I'd Just Like to Put This Out There..

[beardie]

Well, why don't we use this topic to work out an update. I'm open to anyone who wants input/suggestions. It was originally put together by another member. Ultimately, the focus for the questions should be to be able to help someone else, but with taking into account what it might be like as a new member on the site having to answer them (keep in mind some may know NOTHING about beardies).

 

[bunnyrut]

I don't think it would be a bad idea to have a full list for people to fill out in the introduction area.
Filling something like this out when you first sign up isn't as bad as getting asked the same questions every time you make a new post. We can also encourage everyone to add a link to that post in their signatures. Easy reference for anyone who wants to help. Done once and over with.

 

[daner923]

I think the way to do this would be to have essentially two lists. One would be the essential list, and one would be the full list. I'm going to post the new distilled essential list, and I'd love to see what people think of it.

Essential List:
What is the age and size of your dragon?
What size enclosure do you have your dragon in, and what is the substrate (e.g., sand, carpet, tile, etc)?
What is the brand, type, and age of your UVB light (e.g., 3 week old ReptiSun 10.0 fluorescent tube, 7 month old ReptiGlo 5.0 coil bulb, etc)?
How far away is the UVB bulb, and is there anything between the bulb and your dragon (i.e., a screen, plastic, or glass)?
What kind and color of light bulb are you using for the basking light?
What are you basking, cool side, and night time temperatures, and what kind of thermometer(s) do you use (i.e.,a dial or strip thermometer, a digital thermometer with a probe, or a temp gun)?
What do you feed your dragon (list both insects and greens), how often do you feed it, and how many feeders at a time? Please be specific.
How often do you dust with calcium and multivitamins?
How do you offer water to your dragon (i.e., do you mist, have a water bowl, and/or offer baths)?
Does your dragon share an enclosure with another dragon?
Have you taken your dragon to a vet for a physical and fecal test yet?

 

[Spoony]

I really like that list. It's shorter but doesn't miss any points and I like the offer of examples.

 

[DTRM30]

Being new to this forum, I thought I'd give my take on from a newbie perspective. I like the revised list that Daner came up with. I do feel the original a bit much sometimes and a shorter list covering the immediate basics would be a better start in certain posts.

But I do also agree with Daner in that it is difficult to determine what the cause of a problem is without a complete picture of what the situation is. Introducing yourself and explaining why the list needs to be answered can help to diffuse some of the ill feelings the list may cause.

I also think it really makes a huge difference in how the list is presented and how the recommended corrections/actions are given. Simply saying you have the wrong UVB and it must be changed to a ReptiSun for example, can create ill feelings and hostility and leaves one wondering why it needs to be changed - it's a UVB bulb and it what the store said to use. Presenting as a highly recommended correction and giving the explanation up front as to why and what the change will mean for the dragon's health goes a long way.

One last note is that I've seen posts where the OP gives most of the basic information from the list in their opening post in paragraph form, but the original post was not read through completely and they received a boiler plate list asking for much of what they've already given, resulting in a frustrated response from the OP. Maybe just a reminder to try and be thorough and read through the whole OPs question/situation before pasting the list of questions would be helpful.

I do like the idea of having a stats page in your user profile to list information about your animal(s) and the enclosure(s). Not sure how difficult that would be to implement though - or how successful it would be in helping with the current situation on overuse/improper use of the "list." While it would require occasional updates from the user, It could be helpful. I am also a member on a forum for a band and they have included with the user profile, sections where you can enter what shows you've been to and it keeps stats on the songs, the number of shows, maps and a whole bunch of other stuff. I can look up a song and it will tell me how many times I've heard that song live based on the shows I went to.

 

[weasey]

For what it's worth, as a newbie, I somehow did not get the memo about a list when posting questions.

I am a very detail-oriented person so I tried to list what I thought was pertinent info., especially to the question at hand, when I posted a few different questions recently.

For my future reference, however, should I be answering these questions listed at the beginning of your post when I post a question or concern? I wonder if my failure to post these questions & answers is why I didn't get many responses?

