hello from upstate NY. my name is kevin , and I too have a really cool Russian tort. So far he is in great shape, although he did get a dose of de-wormer when I first got him. He had some parasites in him, but no more. we had a bad ordeal with our first tortoise bing ill from the day we brought him home, and he wound up passing away from pneumonia, so we tried again, and made sure he was healthy. Knowing the signs of a healthy pet are invaluable. Ivan had clear eyes, a dry nose, sturdy as heck and very active, but the vet checkup was still a necessity. Ivan is now living in a large terrarium, with plenty of burrowing space, a rock cave to hide under and plenty of "sunlight" and heat. This little critter has an appetite that never ends, and curiosity to match. He loves being outdoors, strolling thru the yard, or just wandering the house (under adult supervision). Keeping two different breeds of torts is not a good idea, because of the very real threat of cross- contamination, viruses and whatnot, jumping from one species to another, even though they are all torts. I hope your boxy gets a companion though, it's nice to have a mate to snuggle up to