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Why do people worry so much?

ghosthousecorns

ghosthousecorns

Well-known member
I don't think I am lackadaisical, I take good care of my animals and provide for their needs. I keep records and take action if I have a legitimate reason to worry.
But sometimes the way people are worried about every little thing drives me crazy! It's a living animal, not a machine. It is going to deviate from what it is supposed to do and what you expect it to do and do what it does, and that doesn't mean there is something wrong with it.
Example. Some females take longer to lay eggs. This does NOT mean they are eggbound. It does NOT mean you have to make them swim, massage them, or do anything except leave them alone and give them a little peace so they feel safe without you peeking every five minutes.
Example - refusing a meal. It happens! It doesn't mean your snake is going to die if it skips one meal!
Example - hiding in the aspen. Snakes like to hide! They are not sick just because you don't see them all over their tank!
Example - Growth rates. Sure if you want to grow them up fast you can feed them all the time and keep their little bellies stuffed. Seriously this is one of my pet peeves. In a cage a snake is getting a limited amount of exercise and constantly giving it food it doesnt need is not good! There simply should not be a requirement of weight or size by a certain age because all snakes are different. The only thing that should matter is the CONDITION of the animal! Seriously my scale battery died like four months ago and I haven't felt a need to use it to weigh snakes OR food.
I guess that turned into a little rant!!! But I'm starting to wonder if there is something wrong with me I just don't sweat the small stuff like I see everyone else doing...:confused:
 
I absolutly agree. I stoped weighing my snakes about 4 months ago aswell, and I only feed them when I remember or when they look hungry LOL. I have found since feeding them more randomly that they are far more active, have better muscle tone and their groth is much steadier. They just look in overall much better condition as opposed to when I was feeding every week on the dot whether they looked hungry or were in shed or not.
 
I know what you're saying, Jen. But I think that the reason that some get so alarmed by snakes' lack of conformity to our expectations lies in our expectations. We're mammals. Most common pets are mammals. If your human infant or gerbil didn't eat for a week it would be cause for great concern!

I think that's a BIG part of it...
 
Perhaps so. I still have a feeding schedule, but I can look at a snake, decide it's blue so why bother, and know it will be fine to skip a week,
I have a female that has eaten a total of six times, this whole year. She doesn't appear to have lost a gram and her condition is great. I don't understand why but it seems to be working for her...
 
I dunno. Wade says I'm overthinking/worrying about the snausage. Does this mean I should stop the chanting/candle lighting/laying hands on my pinkies? Do I stop the daily sacrifices of mice to the snake Gods? I just want her to grow, dammit! I want to surpass all known size records of rosy boas...I want, no I NEED to be recognized as the best owner of FOUR snakes EVUR!!

:sidestep:



But really, I think you should put this out there on the public pages, Jen. Really. I'm a total newb, and I *think* I've read enough that I don't worry about some of the basic stuff...I only just got a scale, but it's not like I'm going to weigh Kal or Cornelius very often, if it all unless they look all fat and gross...they're all growed up. I've weighed Rosy twice only because she hasn't eaten for me, but I know I'm personally taking this to extremes. I think a general statement like this from you pros is helpful for us new kids on the block. Really...I'm not being sarcastic at all. Sometimes a slap on the head is a good thing. :cheers:
 
I don't know why I put it in insiders... Guess part of me felt the more experienced people would be likely to read it and they're the ones that would understand, but Hey if a mod wants to move it I am OK with that... I don't think I know how :) Other than copy/paste and start new thread but then I'd lose the replies
 
Jen, I hope I didn't embarrass you by posting here. Maybe you weren't expecting a newb like me to see this? You must know by now that I adore your and respect your advice. I can also see your side of things that us newbs do that must drive you advanced hobbyists crazy! Remember, I own a forum of my own. Sometimes I just want to shake the new people who post things like "I just got a new 7" bala shark and put him in my brand new 1 gal. bowl. Now he's dead. Why??????????"

:laugh:
 
As a newb, I was glad to see this posted here. I try not to over react and often go back and read others posts to see if what I am worried about is normal. You gave me some comfort, if that makes sense.
 
Snakes are supposed to eat every week? Females don't always lay on the same day after post copulation shedding? That's news to me..... :sidestep:
 
I hear ya, Jen!

The nice thing about getting sick is you really do not have the time or energy to be anal. I pop my head in to change water every once in awhile, and occasionally throw a mouse in there.

I'm only taking care of 3 snakes right now. When I was taking care of 30+, I was writing down feedings/cage maitenance (not poop though). Now, all I do is slap a sticky note on the outside if there's a regurge or refusal.
 
Lori and Jenne - TBH you guys don't really seem like the typical NEWB - LOL! There's MUCH more extreme examples...
Jeff, I am glad SOMEBODY's snakes read the freekin manual cause mine sure don't ;)
Jenni, I hope things are going better, and very glad you kept a few favorites!
 
I used to be able to remember who ate and who didn't on a weekly basis (as in, who did or didn't eat last week), but with 60+ snakes I finally got around to printing a list of who eats what size because it's a nightmare to recall who's up to hoppers when I'm pulling the mice out of the freezer. Now I write the date at the top of the column and mark off who I fed. If someone refuses, I usually document it. I can tell they're pooping just fine just by looking in their tubs. I only weigh females I'm thinking about breeding to make sure they're over 300 grams. Even as a noob I wasn't as worried about eating/pooping/hiding behaviour as much as some people I see on here. I had Kathy's book and no other resource. I had a vet if I felt there was really an emergency. Bruneaux's nine years old now and she survived my novice years just fine. I'm sure most of the noobs on here will get by just fine, too.
 
