NEED to have exposure to the sun....they need to be out in the fresh air....they need the inspiration for exercise to remain healthy...and outside is so so so very important.....you have a perfect tort....a perfect age....a tort that is now captive by no choice of its own....it is 100% on you to do what is right by this tort.....
What is your current indoor set up for your tort at present? What is the substrate, the artificial uva/uvb and heat set up? What type of hide are you providing in the enclosure...are there hiding places in the hide outside of the hide in the enclosure? How deep is your enclosure substrate? How often do you soak this baby in warm water soaks?
