Question: At what point do you feel comfortable posting info about your animals?

[LadyOhh]

I've been seeing this happen a LOT recently, where new people post about thier animals in videos and Youtube and forums and such.

It has piqued my interest on the subject.


Now, my question is...

If you are posting information online, when do you think is the right time to be teaching others???

How many years of experience do you think you should have before you should be posting things about how to take care of your animals?

Now also, to the video watchers/readers out there, who do you REALLY listen to when watching videos and reading info?

Big name breeders? Small name people?

[West Coast Jungle]

Very interesting question. Nowadays anyone can make a video and post it online, make a web page or a blog.

When I was young the saying was "Just because it's in print, doesn't make it true".

Is it time with animals or research, what is experienced? I rescued a BP from someone that had it for 8 years with a lightbulb for heat and feed it every other month because they didnt like to watch the mice die. How the thing survived is a miracle but that person could say they have 8 years experience.

When I give someone advice I like to stick to things that are tried and tested which I have learned from breeders/herpoculturalists/vets and have had personal success with myself.

There are some great videos out there from very experienced herpers which are very helpful and there are also a bunch of morons with snakes and cameras too, giving everyone a bad name.

Wiegh the quality of the information by the source that gave it to you.

My kid used to complain that so and so at school said something mean to her. I asked her, what do you think about that person? She said, I don't like her, she is a moron! So I told her who cares what a moron has to say.

If you respect someone or their knowledge, you should listen closely to what they have to say. If they are foolish, why give them a moment of your time. The energy is spent much better on other things

Lots of people talk the talk but not many have walked the walk

[mainbutter]

it takes very little experience needed to send people off in a direction that has info, or repeating what you read, though it's nice to make sure to mention that "I read that.."

I'm new to BPs, but very experienced in other herps, especially with wild animals native to the southern US. If someone comes here asking for info on taking care of BPs, I have no problem sending them to the care sheet if no one has done that already and letting them know about my experience and repeating what others have told me.

[OhBalls]

Excellent post Heather!

Personally, when I watch a teaching video, I search for people I know and trust. I have found that if I just do a random search, there are WAY too many people who give out incomplete or incorrect information. Which could possibly end up harming or even killing a snake. Too many "know it all's" that really have no idea what they are doing are really hurting informational videos. I can think of one guy in particular that is a complete joke, but because he does "funny" vids, the kids love it.

I think after several years of keeping and breeding, posting informational videos could really add to a persons credibility if done correctly.

People like Adam, Brian and a few others make some awesome videos. They know what they're doing and share what they know. They're known and respected. I think that goes a LONG way when choosing vids.

I'd watch videos you make simply because I know you have the experience to back up what you show. Besides, my pastels would enjoy seeing their "mom" get famous!

[Melicious]

-Grins.- What a great question.

I think it's extremely important for first-time owners to be exposed to the best of the best but that's not often the case. Every Tom and Harry can make a video of feeding an animal or some such thing. It's a dangerous world we reptile lovers live in. One moron can put up a youtube video about husbandry, and some newbie will see it and think it's right. Not everyone does their research.

I think it's important for people like us to be the ambassadors of the herp culture and try and educate those around us. It's important for us to try and help the reptiles we love so much because without that help, the government, in fear, will continue to regulate our ownership.

I have almost eight years of "experience" with ball pythons. Does that mean that I'll go post youtube videos? No. I may have some experience, but I didn't start living and breathing my balls until about four years ago. I don't want to misinform someone, so while I try to help people here and on other forums, I try and impress upon the people I try to help that I'm not perfect and I don't know everything.

Before I got my first ball python, I spent over a month doing research on them so that I could give the one I'd get the best home possible.

I respect the best breeders out there as well as a lot of people on this forum and a few others. I think it's important that these people try and step into the forefront of knowledge so that the morons of the world don't over-educate the newbies. Meh. I think I made sense. Maybe.

