I just introduced myself , but then.....

[Alaskamike]

These are questions I think some new people wonder about. After the questions. If any member would like to pick a # and answer that one , it would be great.

I'm new ...just made an introduction , so How come ....
1. Everyone wants to see pics of my tortoise and enclosure
2. I almost immediately get asked about bulbs, critiqued for my Substrata, water dish & set up ( which BTW , I paid allot of $ for at the pet store)
3. I get messages with all kinds of links to read
4. People ask me where I got the tortoise from and how it was " started "
5. I bought a pair so it would have a friend to grow up with and get immediacy criticized for raising them together.
6. I show a picture of my tortoise walking in my house and get yelled at
7. My dog , cat , ferret - whatever - is in the photo and all kinds of horror stories of babies getting damaged are told. My animals are sweet and well trained - what gives ?
8. I have several different species and raise them together in a nice enclosure. They leave each other alone - even seem to be friends. Why am I jumped on ?
9. My tortoise shows some pyramiding and dry shell and I feel like a bad parent when it's brought up
I don't even want to post pictures anymore
10. I am asking just for health advice, cause my baby has an owee, or runny nose , or won't open his eyes , won't eat, or just sits all day but then I get asked about warm side , cold side, ambient temps ,bulbs, humidity and all kinds of environment stuff. Like I caused it.

 

[Keith D.]

I'll take #1 lol
OK so you join TFO and tell us about your turtle or tort or both and how many you have and what species and ask questions about them and such. We as members always like to see pics of your scaly kids so we can do our normal how cute and such, the pics help us in a couple ways, one is that it let's us put a face to a name and two so we can see if there is anything we can guide you with.
For pics of enclosures there are several reasons for that to, one being we always like seeing new setups and two maybe we can help guide a new member or parent in how to fix a issue with there setup before it has a chance to become a problem to a scaly kid.
Hope that helped a little.

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

These are questions I think some new people wonder about. After the questions. If any member would like to pick a # and answer that one , it would be great.

I'm new ...just made an introduction , so How come ....
1. Everyone wants to see pics of my tortoise and enclosure
2. I almost immediately get asked about bulbs, critiqued for my Substrata, water dish & set up ( which BTW , I paid allot of $ for at the pet store)
3. I get messages with all kinds of links to read
4. People ask me where I got the tortoise from and how it was " started "
5. I bought a pair so it would have a friend to grow up with and get immediacy criticized for raising them together.
6. I show a picture of my tortoise walking in my house and get yelled at
7. My dog , cat , ferret - whatever - is in the photo and all kinds of horror stories of babies getting damaged are told. My animals are sweet and well trained - what gives ?
8. I have several different species and raise them together in a nice enclosure. They leave each other alone - even seem to be friends. Why am I jumped on ?
9. My tortoise shows some pyramiding and dry shell and I feel like a bad parent when it's brought up
I don't even want to post pictures anymore
10. I am asking just for health advice, cause my baby has an owee, or runny nose , or won't open his eyes , won't eat, or just sits all day but then I get asked about warm side , cold side, ambient temps ,bulbs, humidity and all kinds of environment stuff. Like I caused it.

Alaskamike
Your right but the best they ask for advise and then argue with the advise. ! But I relate to your post

 

[Careym13]

#2: Pet store employees often don't have the training and/or experience to offer proper advice when it comes to supplies needed for tortoise/turtle enclosures. The type of bulb, substrate, water dish and other items in a tortoise enclosure are sometimes dangerous or detrimental to the animal's health and well-being. When we ask for this information, it is because we want you to have the best information possible so your tortoise can live a healthy, long life. When you are told that something in your enclosure is not safe or is not the proper type for your species of tortoise, it is based upon many, many years of collective tortoise keeping experience by the members on this forum. The advice given is only meant as constructive criticism, never to make a new member feel bad or unwanted. So, to all new members reading this, ASK AS MANY QUESTIONS AS YOU WANT....we are here to help (and some, like myself, to continue learning everyday)

 

[pam]

Welcome

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Well written.
It must be an overload of information for a Newby and I'm right there with trying to help.
Everyone gets hit with the same help with no indication usually of the new members age location or financial means. Sometimes they have NO means of even obtaining items that most of us think nothing of using and yes, no one wants to hear that they just purchased useless even harmful garbage that says it's for a tortoise.
Maybe we need a group of informative embassadors. People picked to usher in newbies with careful words. God knows I've butchered a welcome with my choice of wording. I'm not a good politician.
I hope that the majority are helped and they do come around and understand that we are just passionate. Not mean.
I hope that we ( and I) help more than hurt this forum and new members.

