Hi - My name is Cindy and I have just been given an African Spurred Tortoise. It is quite large (about 40 pounds) and appears to be in good health. The people who had it prior owned it for about 3 years and the tortoise lived in their house loose and in the back yard when the weather was warm. I have never owned a tortoise before and have been reading everything I can about them. I am looking for any advice I can get. I currently own a horse farm in Illinois and have dogs and cats. The tortoise has been loose in my house for the last few days and seems to be doing very well. The dogs sniffed around out of curiousity the first day but now could care less. I am very excited about owning a pet such as this but am looking for any advice or warning I should be aware of. Thanks