The reason why I said to get him out of the closet is not because of the physical location. It's because you don't have him protected against the floors and walls. It would be better to have the substrate and enclosure in a large plastic container or something that's made out of treated wood, like a night box that one of our members, Tom, had built. His threads are a great way to help members take quality care of their torts. Having said that, let me suggest something that many members have successfully done for their tortoises. You can get any bookcase, remove the selves, turn it on its back, and you've got a nice, safe enclosure. You can put a plastic liner on the bottom of it. Be sure it's a really sturdy plastic liner. You can go to home depot and ask them to direct you to the heavy duty plastic liners by the roll. If you can't find it, get a heavy duty shower curtain liner. Secure it on the bottom with staples or nails. Then put a 50/50 mix of ZooMed coco earth/husk and organic soil. You can put grass and edible plants in it. When placing a heat source, make sure you use a temp gun to measure the 4 temps you should have inside the enclosure. There should be a cool side (80 degrees), a basking side (90-95), a night hide side (85-90), and a general ambient all over of no lower than 82 degrees. This will ensure that your tort doesn't get too cold or overheated. Along with that, you'll need to try and keep the hide especially moist. Members find this especially challenging cause of the open top, but if you carefully add a durable top made of Plexiglas or wood, and you cut out a hole for your heat lamp, you may be able to keep the enclosure humid enough. In any cause, make sure you protect it from a potential fire risk. Never try to put a towel or anything over the top or near a heat lamp. This is why so many opt to making a closed chamber like the one Tom makes for his hatchlings. But, since your tort is about 3 years old now, he's really small for his age. One of the reasons could be cause he has not received proper care in the beginning. You can change that. You've already done that by being a member here, and you're trying to give your lil guy a good start. One thing I have noticed is the condition of his shell (carapace). He's dry looking and I think you should give him warm soaks daily for 20-30 minutes. Even though he's not a baby anymore, he can use the soaks for a while, especially when he's inside during the dry winter months. We're here to try and help you provide the best care for your tort
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