This came from a comment in another thread about answering "simple" questions. Just my thoughts and certainly not meant to be directed specifically at any member new or old here so please don't take offense but instead see this thread for what it is.

Simple questions, those posted over and over by newcomers to owning herps....are they that "simple". For those of you that breed large numbers of snakes, they must feel that way. You know this stuff like you know your own social security number and you've likely answered these questions about a million times. I've only been in this hobby a couple of years and I know I have and sometimes I don't want to quote temps or humidity yet again or answer yet another "it won't eat or shed right" thread.

But these are not "simple" questions really. This is information that will help a newcomer and could save a snake's life folks. We all know that most feeding issues are based in husbandry problems. That improper housing/husbandry can lead to a snake that is likely to end up with an RI, belly rot, etc. Certainly not simple stuff, it's actually quite vital.

Sure new owners should all do their homework, have their enclosures running perfect and buy from reputable breeders but we know this is often not the case. We are coming into the time of year when petstores have a lot of baby BP's and we see a lot of new owners that have gotten little to no information about how to care for their petstore purchases (or even worse, horribly incorrect information).

I was once a new owner, heck I'm a nervous wreck being a newbie breeder this year. I can feel for these folks and I can remember coming to BPNet and feeling dumb as dirt. I started thread after thread and thread after thread I got the right answers, I got patience from the members and I got encouragement. I'm sure a lot of my questions made experienced folks roll their eyes but they dug in and they answered my every question or concern. They helped me and Mike learn to care properly for our snakes and to feel proud of ourselves and confident enough to be able to pass that help along to others down the road.

I remember feeling actually shocked that Kara from NERD, Adam Wysocki and Joe Compel would even bother with a question from little ole nobody me but they did and they seemed quite happy to be of help. They showed me what a caring snake breeder is all about. They set a bar high that I strive to someday meet in my own small way.

So please, next time the question seems too "simple" remember the day you got your first snake, maybe it was even before the internet, remember how scary and confusing it could be, or how you worried that asking a question on a forum might get you laughed at or looked down on. Remember that if you, the experienced person, don't step up and help, then someone with far less experience will and the results could be less than good.

Remember that when you lead by example you are building someone up to be a good leader themselves one day.