Me and my dad have been brainstorming ideas for the tortoise we want (I've decided, with the help from you guys, that a CB russian is the best way to go). I'm not exactly sure where the tortoise is going in a few years when I move out, because it's really going to be more of my dad's pet than mine I think, I'm just going to be more of a primary caretaker (so maybe it is more of my pet, lol). So I'm not sure if it will be staying here when I leave, or going with me. That's not really very important, because either way I know it will get great care. Something tells me though that it will go with me, because I think my dad under estimates the amount of work that goes into keeping a little tortoise healthy.

But anyways, here's the actual plan for how I think things will go down. I'm going to start out with a large rubbermaid container, and the lid will be replaced with a piece of plexi with screening for a heat lamp, and an 18" UV light hanging in on the inside. I am going to put about 2-3" of soil in it (with more in some places than others). I will put a warm hide and a cool hide....basically they will be boxes about 1-2" high, 4" wide, and 8" deep (to make it easier for them to get out of sight). I will also put a pile of hay (or something similar...pretty much what you guys suggest) into the corner of the cool side. The water and food dishes will be sort of in between the hot and cool side, but more towards the cool side. There will be a heat lamp on the hot side that gets the basking spot around 90-95 degrees.

So that's the starting point. I have two custom enclosures (4'x2') holding lizards right now, and I was planning on building a third, but instead I think we're going to use the wood and other materials that would go into making the third cage, and make it different. It will be 4'x2'x16" (maybe a little taller) and probably raised up off the ground slightly. It will be wood sides and floor, and a plexiglass top (what would be the best way to ventilate this enclosure?). The lighting will be on the inside, it will be setup roughly the same as the starting setup, and it will double as a coffee table. That's the plan for now at least. I'm not sure how that plan might change between the time that we actually get the tortoise and the time that we need to make the switch over (which hopefully won't be too long).

For the short summers we have here, we are going to make an area where the tortoise can hang out. There's a garden in the back that's about a quarter of a circle, with a radius of 8'. I think we're going to make a brick wall around it (and put an underground barrier), and that will be where the tortoise can get some supervised outdoor activity. This is not really an area where you want to let a pet like that outside on its own for more then just a little bit. We have raccoons, skunks, possums, coyotes, dogs, cats, and the occasional bobcat. I was thinking about coming up with an idea for a top for the garden, but There is a tree in the garden, and the bushes go higher than the wall will go, so I think it will be better this way. Besides, when weather is nice, we're usually out there every day.

How does that sound so far? I think as long as we make sure not to put any pesticides in our yard, it would also be fun for the tortoise to walk around the yard (with supervision), especially in the spring when there are tons of dandelions sprouting up.

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