I've gone back and forth on whether to post about losing my 4 year old spotted, Julius, mainly because I've felt so guilty. But, in the interest of learning from our mistakes, I decided to post about it.
I very unfortunately, was rushed last Saturday when I left for work and didn't get to check on the spotteds. I had cleaned Julius' shell the night before for a mild fungal issue and left her in a bowl on her basking rock overnight for it to dry out. Forgetting to get her out in the morning, the basking lamp turned on from the timer and she spent five hours under the lamp until I rushed home from work once realizing what I did. I consider myself a pretty strong person but I lost it when I found her. It just feels horrible. I robbed her of 35 or more years and did the opposite any turtle or animal lover like me would ever do.
I just hope others can learn from my stupid, stupid mistake. I will regret it forever, but it will make me more vigilant and even more attentive to my turtles than before.
