Hi everyone. Glad to be here. My name is Karen and I live in the desert in southern California. I am a second grade teacher and have 4 kids of my own: 2 are in college (sniff), 1 in high school and 1 in middle school. I just purchased a very healthy male Russian Tortoise named Tank. He is very sweet and already eats from my hands. Beside Tank, we also have 2 dogs and a bunch of fish. I've always loved animals of all kinds and have had many, many different animals... cats, dogs, fish, frogs, a bearded dragon, geckos, lizards, mice, rats, hermit crabs, turtles, and birds. This is my very first tortoise, and I am totally smitten with him. Thanks for allowing me to join this forum!