The only ones i really weigh is this this years hatchlings. Not to make sure they conform to all expectations, but more because when you see them every day, change isn't always noticable. Poop....unless..and it hasn't happened so far...it's totally unatural looking...i could care less when it goes. Although, I usually don't feed until it's gone. I think in nature, snakes go through good times and lean times when it comes to feeding. I have a feeding routine, but when a snake refuses to eat...no biggy...I plan feeding that if one doesn't eat...the mouse doesn't go to waste..there is another that will takes its place in the line up.
I'm a newbie too, but I don't get all anal about every single thing my snakes do. They seem to eat when they want to, shed when they're ready...and poop whenever. I just make sure I change their water regularily, clean out the poop and offer a mouse when they should be due. But all doesn't go according to Hoyle...that's the way the cookie crumbles. Just relax and enjoy your snake(s).
The only thing anyone ought to be paranoid about...is just how addicted they are!!!!:D
 
The only thing anyone ought to be paranoid about...is just how addicted they are!!!!
Click to expand...
Says the man who's hiding all his snakes from his wife! So...where do you hide them? Underwear drawer? Back of the closet? In your man cave, right??
 
Jen I completly agree with you. I mean I have no problems with some one wanting to ask questions. But wow! Some go waaaay over board and it drives me nuts to see a select few posting all over the place.
LBoz said:
............But really, I think you should put this out there on the public pages, Jen. Really. I'm a total newb, and I *think* I've read enough that I don't worry about some of the basic stuff...I only just got a scale, but it's not like I'm going to weigh Kal or Cornelius very often, if it all unless they look all fat and gross...they're all growed up. I've weighed Rosy twice only because she hasn't eaten for me, but I know I'm personally taking this to extremes. I think a general statement like this from you pros is helpful for us new kids on the block. Really...I'm not being sarcastic at all. Sometimes a slap on the head is a good thing. :cheers:
Click to expand...

Only thing is, it wouldn't slap them in the head. These are people that have asked questions and gotten advice from very experienced owners. But still ask the same questions over and over again. They do it because they don't like the answers they get. I've had people PM or whisper to me in chat asking questions. No biggy, I'm happy to try and help. After long drawn out QandA sessions they turn around to make a thread about the same question. Then when they get the same advice I gave they will still ask some one else. :headbang:
I've read several of your post and you ask good valid questions and have interesting topics. You are far from annoying in any way. At least when you get an answer you don't run to make another thread because you didn't like that answer. ;)

 
I agree that there are some pretty ridiculous posts and questions. But keep in mind that everyone was once a beginner. It's easy now to say "Geeze, what silly questions" but if you think back to your first snake and the first time it did something "abnormal" I'm willing to bet you were concerned.

When you've had them for several years and keep several of them, its easy to start to know the nuances that tell you that whatever it is isn't a big deal. Not so easy when you have one snake for a month.
 
Becky, I think part of why it bugs me so much is because I HAVE given advice to people and they completely blow it off or act like I am wrong and just go ask someone else. So why are they bothering asking me in the first place? Are they questioning my experience and saying I know nothing? After I take the time to help someone, it's kinda like a slap in the face. I don't like it when I answer a question only to see the asker skip down the road and go ask a bunch of others the same thing. I may not know everything but heck what I do know and the years it has taken me to get to this point, should count for SOMETHING. :headbang: I think your post kind of got to the heart of whats eating me. I guess I always have the option to just not answer at all ..


Mathew, I agree we all were once newbies. But I dont remember ever being so obsessed with weights, poops, or feeding schedules. However I will say the first few years I bred corns I was as worried as a mother hen for every female that took longer than I thought she should to lay, and probably lost a few hairs!
 
dionythicus said:
I used to be able to remember who ate and who didn't on a weekly basis (as in, who did or didn't eat last week), but with 60+ snakes I finally got around to printing a list of who eats what size because it's a nightmare to recall who's up to hoppers when I'm pulling the mice out of the freezer. Now I write the date at the top of the column and mark off who I fed. If someone refuses, I usually document it. I can tell they're pooping just fine just by looking in their tubs. I only weigh females I'm thinking about breeding to make sure they're over 300 grams. Even as a noob I wasn't as worried about eating/pooping/hiding behaviour as much as some people I see on here. I had Kathy's book and no other resource. I had a vet if I felt there was really an emergency. Bruneaux's nine years old now and she survived my novice years just fine. I'm sure most of the noobs on here will get by just fine, too.
Click to expand...

I use a herp care program, Savage Herps database, and I like it except for one thing... The snakes that did not eat are highlighted in red and the ones that did are green. It also has a window that pops up with "needs food alert" when a snake is red and due to eat. I was able to disable that, but the snakes that had not eaten were still in red. I went to the feeder inventory, put "refused" in there as a food item just so when a snake refuses I don't have to look at the red anymore. It was throwing me off because when they refuse I like to wait until the next regularly scheduled feeding day to try again...
Anyway corns are quite forgiving of newby mistakes, they are called good beginner pets for a reason :)
 
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