At what age does experience start????

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Originally Posted by Patrick Long

I think thats a little bold buddy.

At 16 I had a job, went to school, hung out with friends, and had reptiles. I would say that I was DAMN responsible.

If you rode a motorcycle once, you have experience with motorcycles. You may not have vast experience, but you have some.

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I wasn't saying you can't be gaining experience at 16. I was out on my own at 16. I had a job went to school and had an apartment, so I know a person can be responsible at that age. You must've miss understood what I was getting at. I meant a person can't say they have ten years + at that age. You know???

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

I'll use an example from our own family and snakes. Our youngest, Mikey, was just turning 4 I think when we got our first snakes. Now he's always been exposed to the snakes, always "helped" us as best he could and even now own his own ball python, Buddy. I would say for a child of 7 he's got a lot of experience around snakes but for me, his true experience, will start the day he becomes fully responsible for every aspect of Buddy's care on a daily basis. Right now I think of it as Mikey being in training to one day be a very experienced snake keeper. :)

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Thats more of what I was saying. A persons true experience doesn't start until they are fully responsible for every aspect of an animals care. I just don't think a 6 or 7 year old kid can be totally responsible for an animal. They just wouldn't think about everything that needs to be done everyday. I still have to remind my 8 year old daughter to feed and water her dog. She obviously loves "little man" but just gets wrapped up playing with her sister and doing her own thing and sometimes forgets to feed him. If me or her mother weren't around to remind her I think he would go hungry a couple days a week.
I appreciate all the comments. I was just wondering what others thought about this. Talk to ya'll later...

Alan

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Originally Posted by grunt_11b

Thats more of what I was saying. A persons true experience doesn't start until they are fully responsible for every aspect of an animals care. I just don't think a 6 or 7 year old kid can be totally responsible for an animal. They just wouldn't think about everything that needs to be done everyday. I still have to remind my 8 year old daughter to feed and water her dog. She obviously loves "little man" but just gets wrapped up playing with her sister and doing her own thing and sometimes forgets to feed him. If me or her mother weren't around to remind her I think he would go hungry a couple days a week.
I appreciate all the comments. I was just wondering what others thought about this. Talk to ya'll later...
Alan

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I'm going to have to disagree -- my son falls in the 6-7 year old range and he has a pretty firm knowledge base for ball pythons -- not only does he help maintain our collection but he has his own that he is responsible for - he does feedings, cleanings, handling, cage maintenance or just poking around the snake room almost on a daily basis. The pair of balls he got for his fourth birthday just laid their first clutch -- he set up the egg box, removed mom, got the eggs safely in the incubator with very little help from me. He knows how to read the snakes, how to properly handle them and he's able to answer most husbandry questions without hesitation. That being said I still can't get him to feed the dog regularly or scoop the cat box.

I guess it all depends on how you look at it. I would imagine the Barkers kids or the Southerlands kids probably have more experience with balls than most adults.

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Originally Posted by grunt_11b

I meant a person can't say they have ten years + at that age. You know???

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Sure they can, if they have been caring for something (with or without help from parents) or doing something (like riding a bike) then they can have that much experience. As has been said though, it's the level of experience and knowledge gleaned from that experience that matters more than time taken to get, or not get, all you can from that experience. The years don't matter and it doesn't matter when you start, it's what you get out of those years that counts.

I don't think age has anything to do with experience.

I agree... Unless one is speaking of life experience ;)

I guess I have a different outlook on this than most. LOL I just don't see how a 6 year old can be gaining the same level of experience as a person that is say 25. It just annoys me when a 15 year old says they have 12 years of experience. I think it cheapens others experience levels. Because their is no way they have the same level of experience as an older person. It's like a 4 year old can't learn a foriegn language but a 16 year old can. I know they'll be exceptions to the rule but most kids can't learn on the same level as an adult or sub-adult. Anyway thanks for all the different outlooks on this.

Alan

I agree that the learning is different relative to the lens that one has at one's disposal. For example, you with a young child can not have near the experience that I have with adult children.
However, this does not mean that you have no experience- you simply have the experience you have.
I think that maybe what people are saying is that experience just is; while you are attempting to quantify the experience. Experience just IS; nothing more. It allows for a place to learn from while still having some view to look back upon. :)

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Originally Posted by grunt_11b

I guess I have a different outlook on this than most. LOL I just don't see how a 6 year old can be gaining the same level of experience as a person that is say 25. It just annoys me when a 15 year old says they have 12 years of experience. I think it cheapens others experience levels. Because their is no way they have the same level of experience as an older person. It's like a 4 year old can't learn a foriegn language but a 16 year old can. I know they'll be exceptions to the rule but most kids can't learn on the same level as an adult or sub-adult. Anyway thanks for all the different outlooks on this.

Alan

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If a 6 year old and a 25 year old walk into a pet store and buy a snake -- neither one having had a snake before -- they have exactly the same experience -- age matters none. If they both raise those snakes -- it's still the same experience -- mom and dad may have to help out the 6 year old but they will still gain experience by being involved and learning.

I know plenty of 25 year old creeps that treat their snakes like crap -- age does not mean they are any more caring, experience or able to care for said animals. Said 25 year old creep is more likely not to take advice on proper care where as a younger child is usually more willing to accept when they need help and aren't afraid to ask for it.

That being said a 4 year old who's brain is still growing and is more pliable and open to new things -- is much more able to learn a foreign language than a teenager or adult -- proven fact.

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Originally Posted by Tosha_Mc

If a 6 year old and a 25 year old walk into a pet store and buy a snake -- neither one having had a snake before -- they have exactly the same experience -- age matters none. If they both raise those snakes -- it's still the same experience -- mom and dad may have to help out the 6 year old but they will still gain experience by being involved and learning.

I know plenty of 25 year old creeps that treat their snakes like crap -- age does not mean they are any more caring, experience or able to care for said animals. Said 25 year old creep is more likely not to take advice on proper care where as a younger child is usually more willing to accept when they need help and aren't afraid to ask for it.

That being said a 4 year old who's brain is still growing and is more pliable and open to new things -- is much more able to learn a foreign language than a teenager or adult -- proven fact.

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Very interesting topic. I've seen breeders sites (don't remember who and wouldn't mention names if I did!) that listed 10 years experience like it was a huge deal and they knew the business backwards and forwards. But then I saw the age and couldn't really help but wonder what kind of experience they're talking about.

I absolutely agree that there are different levels of experience. I think in cases like this, if you're considering buying an animal from this person, I would ask, what experience they have.

If the kid grew up like Tosha's kid, with that level of experience (more than I have), heck yeah I'd trust em! But if their experience consisted of watching their cousin's snake eat every now and again when they were younger (or something like that) I'd keep looking for a more dependable breeder.