Re: I disagree with you totally..

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Posted by Rob Carmichael on February 01, 2003 at 11:11:12:

In Reply to: I disagree with you totally.. posted by stevebinnig on January 29, 2003 at 21:08:51:

I have to admit there are times when I get tired of answering the same questions, HOWEVER, I feel it is a very SMALL price to pay to have a career in herpetology that has been so rewarding to me; it is the least I can do and I enjoy giving some of my experience back to the "next generation" of herpers. I do appreciate Steve's nice words. Although much of this "basic" information can be found in the archives, and I do believe it is an underutilized resource, the bottom line is that people want that personal connection with experienced hobbyists and professionals and I see no problem with the same questions being asked (hey, it happens a whole lot less on this forum than on others such as the ball python forum where you will see countless "my ball python won't eat, what should I do" questions). When you have an open forum like this, you need to take the good with the bad. There have been some very in depth questions and dialogue that has taken place and, yes, it does eventually get buried with the many basic husbandry questions that are brought up on a regular basis, however, if these are highly important issues for a particular person, they can just as easily email that person and have dialogue in that manner. So, I will continue to address questions from newbies and experienced alike and I truly enjoy helping these people as long as they are open to suggestions and willing to listen to people who have been around for a while (and do it with respect). When I think of where I was at when I was younger, there was ZERO opportunities like this to communicate with other herpers from all over the world (that still truly amazes me)....back then, I had to rely on a few good books but I think that is why I developed an instinct for keeping herps (something that is sorely lacking in today's modern day herp folks) in that I learned to spend countless hours OBSERVING my animals, observing herps at various zoos, taking the time to call zookeepers who were successful in those days, and spending hour after hour in the field exploring and watching even simple things like garters devouring american toads....those were the days!

:Skills like probing and popping aren't safely learned by reading books.Someone does it for you then teaches you to do it for yourself. As far as internet searches go, there is a lot of bad info given on line.Beginners can't separate the good from the bad. I also don't have any problem with people asking basic questions here.I've seen Rob Carmichael answer the same questions dozens of times. How many people has he pointed in the right direction out of sheer kindness? If you are tired of basic questions, don't answer them. Maybe other people get tired of silly "Mojo" drivel, too. What were these complex issues that you wanted to ponder,anyway?

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