They grow up so fast. One minute you’re cleaning their colitas for them; the next they are ready to fly from the nest. Or clamber out of the pond and stroll off to a lake, as the case may be.
Bob and Homer are now a whole five years old. I have far more photos of Bob. Homer tends to spend his life hiding under the basking rock. Bob has more character too. Has had more adventures, more stories to tell.
But getting old they are, and big too. It’s almost time for them to find a new home. A pond in someone’s backyard, or a lake? That’s the question. There are dangers with both. Bob could have another 35 years in him….will a new human owner give him the TLC he needs for that long?
There is the risk of a predator finding him in a lake, but at least he’s in a natural environment. He can take his chances. I’d be happier knowing he met his maker as part of the food chain in the natural cycle of life, rather than die a miserable death in a dirty pool, neglected by his owner.
I have found a couple of candidate lakes in Mexico City. I am investigating one of them tomorrow….
The Mexile 
No, say it isn’t so!
Leave the cradle? I can’t even imagine it. But, I suppose that maybe you could find a new person who would want them, talk to them a bit, get to know them, check their credit history and their knowledge of biology — then see if they are suitable.
I would worry about domestic turtles being thrown into the wild.
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A lot of domesticated animals, especially if predators, just die if they are left in the wild to fend for themselves. Usually starvation. So I see your point.
But these turtles are hardy little survivors. So much so than in many parts of the world it’s illegal to release them into the wild because they don’t die – they multiply, devour everything in sight and ruin the local ecology. Which is why I won’t release them into any water that doesn’t already have a turtle population.
My turts have always had a diet of vegetables and live fish to supplement the Turtle Sticks they get for dinner, and they’ll eat pretty much anything that falls into the pond….cockroaches included!
So I wouldn’t worry too much about them going into the lake in Tezozomoc! I have given this all good thought after plenty of research.
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