[Kryptonian]

I don't post much anymore since there are some people that are very anal about thier way being the best way and the "only" way just becuase they have done it "that" way for years. As soon as you do something different or offer advise that does not match thier own, little wars are started and suddenely becuase you are the new guy you are viewed as the reptile "village" idiot. There is more than one way to make something work, cars run on gas for the most part but some run on diesal, some on propane, even electricity. Looking after reptiles is much the same. There is of course the most common way for which ever species, this would be like gas. Then there are some other ways that are less common but proven successful for some and not for others, this would be like diesal and propane. Then thier are the odd ways you don't here about and the "experts " may think, oh that's all wrong. But how do you know until you have tried it. I'm sure that when it was first thought up, cars running on electricity, thier was many people who thought, ahh that would never work. So point being don't doubt a persons ways until you try it and it fails. And even if it does fail who cares if it works for someone then great. Advise is just that advise, its not written in stone and you wont get hung if you dont take the advise, Take in info from anywhere you can and use it where you need it. There has been advise I have taken from experts that actually made a situation worse. Someone asked me how am I doing this for that animal. I tell them how I am looking after that animal and they are like oh, no don't do that! do it this way instead. So I change what I was doing ,which for me was working, to this expertise way and the animal starts doing not as well, so I return things the way I had them and the animal did much better. I think all advise has its value, within reason of course. If someone tried to convince me to feed my bp an elephant, this is obviously bad advise. So to answer the question when should you feel compforatable? When that info you are posting has been successful for you, and your animal.

[anatess]

Look at my signature down there...

I felt I had to put that in all my posts just so you know I'm very new to this thing and to take that into consideration when reading my posts. But, at the same time, I spent weeks fixing my humidity issues one time that I felt it's okay for me to share what I did to solve the problem. Also, I responded to some newbie asking how they should handle their snake. I thought my input would be helpful because I started as a snakophobic 2 months ago and after a week of observation and learning, now I am comfortable picking up the 3-foot bp by myself, so I distinctly remember what I did to get comfortable which may be something that somebody who has been handling their snakes for 10 years would not feel the need to mention anymore. I mean, for example, a lot of experts would say, pick up the snake gently. Well, for a newbie, "pick up a snake", may not be enough information (it wasn't for me). I remember when I was figuring out how to pick up our snake I had to ask myself, how do I approach the snake? What part of the body to touch? How can I tell if the snake is ready to be picked up? You know what I mean? So, a newbie like myself might have some insights that is helpful to somebody with their first bp that experts have taken for granted.

[Freakie_frog]

Ok there were alot of great answers.

Heres my thoughts. In this hobby there is always someone who has more/less knowledge than me. Now I may not be able to advise someone how to asperate an egg bound female so if I need that info I call on someone with more experience. However I can advise someone how to assist feed or set up a Ball's new home.

I think that as long as you feel comfortable with your level of knowledge then passing that knowledge on to those seeking it isn't a problem.

[Wh00h0069]

I think the right time is when the poster knows something about keeping animals that someone else does not. For example, if someone that has been keeping a snake for a few weeks knows that they need correct heat and humidity because of research that they have done, then that is the correct time. I do not think that anyone should give out wrong information, so someone that does not have very much experience should make sure the information is correct before giving to someone else.

[Cheryl Marchek aka JM]

I guess~ for me~ I don't feel a great ambition to "teach" anyone. If someone asks a question I have the answer to I'll answer. Unless it's already been answered with what I consider a reasonable answer. Sometimes if I feel the answer already given is stupid I'll politely post an intelligent alternative. If I'm feeling particularly full of it (usually when I'm full of bourbon!) I may point out that the first answer was stupid~ but usually I attempt to answer politely and preface such with statements such as:
In my expierience...........
What I tried was..........
This worked for me............
I read that............

BUT~ when I try something new I love posting about it. Not as a "Teaching" tool for others but more as a "Look~what I'm trying!" Sometimes it works out great. The CO2 chamber I built and wrote up the instructions for are still on my web site and a lot of people use those plans to design thier own kill tanks. Sometimes it doesn't work~ there are pictures of the enclosure I built out of a cheap carport and tarps for my Turkeys last year on a homesteading site I go to..........No one uses that idea.......cuz mine turned into a giant Box Kite! LOL~ good idea in theory~ but in practice it sucks!!

I guess it really depends~ if it's something I KNOW I very rarely go out of my way to "TEACH" others though I will share my knowledge~ if it's something I'm learning......I love to share the process with anyone else who might be trying to do the same thing!