I always used to like tortoises. Even the big ones that I saw when I went to the Galapagos Islands and they smelled *really* bad. We have now acquired one temporarily (a small one, not Galapagos one). He is staying with us while the MIL is in Australia for three months.
However, Plod is a malevolent presence, with his horrible little beady eyes. He gives me the heebie-jeebies. Sure he is just waiting to star in a horror movie. Something like Arachnophobia, but with tortoises
He doesn't hibernate much as he simply wanders indoors at MIL's house when he is chilly so, sadly, he is not asleep as he probably should be right now.
He is living in his little house outside in the day but I have had to put a run around that to (a) stop him disappearing - although I would like nothing better - and (b) keep my naughty but much-loved chooks off his food.
When we HAVE to bring him indoors (i.e. at night), he sleeps in his bed, shut in our cat box in the conservatory.
However, I have no idea what to do with him when it is too cold to put him out but he is not asleep. He is NOT having free run of any part of my house - I have cat poo, chicken poo, fish poo and toddler poo to deal with. I am not prepared to deal with any more. Plus I simply do not want him roaming the house (the cat has been traumatised enough by the arrival of the chickens and the house is her refuge). Nor can I keep him in the cat box as that seems cruel (although an ideal solution from my point of view).
So - to finally get to my point - any ideas on how I can contain a tortoise in a reasonable-sized area indoors, bearing in mind that Plod appears to be the Houdini of the tortoise world?