That is absolutely unfair and untrue.
I posted a series of pictures of my new quads and more experienced keepers commented on the plastic plants, suggesting live ones. I explained why I was using plastic plants in the cage of baby quads (12g to 15g). Some long-term keepers also use plastic plants when they have animals they are quarantining. (I repotted a little Parlor Palm and put it in the babies' cage, so the discussion wasn't for naught.)
I choose not to use Pothos and my experienced reptile vet also agrees with that choice. None of those decisions were made in a vacuum. I thought about it. I even bought a Pothos that I didn't put in any of the cages. None of those decisions are a big deal as far as husbandry practices go except the worry about hydration for the babies.
Those two issues, I believe, are the only issues about my husbandry practices that any long-term keeper might question.
As far as voicing some support for the importer, I don't want to go there, but a lot of libelous and slanderous statements were floating around spoken and written by people who had no direct knowledge of the importer or the deal in question. What I read about the importer on this forum was not my personal experience with him or his store, so I recounted my experiences. I thought this group was being very unfair to a small-business person. It took a very short period of time before the "quad collective" was satisfied with their deal. At least one member of the "quad collective" has purchased more specimens from this current shipment.
I have asked for and taken the advice of experienced quad keepers. Some of the advice I've been given has been quite different from other advice so I've put the opposing opinion out there for discussion.
When I bought my first quad, completely unaware of what I was buying--like most novice keepers--there never was a question of whether or not I would be able to set up an environment for this lovely animal to thrive and flourish in Texas. The temperatures in my house were never an issue. One experienced quad keeper was even talking of getting me a baby girl for my boy during our long phone conversations.
Suddenly when I have the audacity to up and buy four pairs of quads--the nerve of that uppity novice!--and expect to set them up in a breeding situation, they are doomed to die because I live in Texas. On and on and on and on.
I do understand that it might bother long-term keepers that a complete novice would put together a group of 4 pairs of wild-caught quads. People come and go in this hobby. You don't know me and you don't know much of my experience outside of chameleons.
I haven't paid my dues and that must really tick a lot of people off. Unfortunately, people paying dues are paying them with chameleon lives and for the sake of these lovely animals, I would much rather not learn the hard way. Silo building only hurts the animals.
You don't have to help me. You can make all the snarky comments you like. You can celebrate any failures I have. Will I succeed? I don't know, I'll give it my best shot and throw as much money as I need to at any problems to make them go away.
