Friends of Philip Fish Sanctuary (2025)

23/04/2025

Welcome home tiny one 💜

Our cichlid Petey's filter broke, so we needed to get a new one ASAP. Usually we order things online to avoid supporting stores that sell animals, but a new filter isn't something that can wait. So we went to a pet store for the filter and saw this little girl on the shelf there.

She was suffering immensely, as seen in her super clamped fins and very skinny little body, so the store allowed us to take her as a free adoption.

Within just a few hours in warm, clean water, her little fins relaxed and her personality started to shine through 💜 she's underweight and we think quite young, but we feel cautiously optimistic for her long term outlook with us here.

There are countless fishes of all species sitting in pet stores today who will never get an opportunity for a happy, healthy life. Please choose not to support the industries that harm these amazing animals and choose adoption instead of purchasing.

25/03/2025

Happy Tuesday from Peaches, tiny ball of fluff and owner of truly magnificent eyebrows 💜

Peaches continues to settle in well and is becoming even more social! She takes treats from our hands now and always pops out to say hello no matter the time of day. She's a precious and sweet little girl and we're so glad she's here!

Hamsters like Peaches are constantly discarded for being "mean," "aggressive," or, in Peaches' case, "wild." In reality, Peaches is acting in accordance with her nature, and that simply means that she doesn't want to be handled. This is very common with dwarf hamsters and it's important that we as caregivers meet them where they're at. If Peaches never wants to be held we'll respect that, and only handle her when necessary for exams and health care. Otherwise we're quite happy to just have her here with us to share treats and show us her beautiful little face.

To help support Peaches and our other residentspelase visit: linktr.ee/friendsofphilip

20/03/2025

Guess who went to the vet today! Susie and Lucille!

Our two lovely ladies were dropped off this morning for a routine exam, and we're hopeful they'll both receive a clean bill of health 💜

Our sweet girls Gracie and Lucille are both around 6 years old now, which makes them quite elderly for egg laying hens. Lucille has shown symptoms of reproductive disease for the last few years, and we are working closely with our vet to monitor and manage that.

Susie is still quite young, we think 2.5-3ish (though can't be sure) and is joining Lucille for a checkup.

Our other two girls Gracie and Penelope had their visit two weeks ago and are both doing great! I forgot to take photos so hopefully these close ups of Susie's perfect face will make up for that!

If you'd like to help support our chickens' medical care, please visit: linktr.ee/friendsofphilip

11/03/2025

Please help us welcome our newest goldfish resident 💜

This lovely fish was rescued by his previous family from a sad situation, then lived with them for 8 years! They wanted to find him a home with other goldfish, so contacted us. They transported him to Reno all the way from the Bay Area, and now he's doing great!

He's done with his quarantine period here, but still needs to wait a bit longer for the pond to be warm enough for him to move in. We're hoping that will happen in a month or so, then he'll have more friends and space than he'll know what to do with.

Stories like this are such a heartwarming side of rescue and animal care. Goldfish are easily one of the most abused "pet" species (not that it's a contest) and to see one so loved is amazing.

11/03/2025

The last few months have been very stressful for many people, us included. We're living through a time of global uncertainty and fear, and it's very difficult to keep up with things like regular social media posting. We really appreciate your patience and support 💜

That said, we've still been busy behind the scenes caring for our beloved animal family, and we wanted to share an update since I haven't been great about posting. This is a bit of a sad post, so please skip over if you aren't in a place to read about loss.

We've said goodbye to too many of our betta residents over the last six or so months, and wanted to celebrate their lives and the time they got to spend in sanctuary. Bettas typically live 2ish years, but a lot can impact their longevity, particularly their treatment in their early life.

Two of our oldest bettas, and two of the remaining few who came with us from Santa Rosa, passed away late last year. Opal and Sunshine were both surrendered to us from stores and lived amazingly long lives (over three years!). They were sweet, personable girls, and we're so thrilled they were able to live such long lives with us.

We also said goodbye to our beautiful boy Sterling. He was an older boy at about two years and was slowly declining due to a large number of scale tumors covering his body and impacting his quality of life.

Finally, we said goodbye to Frankie and Toby. Frankie and Toby were the last two of the group of five bettas who came to us from a serious situation of neglect in January of last year. All the bettas were in very poor health, and sadly, we lost them one by one through 2024. Frankie was with us the longest and passed suddenly just yesterday.

I posted previously that the sanctuary would be slowly moving away from higher numbers of bettas, and this is why. These poor fishes receive such a garbage start to life and live short lives on top of them. It's amazing to help them recover and thrive, but emotionally exhausting and difficult to see them pass after what feels like a very short time.

Friends of Philip has never been just a betta rescue, though we do love them, and we will always advocate for bettas and fishes of all species 💜

11/01/2025

Another exciting welcome!

These two gorgeous little fancy goldfish joined us about 6 weeks ago, and just moved to their permanent home with the other fancies this week! They did great through quarantine and seem very happy to have more goldfish friends.

While fancy goldfish are very cute, their charming appearance unfortunately brings myriad health issues, including a dramatically shortened life span. While a common goldfish can live up to 20 years or more with proper care, these little fancies will only live 2-8 years, depending on their health. That's despite fancy and common goldfish being members of the same species.

