Goodbye, Phil (the female)!

We've had our beloved Phil for right at 2 years. He has grown from a quarter sized baby turtle into a big healthy turtle. We loved him, but I knew he wasn't leading the life he could be. Our 20 gallon tank just wasn't enough room for him to explore and swim but whenever I got him out to play outside (while I watered plants) or to explore the basement (while I did laundry), he got really stressed out and started hissing at us. Not a happy camper.

Anyway, after weeks and weeks or deliberation, I agreed to let my husband attempt to re-home him. I was very clear that that may mean interviewing people, scheduling a time where they come to meet Phil and so on. In the end we had over 20 inquiries within 24 hours. I only liked 2 as potential new families for Phil. We decided to meet one and go from there.

It was a great fit! He was well versed in turtles and in taking care of them. He has several turtles of his own at home. He has an outdoor enclosure as well as an indoor area as well. He also has several smaller tanks for any that become ill or pregnant. He even informed us that Phil is actually female, so he is now a she and is now called Philomena.

We've come to the conclusion that Philomena is moving up in the world. She is going to have several other pals to hang around with a large outdoor and indoor area to run and swim around. The new owners have also agreed to keep me updated occasionally on how she's doing. I do miss her, she was so fun to watch and interact with but I think she's going to be so much happier now.