Advice/Info to newbies - friendly reminder...

[Olimpia]

Hey everyone,
Just wanted to remind everyone that when giving advice or information to new members, we don't know what their level of experience or knowledge is - either about chameleons or reptiles in general.

So it's important to put everything in layman's terms as much as possible!

I've seen a lot of threads lately about new members asking info about first chameleons they already own or in preparation for getting one for the first time and the information we give them seems overwhelming if you think about it from the viewpoint of someone that has no idea about the terms we're using. I see this a lot from members that are more or less new members themselves and are eager to spread info, which is great but be careful to not confuse others!

- So, be conscious of writing out terms like "MBD" completely.

- Provide a few words of explanation about terms like "locales" and "clutches." (My boyfriend is a car/motorcycle person and thinks I'm crazy when I talk about reptile clutches, thinking I'm talking about the mechanical part)

- Explain things in as much detail as you can. Don't write a few words and leave it at that - for someone that has no knowledge about infertile egg laying, for example, getting there and saying "lower temps and feed your female less" is babble to someone that doesn't understand why or how lowering to a SPECIFIC temp range and feeding a certain amount of feeders will lower the chances of her laying large clutches.

Remember being completely ignorant about reptiles once upon a time as well!
More detail is always better than less.

Just keep that in mind

 

[Pilotman800]

This is so true. I remember when I first joined and started a thread, I didn't understand any of the terminology.

 

[bigcappa]

One thing I would like to add if I may, when we get new or newer members and they post a picture or a video and something isn't correct(ie. they have a water bowl in their enclosure or they are feeding their chameleon the wrong type of feeder) in it. It seems like most of the time someone, usually the first post or two, jumps all over them for doing something wrong. I'm not complaining that we are trying to correct them, just the way it is usually handled. If my first post was a picture of my cham and someone threw up all over it, I probably would not come back again and would not learn everything that I need to. Just my two cents. Great thread as well Olimpia, hopefully we can get a few good discussions started.

 

[Olimpia]

One thing I would like to add if I may, when we get new or newer members and they post a picture or a video and something isn't correct(ie. they have a water bowl in their enclosure or they are feeding their chameleon the wrong type of feeder) in it. It seems like most of the time someone, usually the first post or two, jumps all over them for doing something wrong. I'm not complaining that we are trying to correct them, just the way it is usually handled. If my first post was a picture of my cham and someone threw up all over it, I probably would not come back again and would not learn everything that I need to. Just my two cents. Great thread as well Olimpia, hopefully we can get a few good discussions started.

I agree with this as well, and I personally try to be conscious about not doing that. Sometimes it's hard because you want to give advice efficiently but something like "welcome to the forum! Chameleons are great, you're going to love yours" is sometimes all it takes to open with a different foot and attitude. Being friendly goes a long way. I agree that sometimes how you say stuff goes a longer way than what you're saying. People will be more open to friendly advice.

I've also had experiences where I posted a cage photo and I was criticized for my choice of plant, not because it was toxic, but because it wouldn't survive in the cage indoors. Which it didn't, but it was up to me to experiment. Mentioning that as an aside or tip would have been better received. I remember being reluctant to share cages for a time after that.

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

Agree on all counts! Especially with the being friendly instead of harshly criticizing. It makes a HUGE difference.

 

[Robyrango]

New member myself.. I think this forum is brilliant! Whatever you're doing guys is great!
@ Olimpia: I really appreciate your concern and you made a very good point, but if you get your first chameleon and you don't even know what MDB is, well, no matter how you'll explain things that person will might always have troubles taking care of a chameleon.
There are lots of informations on the web. I think everybody should do bit of research before having to care for one of the most fascinating creature in the world!

 

[DavidBuchan]

Agreed on all counts here too.....I remember when I joined I understood most of the terms already, but there was a long thread with someone who had almost no idea what was going on.......he got a bit of criticism, and it turned out that he was 11 years old......I try to bear that in mind when offering advice to the newest people......

 

[Olimpia]

New member myself.. I think this forum is brilliant! Whatever you're doing guys is great!
@ Olimpia: I really appreciate your concern and you made a very good point, but if you get your first chameleon and you don't even know what MDB is, well, no matter how you'll explain things that person will might always have troubles taking care of a chameleon.
There are lots of informations on the web. I think everybody should do bit of research before having to care for one of the most fascinating creature in the world!

