u/annonymous-icon

This is not a hate post or opening the gates for any hatred. Britney will always be the epitome of an icon and resilience, but her behavior the last few years has definitely changed the way I think about a lot of things. Has anybody else moved to a point of essentially “grieving” the person we thought we knew? I was at the for front of freebritney, and to this day do still believe she was being taken advantage of - I also agree that a lot of the behavior we see is probably a result of the restrictive existence she lived under the conservatorship. On the other hand,the more stories I read and things I see I’m starting to draw the conclusion Britney has ALWAYS been suffering mentall illness. Even pre 2007, you can really start to see the perfectly crafted PR mask come off as early as 2003.. I used to think the reason they never let her speak was because they were hiding the conservatorship situation but now I truly believe it had to do with her ability to speak coherently. Every interview question, every spoken line at shows was carefully scripted and rehearsed. Anyways, I willl always love Britney, defend her legacy and prioritize her right to autonomy as a human being before a commercial product- but do you ever wonder if the person we see on Instagram now and are so disturbed by, was the same person we always supported? They just hid her behind the curtains?

Hello everybody, apologies for the long post 🫶🏼 please be nice in the comments

This is Falafel. We’re in Florida, and I’ve had him for almost 4 years. I’ve always tried to prioritize giving him the best life possible—large enclosures, proper heat gradients, humidity, calcium supplementation, safe foods, and supervised outdoor roaming.
Recently I took him to the vet for his first visit, originally just for a beak trim. Since it was our first appointment, I opted for a full wellness exam. Thankfully, he’s never shown signs of illness and has always been active, eating and behaving normally.
During the visit, I learned that the “all-in-one” basking bulbs I’ve been using for years provide heat and UVA, but essentially no UVB. I was devastated to realize I had misunderstood this for so long.
The vet was wonderful. Bloodwork, fecal testing, and X-rays all came back normal. His heart sounded good, and overall she felt he looked healthy, though she noted he was “a little flat” and that his bone density was only mediocre. We immediately made a plan to correct the UVB issue and continue proper calcium supplementation. She felt confident enough to simply recheck him in a year.
Since then, I’ve installed a 48" ReptiSun 10.0 UVB tube, returned to daily calcium supplementation, increased soaking frequency, and plan to maximize safe outdoor sunlight exposure. I also had the vet test the UVB output checked to ensure it’s providing proper coverage through the mesh top.
Falafel remains active, eats well, poops normally, walks strongly with his body off the ground, and seems happy and interactive.
I know I can’t change the past, but I’m grateful this routine vet visit revealed the issue before it became something much worse. I’ve thrown myself back into learning everything I can and want to make sure I’m doing the best possible job going forward.
What else can I do to support his health? And for those who have made husbandry mistakes in the past, how do you move past the guilt and stop feeling like a failure?

Grieving “Britney”

4 y.o male hermanns tortoise