Fancy goldfish have been bred for generations for appearance over everything else, and they often suffer immensely as a result. Malformed or missing organs, buoyancy issues, and injuries to their protruding eyes are all very common issues for fancy goldfish, and there isn't much that we as caregivers can do other than provide a safe environment, appropriate companions, and the best possible care.

We love our fancies dearly, but highly encourage anyone interested in rescuing them to be sure they're educated and aware of their unique needs and challenges.

06/01/2025

Meet Peaches! Peaches is our first rescue of 2025 💜

Peaches may not be a fish (in fact, we're certain she isn't), but she was in desperate need of a soft landing after being listed for free on our local Craigslist. Peaches is a dwarf hamster and was being given away because she was too "wild" and would bite if handled. Unfortunately, this is quite common for dwarf hamsters, who often prefer not to be handled yet are still marketed widely as an excellent choice for a child's first "pet." Luckily, Peaches and her magnificent eyebrows found her way here instead of to any of the many terrible alternatives that exist for animals in her situation.

Like any animal, hamsters will try to escape if threatened and will protect themselves if they can not get away. Peaches isn't aggressive or "mean," she's just an individual trying to do everything she knows to keep herself safe. She's shown no interest in biting us since she arrived and has since revealed herself to be a very brave and curious hamster.

We currently plan to be a temporary stop for Peaches and would like to find her a hamster experienced and/or educated home that knows what care for these amazing little lives requires. If you're interested in adopting Peaches and are local to Reno or Northern California, please send us a message or contact us through our website or email found here: linktr.ee/friendsofphilip

As always, please choose not to support the industries that harm and exploit individuals like Peaches. There are countless rescues who are full to bursting with adoptable small animals like hamsters, rabbits, guinea pigs, mice, rats, and more. Please always choose adoption.

20/12/2024

Please help us with another long overdue welcome!

This teeny tiny cutie is Maya, a young goldfish who joined us just over a month ago!

Maya is now the smallest goldfish who calls our sanctuary home, but she is just as loved as everyone else. She was originally purchased from a pet store with other goldfish, but sadly was living alone when she came to us after her tank mates died. We were told she'd always been tiny and never grew, but we suspect some care issues may have been present as she's almost doubled in size since she came to us a month ago 💜

Unfortunately, this kind of situation is extremely common for goldfish like Maya, who are sold cheaply as "easy" or "beginner" fish at stores. In reality, common goldfish like her can be one of the most costly species to properly care for as their enormous adult size and long lifespans mean they need huge tanks or, ideally, ponds to live in for years and years.

With proper care, a fish Maya's size (currently about an inch long) can reach 8-12 inches in length and live for 20+ years. Given her growth since arriving, we're very hopeful that this is the life that awaits Maya, but we'll love her no matter what.

To help support Maya and our other residents, please visit: linktr.ee/friendsofphilip

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07/12/2024

Welcome Quigley 💜

We're quite overdue for welcomes, because Quigley actually joined us several months ago! He came in as a caregiver surrender with another betta who we'll introduce shortly. Quigley was a caregiver surrender and had been kept in a large tank with other bettas. When he arrived his fins were a bit rough, but he's recovered and is thriving in his own ten gallon tank.

05/12/2024

Please help us with another welcome!

6 little fishes joined our sanctuary just over a week ago. Two albino cory cats, three X-ray tetras, and one neon tetra are in quarantine now and will join our community tanks in a few weeks when they're done!

Quarantine isn't fun, and can make good photos a bit tricky to get, but is also a non-negotiable component of rescuing aquatic animals. Even a fish who has always lived alone goes through our standard 4-6 week quarantine just in case they're carrying anything that the stress of travel and new space will bring out.

Quarantine gives new fishes time to decompress, adjust to their surroundings and routine, and recover from the immense stress of relocation without also having to figure out where they fit into a social group. We do this for all our new aquatic residents and new chicken residents as well!

The safety and health of our residents is and will always be our top priority, so while the quarantine tank may not be glamorous, it still meets the needs of the fishes who live there. They have a filter, heater, places to hide, clean water, and fresh, healthy food.

Soon they'll have more space and get to meet their new family!

03/12/2024

Please help us welcome Pearl 💜

One of our lovely followers contacted us about this little fish being given away for free online, and we were able to pick him up and bring him home within the hour!

Pearl was a child's "pet" fish and needed a new home because he wasn't receiving the care he deserves. He was living in a small tank with no heater or filter, and is now moved into a larger spot with clean, warm water. Pearl seems to be happy with the change in environment and we're so thrilled that he's here!

Today is giving Tuesday, and we would love for you to consider supporting Friends of Philip and our incredible residents. You can donate and learn more through the link in our bio and here: linktr.ee/friendsofphilip

We have a number of additional new residents to introduce in the coming days, so keep an eye out for more welcome posts!

Friends of Philip Fish Sanctuary

23/04/2025

25/03/2025

20/03/2025

11/03/2025

11/03/2025

11/01/2025

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20/12/2024

07/12/2024

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