 

[wellington]

I can

Well written.
It must be an overload of information for a Newby and I'm right there with trying to help.
Everyone gets hit with the same help with no indication usually of the new members age location or financial means. Sometimes they have NO means of even obtaining items that most of us think nothing of using and yes, no one wants to hear that they just purchased useless even harmful garbage that says it's for a tortoise.
Maybe we need a group of informative embassadors. People picked to usher in newbies with careful words. God knows I've butchered a welcome with my choice of wording. I'm not a good politician.
I hope that the majority are helped and they do come around and understand that we are just passionate. Not mean.
I hope that we ( and I) help more than hurt this forum and new members.

I can assure you this forum has. The reason most of us will ask these questions right away, is because we don't know if there will ever be another chance to ask these questions or to give them help.
I'm not always very good with my wording either. I have been told many times I sounded rude. I never mean too, sometimes I don't have a lot of time, but I don't want the thread to go unanswered. I pass on what I have learned for the love and care of the animal. I try to be as nice as I can, but it's really about the animal not catering to someones feelings. It's a tortoises life and well being we are trying to help. I don't think we need an informative ambassador group. Not everyone agrees anyway. We just need to be as nice as we can, but still get the info to the person. Some think the intro should be left to just say hi and welcome. I don't. What if that's the only time this person posts, which does happen. You just lost the chance to get them thinking about better care.

 

[wellington]

My answer basically to all of,the above would be something like this. The members of this forum take owning a tortoise and giving them the best care possible very seriously. We ask all these questions, so we can pass on the information it has taken some members years to learn. By doing so, we are saving you and your tortoise from making the same mistakes, that has already been fixed. Or something likes that.
And you will still always get some that no matter how much you coddle them, they still don't get it and still get p'd off.

 

[Angel Carrion]

Plus, helping you avoid the mistakes all of us has made (or learned about from others mistakes) will ultimately save you money because you won't have to constantly take you shelled friend to the vet (hopefully you have found a reputable vet in your area, if not there is a forum section listing reptile vet by location).

 

[Merrick]

You learn from your mistakes so why don't you protect the animal you have taken responsibility of by learning from others

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

A pic is worth 1000 words !

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

I learn from my mistakes and those of others.

 

[Angel Carrion]

Sadly I'm dealing with this on a facebook box turtle group right now. Lady took offense to me telling her she needs to monitor her humidity levels and various temp ranges because she wasn't (at all) and thought just misting every day was enough, so she complained to the admins and had my comments deleted on a few posts, and I have an admin chewing me out over PM.

 

[Merrick]

Sadly I'm dealing with this on a facebook box turtle group right now. Lady took offense to me telling her she needs to monitor her humidity levels and various temp ranges because she wasn't (at all) and thought just misting every day was enough, so she complained to the admins and had my comments deleted on a few posts, and I have an admin chewing me out over PM.

Yah that kind of thing sucks you try to do good but because people have to have egos their animals suffer or maybe they read it wrong

 

[Angel Carrion]

Yah that kind of thing sucks you try to do good but because people have to have egos their animals suffer or maybe they read it wrong

Even the admins (who said they have bachelors in biology and animal sciences and the one is a vet tech *eye roll*) are giving out bad info. The one just commented on a post saying the compact bulbs were fine and that I was wrong.

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

I learn from my mistakes and those of others.

Sense you learn from your mistakes try a Bud !

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

Sense you learn from your mistakes try a Bud !

That's just wrong!

 

[Alaskamike]

# 3. You get all kinds of links to read.
It can seem overwhelming . You say hi , I have a Sulcata, and so one posts four different links to extensive information. As if you know nothing.
But it's not because we want to make you a student & the Forum your school. It's because at first , you may not know how to navigate and find the species specific info you need. And those " stickys" have been saved because they outline best care practices.
We know some people will devour the information. Some just want a specific question answered and all that reading seems nonsense. But those who read them, take the time, benefit greatly.

 

[Lyn W]

# 3. You get all kinds of links to read.
It can seem overwhelming . You say hi , I have a Sulcata, and so one posts four different links to extensive information. As if you know nothing.
But it's not because we want to make you a student & the Forum your school. It's because at first , you may not know how to navigate and find the species specific info you need. And those " stickys" have been saved because they outline best care practices.
We know some people will devour the information. Some just want a specific question answered and all that reading seems nonsense. But those who read them, take the time, benefit greatly.

I was really grateful for being pointed in the right direction when I joined.

 

[christinaland128]

This forum has helped me immensely! I'm so glad I found it and took advice.