Having your tortoise outdoors during normal temperatures is ideal for your creature. However, you can't just let your tortoise do whatever it wants in your yard. Instead, you'll need to have an escape-proof barrier so that the tortoise remains in the perimeter. You can use concrete bricks that are mortared together or painted or sealed wood walls. Your tortoise might try to burrow under or dig in to the corners of their enclosure, so it should be nice and secure. If your tortoise burrows, you can add a wire mesh below the surface of the barrier to keep your tortoise safe. Tortoises really don't do well in the cold, so unless they're kept indoors the whole time, you'll have to prepare to temporarily bring your tortoise indoors if where you live can get below 60F/15C during its coldest months. If you live in a very hot climate and want to keep the tortoise outside, this will be easier, but always have shade available especially over moistened areas or water source(s). You'll need some kind of shelter for your tortoise to make it feel safe, and to provide some shelter from the heat, the rain, or other elements that may be in the way. You want to keep your tortoise nice and warm and to keep it from overheating as well. Ideally, you should make a hut for your creature, which will be where the tortoise sleeps and weathers the climates. You can make it out of wood and cover it with a few inches of soil, as well as a heating element for the cold weather, if needed. First, just dig a large hole. You can place a plywood barrier inside the floor. Add a top to the hide box to shelter your tortoise. Cover the shelter with dirt and soil. You should keep an adequate amount of plants around for your outdoor tortoise so that he or she can eat and feel secure throughout the day. Look into the diet of your tortoise to see which plants are and are not toxic. In general, many tortoises will eat broadleaf weeds such as dandelions, any grasses, or clover. Live plants can also help control Ammonia and Nitrates in the soil, which reduces the frequency of substrate changes in indoor enclosures. Your tortoise should have an exciting environment to keep it active and busy. You can add some clump grasses to help your tortoise burrow, as well as to allow for some shade. You can add a few boulders to give your creature some privacy, as long as they aren't too steep. You can also add some small trees for shade and shelter and just for the environment to look nice.

Summary: Create a protective barrier for your tortoise. Provide shelter for your tortoise. Provide plants for your tortoise. Provide stimulation for your tortoise.

The shingles vaccine is approved for adults over the age of 50 and recommended strongly for individuals over the age of 60. This is because, the older you get, the greater your risk of contracting shingles. The vaccine is recommended even if you are not sure whether or not you have previously had chickenpox. The vaccine is not 100% effective at preventing shingles; however, it does greatly diminish your chances of getting it, despite not being a guarantee. A further benefit of the shingles vaccine is that, in the chance that you do still get shingles, the illness will be much less severe and will most likely be without complications. People that should not get the shingles vaccination include those with weakened immune systems, those suffering from cancer, people with HIV and AIDS, as well as pregnant women. If you have had an allergic reaction to the antibiotic neomycin, then you should not get the vaccine. One of the most worrisome complications of shingles, particularly for those over 60 years old, is the risk of the "postherpetic neuralgia" complication. This is when the pain associated with the shingles rash persists long after the rash itself has disappeared. This occurs in 10-15% of people who contract shingles, and can be a devastating complication greatly affecting one's quality of life. Fortunately, the vaccine makes the risk of this complication extremely low, even if you do still develop shingles. This is yet another reason to prioritize receiving the shingles vaccine. Being in the presence of the chickenpox virus again is actually a hidden blessing because it once again boosts your immunity to VZV, which in turn works to prevent shingles. Although it is not advisable to seek out people with chickenpox, if you happen to be around someone with it consider it a bonus when it comes to your own shingles immunity. On the other hand, if you have never caught chickenpox in your life, you will not want to be around people with chickenpox as you will catch it. Being around people with chickenpox only helps to prevent shingles. It is important to understand that shingles is the same virus as chickenpox, simply reactivated later in life. When you catch chickenpox, although the symptoms disappear, the varicella zoster virus (VZV) remains stored in your nervous system. With certain triggers, the virus can "flare-up" again down the road in the form of shingles. This is why building a healthy immune system is key, as it can help to protect you from flare-ups of VZV (i.e. shingles). Click here for strategies to strengthen your immune system.

Summary: Get the shingles vaccine. Prevent postherpetic neuralgia, a potential complication of shingles. Do not avoid those infected with chickenpox. Build a healthy immune system.

Dead, damaged or diseased wood should be removed starting with the origin of the damage. This may mean cutting an entire large area if it is all damaged or dead. You will know if an area is damaged or dead if it does not have leaves during growing season when the rest of the tree is in bloom. Removing dead or damaged branches is one of the few times it's okay to prune your tree in the spring or summer. If you have sprouts growing down near the bottom of the tree out of the main trunk, these are called "suckers" and are actually part of the root system, not the fruiting system on top. They don't have any purpose on your pear tree. Prune these spouts off right at their origin up against the trunk. If you see any suspiciously straight, vertical sprouts growing from a branch of your tree, that's a "water sprout." They look different from other branches because they occur on main branches, have no curve, are somewhat short, and grow straight up toward the sky. Water sprouts have no purpose on your tree and should be cut at their point of origin on the main branch they're growing out of. Fruiting spurs grow on branches that were originally grown two years previously, so you don't need to worry about them on very young trees. They look like smaller curved branches growing off a main branch, with little bud-like shapes, or fruit buds, at the tip. Fruiting spurs usually take 1 or 2 years to grow fruit. The year after fruiting, another 1 or 2 fruit buds will appear in that spot. After 6 or 7 years, the spur will become congested with fruit buds and then you can prune them to allow new fruiting spurs to grow elsewhere. The only other reason to cut them is if the branch is dead or damaged.
Summary: Prune any dead or damaged branches. Cut sprouts coming from the base of the trunk. Remove straight vertical sprouts coming from main branches. Avoid cutting fruiting spurs most of the time.