Faq

[MedusasOwl]

There seems to be a number of questions that keep coming up again and again that spark the same debates over and over again, and I wondered if those poor dead horses could avoid some beatings with an FAQ sticky?

Stuff like.... how many snakes to a cage (one, always, period) and that both F/T and Live prey are okay depending on how it's handled and to do what works for you and your snake and so on. Perhaps a premptive strike on having the same arguements over and over?

I dunno, just a thought. But I figured some people might be tired of giving the same answers over and over again, and new people still have every reason to ask and need the info. An FAQ might be a nice break for the regulars and helpful intro all in one place for the newbies.

Am I overstepping/being silly, or is this a good idea? What do you guys think?

[Black_Zodiac]

I personally don't think so....I remember way back when I got my first snake years ago. The only thing that I knew about it was that it was a limbless reptile that ate mice, rats, other snakes and that some species were venomous. It took months of searching through contradicting books, talking with contradicting vets, watching animal planet specials that told me lots of neat information about the posionous vareity and the old tried-and-true method: blindly stumbling along.

Even though I have some experience with snakes, I still find myself second guessing in regards to various things with husbandry. I am guilty of asking the same questions that hundreds of people have asked before me and I get depressed and frustrated when I come onto a forum and ask one of the *usual* questions and all I get in reply is "that question has been asked before...go dig through the threads for the answer." and that's all they say. I know that it takes time to write out a reply, but it doesn't help when you know so very little about them and it looks like no one's willing to take the two or three minutes to write out a reply that could save your snake's life or health.

But having a FAQ section is a great way for the beginner snake owner or even an experienced owner to check up on what that author recommends and compare it to what they are doing or have done. It is a way for us to grow, so that we don't have to suffer the consequences of our ignorance or rather, an innocent snake doesn't suffering because of us.

Despite differences that naturally occur in regards to the information and resources that we, as the owner and provider of these animals have with each other, have leave it up to the individual to decide on how to act on it. Though I am a strong opponent of sand substrate users who feed their animals on it, it is not my place to order/tell them to get a different substrate. In the end, it is the animal's owner who is responsible to make that decision. The only way that I know how to do that is to be informed of the available choices, the pros and cons of each choice.

Since this forum is dedicated to reptiles and keeping them, a FAQ secton would lessen the broad-band range of repetitive questions and led to much narrower ranged questions in respect to a few choices. I'm not saying that those "routine" questions would stop altogether, but rather lessen with time. I am as guilty as the next person in regards to broad-band repetitive questions both on forums and in person when I'm bugging vets in regards to the general welfare of my pets. I say this because I have seen pet store employees lying through their teeth just to make a sale.

A forum such as this is a place to discuss theories and tried ideas to better the lives of our animals. Since our pets have no choice but to rely on us for their very lives, we must ask questions. A place on the forum where we can get the very basics without having to irritate other forum members and ask educated questions would be great.

But that's only my two cents worth.

Chris

[JLC]

On the surface, the idea of a FAQ is an attractive one. And in its way, could certainly be a useful tool. But I agree with Zodiac that a FAQ shouldn't take the place of actually answering the questions asked, even if they are (to those of use who've been around for a while) elementary and obvious and have been answered a hundred times already.


Personally, I'm the sort of person who learns one-step-at-a-time. It can be difficult for me to wade through a ton of new information looking for the answer to my one question, and I'm less likely to do that than I am to just ask that one question and hope for an answer I can learn from.

Also, even though we specialize in BP's here, the site is dedicated to reptiles as a whole, and the FAQ would have to be rather broad and vague so as not to contradict husbandry differences between species. (For instance, sand is a no-no for most snakes, but my beardie loves it, so it couldn't say NEVER use sand as a substrate.) All the exceptions to the rules would bog down a FAQ, I think.

And finally, as Zodiac so eloquently pointed out...we're here to discuss. And if we have to type the same basic information out a couple times a week for the new people that come along, that should be ok. There are lots of different ways of doing the same thing, and a lively discussion of the hows and whys that different people use with their animals helps us all to learn something new, even if it was an answer to an "elementary" question.

All that being said, you are NOT stepping over any bounderies to suggest it, and it's not a silly suggestion!

[frankykeno]

Excellent thread and never feel you are overstepping to suggest anything that could enhance this forum Sheree. Excellent thought provoking responses...thanks Judy and Chris!

In my mind, a FAQ can be both good and bad. It's an immediate resource but can end up with a lot of "see the FAQ" responses that might otherwise be more informative. Sure some questions get asked over and over and yes the caresheets should be accessed more for guidance or the search function used, but that's just part of a forum and human nature.

I'm only a Mod, and the newest one to boot, so I'm not sure if the Admins will have an FAQ area at some point. I can assure you though, they are very dedicated to maintaining bpnet as a very high quality, respected online resource and will surely follow this thread closely to see what the members have to say on this topic.


~~Jo~~

[Smulkin]

http://www.ball-pythons.net/modules....articles&cid=3

I does need updated and an easier quick-link route to it to be more prominently displayed. I have an ever-growing task list and will add this to it. Suggestions are always welcome!

[Lobo_Reptiles]

It's funny that you made this thread Medusa. I'm actually making something like a FAQ for my website as well for the exact same reason. Although I like to try to help, it gets annoying answering the same humidity questions or the infamous 1 snake to an enclosure thing. But the whole multiple answer thing like with the f/t vs. live makes it a bit annoying. I've only covered the humidity and Ball Python fasting!

[MedusasOwl]

Awh well, just a thought. If nothing else though, I think we could certainly use a One Snake One Cage sticky. Even if it just links to past threads. In fact, my original thought was an FAQ that lead to past threads. But, yeah, I see your points. Was worth a shot!