Meet Zhivana, the beautiful little Russian tortoise that I brought home yesterday. After years of pet cravings, long debates with myself and other people over whether or not I had a kitten/puppy/furry creature appropriate lifestyle, and wandering through the pet store multiple times in the same day for at least half an hour each, I have finally taken the plunge. Zhivana is mellow enough to not mind if she sits in her enclosure all day while I'm gone, but social enough to like exploring and having her head scratched.
A bigger and better enclosure is in the works in the next few months, but apparently Rubbermaid has an unwitting monopoly on temporary reptile housing. Seriously. Ask the most reputable tortoise forums on the internet, ask pet shop owners. Rubbermaid is where your reptiles live until you build them elaborate homes.
So far she is still getting used to her new home, so I've tried not to stress her out much, but here are a few pictures. So far her favorite foods are romaine lettuce and green peppers. She'll eat carrots when the rest is gone. The largest she'll grow is about 8-10" and she could live 25 years with proper care.
Her nickname is Zhivie.
