Hello everyone! I'm new! :D

[supermrchameleon]

I know this is a bit of an old post but i wanted to say a few things on it. As a person that is used to the internet ( i started on BBS before the I-net) i understand forums and the people on them. But as one poster right above mentioned this should be stickied.

This guy needed help asked for it and got immediately verbally raped instead of getting the proper information. Remember that text has no inflection and therefore is upto the reader/s to apply inflection based on sentence structure and harshness of words. Thats where the Smileys came in back in the day they allowed people to apply emotion to text. Remember this and it does everyone well.

If i was brand new to this forum (which i basically am) and to the web you all would have run me off due to your lack of tact. Yes its annoying when you know something and someone else doesn't and yes its annoying when you have to repeat it several times over and over, but guess what thats why we have forums like this. WE have a passion for our hobby and we came here to give and take information to make us better at what we do. And to make the lives of the precious little creatures in our care the best we can!!

So thanks to some of you that posted links, you have provided me with great resources.

Gpmo (him not her)

P.S. someone told me that there isn't only one way to do things right sometimes, there are often multiple ways. Keep that in mind when giving your opinions and thoughts.

I agree. I was pretty shocked to see the poor thing in a tiny cage but at least he asked for help instead of stumbling blindly into owning this little thing and hopefully because of it shes in a better environment now.

 

[eppcheck]

This is exactly why I browse these forums instead of asking for help. I pretty much did the same thing this guy did but found my own answers. This forum has great information but isn't exactly "new owner" friendly unless you do everything perfect from the start and post pictures. Just sayin....

 

[Elizadolots]

I sort of wish that instead of the "tell us what you have so we can tell you how wrong you are" system, there was a "here are our recommendations for a set up, compare them to yours and ask us if anything doesn't seem to make sense" system.

 

[eppcheck]

I sort of wish that instead of the "tell us what you have so we can tell you how wrong you are" system, there was a "here are our recommendations for a set up, compare them to yours and ask us if anything doesn't seem to make sense" system.

I agree, maybe a sticked thread informing new owners the required set up and items needed for a captive chameleons survival. Then a brief explanation as to why these items are needed. They can use it to compare to their current set up and ask questions from this point. As it sits now, someone comes in asking if there current set up is ok. Experience owners give him the stink eye, and then the criticism begins.

Lastly, most of the time its not the new owners fault. They consult with the pet store which provide incorrect information and they leave the store wasting money on incorrect supplies and setups. Sure you could argue that they needed to do research prior to the purchase but some people trust the advise of a petstore employee who assures them they are good to go.

 

[Elizadolots]

I think the current "ask for help" system invites fights...it's not even just between the original poster and the respondents...those who respond start to fight among themselves and completely ignore what was, in fact, in the completed form. I've stepped in a couple of times and pointed out some really glaring issue (like, almost no ventilation) after pages of debate among board regulars on [exaggeration] gutloading.[/exaggeration]

The system is broken and needs to be fixed.

I do understand the need for consistent information in order to be of assistance.

When you go to the doctor, they don't just ask how you feel, they measure a lot of objective stuff and do tests to see how you are doing regardless of what you say. So, I get why the questionnaire came into being and understand it has usefulness...but the way it's used now is as almost as harmful as it is helpful.