And I completely agree on your last point, don't get me wrong, but you aren't born knowing the terminology of a new hobby You have to learn what MBD is somewhere, why not here? I just think it's more helpful to give new members the most amount of info possible. I came into chameleons knowing about that kind of thing from gecko ownership but for someone that's only known dogs or hamsters, it must be overwhelming to hear so many unfamiliar terms!

I think that a little extra effort on our part will go a long way for helping new members be better chameleon owners. Plus it's just easy stuff, like writing out full words and offering a few extra words of explanation.

 

[allencg101]

i give hugs not shoves!!!

 

[bigcappa]

I think that a little extra effort on our part will go a long way for helping new members be better chameleon owners. Plus it's just easy stuff, like writing out full words and offering a few extra words of explanation.

^^^ This Just a few more words and a better explanation, I feel like a lot of time on new threads we get the "first" mentality.

i give hugs not shoves!!!

LOL

 

[Syn]

It would be useful if there was a thesaurus/terminology thread... or if mouse-over definitions (at one point in time when you put your mouse over cham, it would show "chameleon") were more abundant.

 

[Olimpia]

It would be useful if there was a thesaurus/terminology thread... or if mouse-over definitions (at one point in time when you put your mouse over cham, it would show "chameleon") were more abundant.

Very true, and I remember someone suggesting that recently.

 

[Syn]

Very true, and I remember someone suggesting that recently.

Oh oh, project time!!

 

[bigcappa]

It would be useful if there was a thesaurus/terminology thread... or if mouse-over definitions (at one point in time when you put your mouse over cham, it would show "chameleon") were more abundant.

Check out adchams glossary, they don't have everything but it is a good list/start.

http://web.archive.org/web/20060813191538/http://www.adcham.com/html/husbandry/glossary.html#M

 

[Syn]

Check out adchams glossary, they don't have everything but it is a good list/start.

http://web.archive.org/web/20060813191538/http://www.adcham.com/html/husbandry/glossary.html#M

I would love to use AdCham as a reference, but I'm afraid I wouldn't know who to ask permission for use. It's a great guideline, though!

 

[bigcappa]

I would love to use AdCham as a reference, but I'm afraid I wouldn't know who to ask permission for use. It's a great guideline, though!

Yeah I wouldn't know either, I bet Chris A would though

 

[ataraxia]

roll overs....GREAT IDEA!!!.

 

[lindawaz]

I consider myself a new owner. The first time I posted I was jumped on for things about the cage I got the rescue in. I new nothing about chams I just knew this one was not being treated well- Classroom pet, glass cage, red light on all the time- so I took it.

If it was not for a couple of members reaching out and becoming contacts/friends with me I would have left. They helped me a lot through PM's.
I would not have asked anything on the forum. I do read it 2 times a day to see what is new because there is so much great information on here. I learn something new daily. Things I have not encountered yet and even what to be looking for when someone posts in the health part.

I think what you are saying here is wonderful and I hope it follows to others when they address a New cham owners cry for help.

I still PM these people and I appreciate their encouragement and experience. Truthfully, I still don't have enough confidence to post some of my questions publicly for fear of feeling like an incompetent owner. Or spoken to like I am an idiot. I am not thin skinned but some of the members are really harsh

JMO

 

[Syn]

I still PM these people and I appreciate their encouragement and experience. Truthfully, I still don't have enough confidence to post some of my questions publicly for fear of feeling like an incompetent owner. Or spoken to like I am an idiot. I am not thin skinned but some of the members are really harsh

I had the same feelings when I first started posting here, but thankfully it gets easier over time. This may just be an excuse, but I believe sometimes members get tired of seeing the same questions, owner ignorance... it gets to us, and we all deal with it differently (proactively, reactively). I'm (obviously) not a perfect little angel when it comes to posting, but that comes with having hundreds of opinions on an open forum! In the end I think the pros outweigh the cons, and most posts are made with good intention.

I've seen a lot in the years I've been here, and I'm glad I've gotten to see some people who were new to the hobby when I arrived, mature into the experienced and knowledgeable members they are today.