Good Keepers??

[TSKA Rory Matier]

Hi,

What do you think , attributes wise [experience, age, knowledge, etc], contributes towards being thought of, seen as , a quality keeper?

If for instance you were selling something to another keeper, what would you be asking of your fellow keeper? What do you look for from that keeper?

So as to verify that you were making the right decisions for that sale to go ahead.

Thanks

Rory

[Shelley]

i'd ask them a few questions on husbandry to make sure they'd done their homework!

[brittone05]

It would depend if I knew them or not. If they have a good reputation and already keep the species I was selling successfully, then questions would more than likely be minimal.

If, howvere, they were not known to me and I didn't know if they had experience, I would want to know thier basic knowledge of the species, what they planned to house it in if not sold with suitable housing, the name of thier vet and if they are a reptile specialist and also if they had a back up plan just inc ase said vet was busy.

I would also direct them beforehand to what I felt was a decent care sheet, websites like this one where they can read and learn as they go along and I would more than likely do a bit of asking round to see if anyone else knew of them

The level of my quesitonaing woulf also obviously depend ont he species - a beardie would probably receive more probing than a more specialist species such as a chameleon (sounds harsh yes but chams are not as hardy as beardies IMO).

I would, finally, request that the buyer gave me contaact details so I could speak to them periodically to check the animals progress and give them my contact details so should they ever change thier mind or have a problem, they could reach me

[gecko-kus]

I believe that experience is key but it doesn't matter what age you are.... my friends daughter who is 6 knows quite a bit more about reptiles than alot of people... but everyone get's different advice and has to find out what works for them... of course you ask them question to ensure that you and they are getting the right animals for them, but everyone has to start somewhere and as long as people are willing to learn and educate themselves about the animals they have and want then that's best.

In terms of people to look to for quality keepers it would have to be Schmidt and Henkel (Love them gecks lol!!!)

[Iliria]

aanyway back on thread..... good keepers

[HABU]

i have always taken a holistic approach towards keeping reptiles. i have always started with their natural habitat and the niche that they fill, what the hunt for, their habits etc. and take it from there. what i strive to do is mimic things as well as i can so that they don't feel as if they are in captivity. a lot like a zoo may do. i never try to bend them to MY will but rather accomidate them. luckily i've had many opportunities to actually sit right in their natural habitat. you'd be surprised how just by sitting on a log in boa contrictor country and smelling the smells and feeling the warm rain gives you a intuative feeling for what an animal needs. like desert animals....it's hard to really comprehend what the mojave desert is REALLY like until you actually experience it...people would be surprised. i just alway keep in mind that these are wild animals...not hamsters we're dealing with. imagine me with a hamster! haha!...their wouldn't be a wheel in there that's for sure!

[955i]

Sorry, after the distraction I forgot to answer the original question.

My idea of a good keeper?

1) Someone who tries their best to provide as natural a habitat and as large an enclosure for their animals as they can (don't like keeping animals in stacks of boxes until they are bred out).

2) Someone who puts their animals first and prepares the enclosure and does the homework BEFORE they buy the animal and post looking for information.

3) People who take their animals seriously. I am concerned to have seen a lot of posts on here recently (noting it is close to Xmas) saying that 'I have no money' and selling animals off. I am aware that things get tough, I have been there, but I don't approve of animals you are supposed to love being treated as a commodity to get you out of the shit. Sell your telly, sell your car, sell your jewellery. These are all replaceable. Your animals, especially your dog, are not!!

[tanyau]

Frogeye 1050. Your last post is an excellent one. 100% to you.

HABU. Loving your post too.

With attitudes like both of yours, you should both feel very proud of yourselves.

[tanyau]

To whomever thought it wise to remove many posts from this thread, could I add that with almost 600 views ,that was a very bad choice to make, and makes it look as though there was much to hide, so please re-think your action, or Rory may have to pay for your judgement, unless of course Rory mods his own Hobbyist forum, then that shines a different light on things, but as bad. or even worse than if a different mod took the action.

Once things like this kick off they don't go away by continually removing posts. That makes it worse, and the end result will possible be more cropping up over and over when least expected.

[PendleHog]

Any further threads made on this issue will be locked. I am not removing anything to make Rory look as though he has "something to hide" or indeed protecting him, I am keeping the forum free from personal dispute.

I am quite sure you are able to contact Rory, Nerys or anyone else you choose without the use of this forum. We are not here to host your personal confrontations.