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Re: This will prob start a war but.....


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Posted by Marissa on July 19, 2001 at 14:21:48:

In Reply to: This will prob start a war but..... posted by ARGGGG on July 19, 2001 at 13:04:11:

Yes, I would say you probably SHOULDN'T be stepping on a soapbox unless you have the brass to actually identify yourself, "ARGGG".

I am not trying to be arrOgant when I attempt to dissuade people from owning certain animals if they live in certain areas, especially someone with little or no experience. I am being realistic and practical...and the advice I give comes from having to help rehome what is now becoming countless amounts of sulcata (and RES among other species), MOST of whom are being rehomed due to lack of information about what areas they are able to be kept in, and lack of knowledge about how large they will get, blah blah blah. So yes, when I say that people who don't live in areas that they can house a tortoise of that nature outdoors for most of the year, probably shouldn't have them, I mean it. And on top of that, I wish someone had done me the favor of clueing ME in years ago when I purchased my own sulcata, which I had to subsequently rehome for those very reasons.

Yes, I'm sure we all agree that if 'Joe Turtle Expert' decided to get a sulcata in North Dakota, he might know exactly what he is getting himself into. In that case, what can you really say? Not that I think it's that fair to house a large roaming species indoors no matter how extensive your setups are, but at least this person has a clue of what is going to be involved. In the case of a newbie looking for some help and recommendations from those with more knowlege and experience, I feel that is a completely different story. I remember back when I was studying care sheets, every species looked good to me. Really, how was I to know? How was I to know what real effort I would have to put forth on a daily basis?

A person may think they are willing to put in the time and effort and spend the money but the reality is that few people really are when they are confronted with a rapidly growing tortoise that has blown past it's 20-gallon tank (or so). My sulcata was rehomed when it overook my living room. And I blame myself every day for not getting some concrete information before I bought.

Not to say that there aren't those out there who can and will, but those folks aren't your average member of the gen. pop.

However, if our friend in Iowa has some solid advice and information other than what he is reading in care sheets, he might be able to make a more informed decision at least, thus saving himself potential emotional and financial issues in the future. And if everyone I work with had had this information, I can guarantee you the amount of adoption work my organization does would be severely diminished. And we would be very happy if that happened, believe me.

And that is what I wrote to him about. Like it or not, it was not arrogance, it was the truth.


: I probably should not be saying this, as I will probably end up starting a major war, but I want to discus this a little. Why is it that some people try to disuade others from owning what they want? Now I am not going to say that just everyone that thinks they want a pretty turtle should go buy a baby sulcata. However I think that if somone is willing to put in some time, effort, and do the research to find out the needs, then we should not be too quick to tell them that they can't have one.

: We should all be in agreement that as the importation of WC animals is halted, there is a need for good quality captive breed animals. Are you so arragant as to say that the only people that have a right to enjoy these facinating animals are the ones that live in the southwest?

: I have many more things to say that I won't. I will step down from my soap box.




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