I felt the same way but after getting Pat, it really hasnt been that hard to care for him. I might have gotten lucky like beginners luck but let's knock on wood anyways. I have had boas and BPs as well as Monitors, iguanas and all sorts of other reptiles and amphibians in the past though but really, all these people who say GTPs, BCC and retics are hard to care for, i have to kind of disagree. They really dont seem any more demanding than my other pets were.