Newbies-Idiots? hot topic

[ellysteaparty]

Hey longqi...swap hats witt ya!?

 

[Morelia4life]

I think reading plays a big part though. If you don't read, you don't even have a clue as to where to start.

 

[Retta4jungles]

I totally agree with you Morelia4life, i just also think speaking to people like yourself with experience is very beneficial

 

[KaotikJezta]

I do agree that join date and post count is not indicative of experience. I only joined this year and although I wouldn't say I am an expert and I still find occasion to ask questions, I have kept reptiles consistently for the last 10 years so I don't consider I am a noob either.

 

[Morelia4life]

I totally agree with you Morelia4life, i just also think speaking to people like yourself with experience is very beneficial

I understand. I try to help people when I can. I am no expert but deff. no noob either lol.

 

[cagey]

Maybe when a noob joins someone could send them the links to the WIKI and the seqarch function. Both of these are very useful but maybe not obvious to a new visitor/memebr of this site.

 

[abnrmal91]

Maybe when a noob joins someone could send them the links to the WIKI and the seqarch function. Both of these are very useful but maybe not obvious to a new visitor/memebr of this site.

Its been mentioned to mods before

 

[sookie]

My very first reptile was Squishie,my beardie.i had done as much reading as i could,researched on-line.purchased all the stuff for his home,set it up,raced out and borrowed books and photo copied refrence material,health issues etc.got hiom home.wow was so excited and scared and shocked at myself.and with all the info i had gathered,the little bugger goes and something strange.straight to research pile,pouring over it.stressing cos you don't know whether his acting normal or not........or i could have opened a thread and sought some advice for free who has the same experience........................book smarts are not like real life smarts.

 

[Retta4jungles]

My very first reptile was Squishie,my beardie.i had done as much reading as i could,researched on-line.purchased all the stuff for his home,set it up,raced out and borrowed books and photo copied refrence material,health issues etc.got hiom home.wow was so excited and scared and shocked at myself.and with all the info i had gathered,the little bugger goes and something strange.straight to research pile,pouring over it.stressing cos you don't know whether his acting normal or not........or i could have opened a thread and sought some advice for free who has the same experience........................book smarts are not like real life smarts.

Thank you sookie, my point exactly i had the same thing happen when i first got my jungle.

 

[Wally]

My very first reptile was Squishie,my beardie.i had done as much reading as i could,researched on-line.purchased all the stuff for his home,set it up,raced out and borrowed books and photo copied refrence material,health issues etc.got hiom home.wow was so excited and scared and shocked at myself.and with all the info i had gathered,the little bugger goes and something strange.straight to research pile,pouring over it.stressing cos you don't know whether his acting normal or not........or i could have opened a thread and sought some advice for free who has the same experience........................book smarts are not like real life smarts.

A person who has taken the time to research, write and then publish a book will always get my attention before any free internet advice.

 

[Crystal..Discus]

"Book smarts are not like real life smarts"...?

I stared at that for a moment, contemplating what it meant. Lol worthy.

Book > Anonymous person on the internet.

I've asked some stupid questions, we all have, but gathering the literature and studying it will always be more valuable than asking in a thread on a forum (where half the replies will be, "sorry, I hope it gets better soon.") It's the reason why 95% of people here started out with something easy to keep... That being said, there's a search function on the right side for people looking for help; people will get cranky because others are too lazy to do the leg work. There's too much emphasis on "NOW."

 

[longqi]

A person who has taken the time to research, write and then publish a book will always get my attention before any free internet advice.

That is potentially a very dangerous attitude to stick to too rigidly
Everything except basic husbandry can and will change as we let reptiles teach us what they prefer
That makes any book out of the circle before it even gets printed
Even scientific journals on reptiles are being rewritten as we talk here
Some books are invaluable to any keeper as guide
But they were written by people who gave their knowledge 'as they saw it'
and everything is changing at an ex-potential rate

As a classic example
Every single book ever written about GTPs [chondros] says that they should not be handled
They give reasons such as stress; biting; physical damage etc etc etc
Yet we not only handle them but pass them around like lollies with zero side effects

So by far the most important thing is to keep an open mind
The number of ideas that I have thought of during or after conversations on line and off blows me away sometimes

 

[Wally]

There are three key words in my post longqi, they are " free internet advice". Would you care to expand on those words and then put that back into the context of what I was saying?

 

[medz84]

i also think that when you obtain a license there should be relevent information on basic keeping and species profiles as a starting point(at very least!!)

pretty sure i just filled in my personal details payed the money and a week or so later i had a license to keep reptiles

im new to keeping reptiles and i dont know anyone else that keeps reptiles in my personal life so i come on here reading as much as i can,

sometimes its the 'silly questions' i learn the most...

 

[Retta4jungles]

i agree with Medz84 about the licence. Its amazing the things you can learn from the silliest quetion... Seriously what is the harm in asking????? If you think someone is being lazy or whatever DONT reply...

 

[longqi]

There are three key words in my post longqi, they are " free internet advice". Would you care to expand on those words and then put that back into the context of what I was saying?

Free internet advice has been far more valuable to me over here than you can possibly imagine
I will expand on that later

In reference to Reptile Books
A book is fixed in time and place
Our knowledge of reptiles cannot be fixed into time and place because it keeps changing

If you notice I did say some books are invaluable
Greg Maxwells The More Complete Chondro is one I think every chondro owner should read
But even that Bible is nearly at the stage where another edition is probably required
For husbandry etc you cannot really fault it
But for actual knowledge about chondros and their behaviour under different situations there is a fair bit missing

Medication and reptile vets are not that common here
So I have had to learn alternative reptile cures for everything from deep and shallow cuts; mites, respiratory illness; mouth infections; stomasis and all the other common things that could be simply medicated in Australia
Without Free Internet Advice; some good; some really bad; and some bloody fantastic; I would have been in trouble here many times

I totally agree that for basic husbandry and scientific information a book is handy
But the internet gives us the ability to be right at the cutting edge of what is happening right now
Not something that was much more pertinent 2 years ago or 20 years ago

 

[Torah]

so maybe if the EXPERT thinks its a stupid question. they should just not post anyting instead of being RUDE !

 

[Wally]

The authors of most of the respected literature on Australian reptiles have done one thing that the majority of keepers will never do. And that is spend considerable amounts of time studying their subjects in their natural environments.

 

[longqi]

Wally I was not having a go at you here
If you thought that I apologise

I am just pointing out that even the most respected books are sometimes nearly out of date before they get published
I totally agree that some books are wonderful to brush up on
While I completely agree that having knowledge of 'wild' snakes is great and herping trips can be awesome
there is a huge difference between watching chondros mate and reproduce in the wild and that knowledge is virtually useless in a captive situation

This lovely thing called the internet is by far the most valuable tool I have access to
There is lots of rubbish but also some information that is pure gold
Probably 90% of any reptile problems come down to husbandry
I have never read in any book that 'You just let the snake teach you what it wants"
That single sentence on an American forum about king snakes changed completely they way I do things now

 

[Wally]

It is sifting the rubbish out from the gold that is the problem longqi.