Absolutes in Reptile Care

[daniel1983]

I thought this would be a great discussion for an 'advanced' forum.

I am not a believer in absolutes when reptile care is concerned. Each situation is different, each keeper is different, and each reptile is different. How can there be absolutes with so many differences?

To me, many fixed ideas concerning reptile care originate from how information is given to beginning keepers.

The same recommendations are made to beginning keepers in order to keep things simple. The last thing you want to do is confuse a beginner with advanced concepts right off the bat. So we say things in absolutes....

1. Do not house snakes together unless they are breeding
2. Do not house different species together
3. Tubs are best for snakes
4. Do not breed young animals
5. Fast growth is good
6. Feed snakes weekly
7. Feeding f/t has less risk than feeding live
8. CBB is better than CH

Just to name a few...

...and I could go on and on about these comments that are sometimes spoken(typed) as if they are strict rules to follow.

While those statements were initially give as just general guidelines to beginning keepers.......they somehow became engrained as fact and instead of being repeated as a guideline....The statements are repeated as fact or absolute by some people.

Do not house snakes together unless they are breeding. Very general statement. So many variables.....what size is the enclosure, what type of environment is going to be provided, what is the age, sex, size, and health of the snakes, what kind of experience does the keeper have, how many basking areas, how will the snakes be fed, what will they be fed, etc.

Everything is in the details.....nothing is absolute, so why speak as if the statement is written in stone? It goes beyond just snakes....it happens with tons of other reptiles.

Do not keep bearded dragons on sand. Very general statement. So many variables....what is the grain size of the sand, is it manufactured or natural, what are the shape of the grains, is it 100% sand or is it a sandy loam, is the bearded well hydrated, moisture content of the soil, etc.

Everything is in the details.

The number of fixed ideas concerning reptiles seems to be growing constantly. My opinion is this lack of exploration (i.e. developing new ideas instead of using the guidelines already there) has to do with a blind focus on morphs and breeding....and lack of any attention to natural history and natural environments.

How many keepers have seen a picture of a bumblebee ball python, but have never seen a picture of a ball python's native environment?

How many keepers preach about keeping animals seperate, but have never seen reptiles of different species sitting right next to each other in the wild?

How many people say to keep beardies off sand, but have never read books describing bearded dragon burrows in the red sandy loam of Australia?

How many people say to keep an enclosure at two set temperatures and one constant humidity, but have never seen a basking snake on a dry, hot day retreat under a rotten log to feel the cool, dampness beneath once the temperatures get too warm?

There is so much to learn about reptiles. No absolutes.

I just wanted to have a little rant to tell everyone....

Do not limit yourself. Do not settle for something that works well, find something that works better. Make it a point to learn something everyday....and try to avoid speaking absolutes when discussing reptiles.

[LadyOhh]

Absolutes:

Feed your animal
Give water to your animal
Don't try and kill your animal
Protect your animal


There are some out there

[Windridge Kennels]

Great post- and it applies to dogs, cats, snakes, birds, lizards, and parenting... and just about everything in life IMO

[daniel1983]

Absolutes:

Feed your animal
Give water to your animal
Don't try and kill your animal
Protect your animal

There are some out there

But it is all in the details....

Feed your animal what, feed it how, feed it when, feed it where?

The basic needs to maintain life are absolute........the ways in which those needs are met are not

[Stewart_Reptiles]

I am not a believer in absolutes either, however the fact is most beginners how overwhelmed by very simple things and some barely grasp the concept of proper husbandry.

I think the responsibility of more experienced keepers is to provide safe guidance to beginners until they understand the basics, have more experience and gain the confidence to experiment things on their own and see what work for THEM.

[daniel1983]

I think the responsibility of more experienced keepers is to provide safe guidance to beginners until they understand the basics, have more experience and gain the confidence to experiment things on their own and see what work for THEM.

Agreed. What I disagree with is the way things are stated.

"Never house snakes together" and "I recommend that you keep the snakes seperate until you get more experience" are two completely different comments.

When absolutes like 'never' or 'always' are thrown into the statement. It creates a false fact in the mind of the person receiving the advice.

[littleindiangirl]

I find it difficult as it is to recommend certain things to new keepers, like the 1 snake 1 cage rule.

While I think the wording is NOT unimportant, I think the urgency of such ground notions on husbandry do need to be communicated effectively.

While they questions us "Why cant I keep my 2 snakes together?", we usually always give a long list of reasons. Afterwards they say, "I'm going to keep them together, I don't have the space"
Is this really what an experienced keeper is thinking about? That they do not have the space to keep both animals separate, so this is reason enough to keep them together?

I hope it's not. I would hope the well intentioned experienced keeper is well aware of the risks and has taken all the means necessary to minimize those risks. Something the newbie keeper may be completely unaware of, or may not know how to accomplish.

I guess summed up, most NEW keepers don't have the experience necessary, and by giving them a plethora of options, they are going to take what appears to be the easy way out. Often to the harm of the reptile, simply because they do not understand what they are doing on each level.

The decisions are based on many things, but sometimes the care for new species seems daunting, and many are just looking to keep things simple. Which most people here for any amount of time know that the majority of people here have had there snakes for a few weeks or months.

LOL, sorry if that made no sense. I have trouble getting my points across sometimes.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Agreed. What I disagree with is the way things are stated.

"Never house snakes together" and "I recommend that you keep the snakes seperate until you get more experience" are two completely different comments.

When absolutes like 'never' or 'always' are thrown into the statement. It creates a false fact in the mind of the person receiving the advice.

I guess I rather use strong words to dissuade new owners, rather than let them think it is ok to do so before they are ready and experienced enough.

You know that if you let them think it is OK they will want to do it right now without waiting to have the experience.

We use NEVER and ALWAYS in this language all the time in various circumstances, it does not mean we mean it as an absolute.

[LadyOhh]

But it is all in the details....

Feed your animal what, feed it how, feed it when, feed it where?

The basic needs to maintain life are absolute........the ways in which those needs are met are not

Sure. But I am not talking about the details Bare Bones basics. Absolutely.

[cassandra]

3. Tubs are best for snakes.

*grumble*

I hate that this is a "for granted" absolute...I hate having to stamp on my "glass soap box" on this website so often to fight for the right to safely and correctly house my PET snakes in glass...

Sure. But I am not talking about the details Bare Bones basics. Absolutely.

But then Heather just cracks me up!