Dont listen to what anybody says on this forum

[ConcinusMan]

Thanks for clarifying about the preservatives in packaged fish.
I remembered the post, but couldn't recall any sources cited, so I took it, as I take most info I find on the internet 'under consideration'. My ability to do research myself is pretty limited by r.l. resources.

If you read, and can comprehend the info in the link below then you will understand why excessive salt and some preservatives (especially sodium based preservatives) are deadly to snakes. All fish has sodium in it naturally (fish must maintain salt balance in water because they don't actually drink) including tilapia (check the nutrition label of just raw fillet) but snakes just can't excrete excessive salt so it sucks the water right out of their cells, while the salt/preservatives/sodium overwhelms their kidneys and they die.

EVALUATING KIDNEY FUNCTION IN REPTILES

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

wanna see harsh?? spend time on Monitor Lizard forums.

Or if you are smart, stay far, FAR away from that mud slinging pit!

[ConcinusMan]

I can't even find it so I guess I'm safe

[RedSidedSPR]

I read through one of those when I was researching monitors (just curious)..

God.

And don't get me started on the gaming and NFL forums.

Gooddd.

This is by far the nicest forum I've seen, and I've been in a lot.

[SilasBannook]

All,
This is my first year with the forum. May I say that there is an ENORMOUS amount of information addressed here. As a new keeper of garter snakes I am thrilled with the information presented. I appreciate seeing other new keepers trying new things and other forum members addressing concerns or appreciation for things being done to care for our snakes. The care sheet is great but one of the things I have learned from my kids is that even though everything you may need to know is presented right in front of you, until you are ready to hear and understand, that information may just pass from one ear (or eye) to the other and not sink in. I like the addage my father pressed upon me that the wise man learns from his own mistakes but the wiser man learns first from someone else's. Repeat stories of threads which may have addressed issues in the past keep topics fresh and allow for us newbies to read a vibrant discussion of garter care.

I am sorry to see Snakeman so upset with the forum. I still feel this is a great place and I feel comfortable continuing to use this as a place to grow in my understanding of proper garter snake care. I will say that from all I have read, his reference over Talapia seems to be a nit. Perhaps he should have referenced a more significant example of bad advice. If that is the best he has, I suspect he had a really bad day and unfortunately something here set him off. Lastly, if Talapia is a significant negative, would someone start a new thread on that as I have begun feeding my babies that along with night crawlers. If as a newbie I am now setting my babies up for seizures I would love to know that and change my behavior. Keep smiling all.

[infernalis]

Or if you are smart, stay far, FAR away from that mud slinging pit!

Then I must not be too smart.

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

You don't have a lick of sense :P

[BLUESIRTALIS]

I think the term forum family is referring to garter snake enthusiast in general. Not necessarily that we are all close and personal friends, but that we all must stick together and help one another in caring for our pets. Let's face it to the outside herp community most people consider garters to be beginner or junk snakes. When i tell people i breed garter snakes i get all kinds of reactions, but some people laugh and change the subject. They don't know what they're missing. I don't think forum family means that we sit around and cuddle and hold hands like others stated, but simply try to help one another out of respect to the thamnophis community/hobby.

've sought information here, and found good information. I've participated in discussions, sometimes bringing to bear my own limited experience. I've even tried to have a little fun by joking around and such. But I harbor no illusions that a forum is any kind of family. But that's okay; it doesn't need to be. Just don't use the line to pretend that real conflict is unimportant.[/QUOTE]

[-MARWOLAETH-]

Where just a bunch of people from around the world that love the same thing.We share our personal experience and educate people on how to best care for the scaly nutters.That's what a forum is about and I'd wish more would be like this one.

[Steveo]

If it weren't for this forum I probably never would have gotten into garters. I always like to do my research before I jump into something and before I found this forum, the only detailed husbandry guide I had found was the one from the guy in the UK who feeds cat food to his garters. I found the forum and ordered some scrubs from Scott and spent the next two months reading up on garter care. One escaped due to a lack of dexterity on my part, another failed to thrive, but the rest have been healthy and problem-free thanks mostly to the advice found here.


The advice I follow doesn't just come from one or two people. If something sounds like a reasonable idea, I'll look for confirmation elsewhere before trying it. I also don't try new things just to try them. My background in biology helps me to make reasoned, informed decisions, but not everyone has my background. Sometimes the only way to learn is to ask people who may have had the same question and found an answer.