A few posts in another thread prompted me to finally make this post, which I've been meaning to get tp for a while now.
The subject is newbs, and now their give advice here sometimes with regard to appropriate species.
We often see threads about which T is appropriate for a newb, and often see someone claiming they did just fine with an H. Mac or a pokie as their first T...two T's that most will agree are certainly not appropriate for a beginner.
Here's the thing, if you've been keeping other kinds of exotic animals, snakes, lizards...things that take some management, a certain skill set, and can possibly hurt you if you make a mistake, or grew up messing with spiders and scorpions, I submit that when you keep your first T, you're not really a newb in the classic sense. Very far from! You come out of the box with a skill set that might enable you to deal with a pokie as your first T.
This is in stark contrast to someone who has ZERO experience keeping any kind of exotic animal or herp, has cat or dog husbandry as a baseline, and might even be a mild arachnophobe in some cases, or at least someone skittish themselves around spiders. I've seen this many times with newcomers to the hobby. This is who I'm talking to...this is who I assume I'm dealing with when someone claims newb...NEWB status. Not necessarily that they're a mild arachnophobe, but that they are a true beginner to critters of this sort. This is NOT The person whom you generally tell "you can keep an H. mac, no worries, I did" Yet I see this routinely on this board, without bothering to check on the person's background, and what their comfort level actually is.
I think some forget over time what it's like to truly be new to these animals, and not be acclimatized, and not desensitized to having a huge, fast spider around. Some of you manage not to soil yourselves when a Pokie climbs on your hand, but many newbs are anxious about the thought of holding an avic!
Finally, I'm not making the leap that nobody in the second category has ever been OK keeping a pokie out of the gate...nothing is all the time. So no need to jump in and refute...I'm making a generalization, but a generalization that most of the time will serve the newcomers to their advantage.
So when I jump in and contradict someone who's knee-jerk reaction is to say "go for the Pokie" you'll know why.
That is all...back to making dinner with me!
The subject is newbs, and now their give advice here sometimes with regard to appropriate species.
We often see threads about which T is appropriate for a newb, and often see someone claiming they did just fine with an H. Mac or a pokie as their first T...two T's that most will agree are certainly not appropriate for a beginner.
Here's the thing, if you've been keeping other kinds of exotic animals, snakes, lizards...things that take some management, a certain skill set, and can possibly hurt you if you make a mistake, or grew up messing with spiders and scorpions, I submit that when you keep your first T, you're not really a newb in the classic sense. Very far from! You come out of the box with a skill set that might enable you to deal with a pokie as your first T.
This is in stark contrast to someone who has ZERO experience keeping any kind of exotic animal or herp, has cat or dog husbandry as a baseline, and might even be a mild arachnophobe in some cases, or at least someone skittish themselves around spiders. I've seen this many times with newcomers to the hobby. This is who I'm talking to...this is who I assume I'm dealing with when someone claims newb...NEWB status. Not necessarily that they're a mild arachnophobe, but that they are a true beginner to critters of this sort. This is NOT The person whom you generally tell "you can keep an H. mac, no worries, I did" Yet I see this routinely on this board, without bothering to check on the person's background, and what their comfort level actually is.
I think some forget over time what it's like to truly be new to these animals, and not be acclimatized, and not desensitized to having a huge, fast spider around. Some of you manage not to soil yourselves when a Pokie climbs on your hand, but many newbs are anxious about the thought of holding an avic!
Finally, I'm not making the leap that nobody in the second category has ever been OK keeping a pokie out of the gate...nothing is all the time. So no need to jump in and refute...I'm making a generalization, but a generalization that most of the time will serve the newcomers to their advantage.
So when I jump in and contradict someone who's knee-jerk reaction is to say "go for the Pokie" you'll know why.
That is all...back to making dinner with me!
Although I know Im not personally ready for a pokie or OBT.
