Faq

[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