I am more than happy do this & completely understand that each detail can all come into play when someone is trying to diagnose a problem from afar & sight unseen. I personally find it odd that people are saying it is intimidating and/or not wanting to do it. I totally appreciate the time that's taken & the willingness to lend expertise to those of us seeking answers.

In short, YOU GUYS ALL ROCK!!!!

Let me know what I should do & I will GLADLY comply!!!!

 

[sweetiepie9]

What is the age and size of your dragon?
What size enclosure do you have your dragon in, and what is the substrate (e.g., sand, carpet, tile, etc)?
What is the brand, type, and age of your UVB light (e.g., 3 week old ReptiSun 10.0 fluorescent tube, 7 month old ReptiGlo 5.0 coil bulb, etc)?
How far away is the UVB bulb, and is there anything between the bulb and your dragon (i.e., a screen, plastic, or glass)?
What kind and color of light bulb are you using for the basking light?
What are you basking, cool side, and night time temperatures, and what kind of thermometer(s) do you use (i.e.,a dial or strip thermometer, a digital thermometer with a probe, or a temp gun)?
What do you feed your dragon (list both insects and greens), how often do you feed it, and how many feeders at a time? Please be specific.
How often do you dust with calcium and multivitamins?
How do you offer water to your dragon (i.e., do you mist, have a water bowl, and/or offer baths)?
Does your dragon share an enclosure with another dragon?
Have you taken your dragon to a vet for a physical and fecal test yet?

Here's the list that Andrew shortened, so if you want to copy them and answer them in order, we'll all take a look & if there are any other concerns you have, just add them at the end. I'm glad you're ok with the list, it helps to know what your setup is first, because sometimes just one thing off is what is causing the concerns to begin with!

And welcome to this site, I'm glad you're enjoying it!
Deb

 

[Heather85]

I think the way to do this would be to have essentially two lists. One would be the essential list, and one would be the full list. I'm going to post the new distilled essential list, and I'd love to see what people think of it.

Essential List:
What is the age and size of your dragon?
What size enclosure do you have your dragon in, and what is the substrate (e.g., sand, carpet, tile, etc)?
What is the brand, type, and age of your UVB light (e.g., 3 week old ReptiSun 10.0 fluorescent tube, 7 month old ReptiGlo 5.0 coil bulb, etc)?
How far away is the UVB bulb, and is there anything between the bulb and your dragon (i.e., a screen, plastic, or glass)?
What kind and color of light bulb are you using for the basking light?
What are you basking, cool side, and night time temperatures, and what kind of thermometer(s) do you use (i.e.,a dial or strip thermometer, a digital thermometer with a probe, or a temp gun)?
What do you feed your dragon (list both insects and greens), how often do you feed it, and how many feeders at a time? Please be specific.
How often do you dust with calcium and multivitamins?
How do you offer water to your dragon (i.e., do you mist, have a water bowl, and/or offer baths)?
Does your dragon share an enclosure with another dragon?
Have you taken your dragon to a vet for a physical and fecal test yet?

I like it! a lot better then a whole screen full of questions

 

[CountofCasualty]

This is another idea-I know it's been resolved, but could different lists be tailored to different discussions? (Enclosures, feeders, health etc). I know when I first joined and started doing research, I'd see these massive lists for a question concerning substrate or size of viv or lighting. And having to go through it all was kind of bleh because it never answered the question at hand right away.

I see how the list is useful, for sure, but I feel like they should be tailored from generic to more exact/detailed and not maybe just by people that are going around trying to help because that could result in a lot of different lists floating about that are really confusing to people trying to do research. I do notice that certain people are more frequent in certain spaces and may not want to tailor it exactly to what they are most experienced/interested in

Being from Canada especially, when I was looking up things for lighting, I constantly saw the elusive $9 fixture from Walmart that can't be purchased in Canada and I struggled finding an alternative for 5 or 6 days.

Because of this, I think it would be handy to ask where the poster lives as well. I feel like to many people assume the op live in the states(especially newbies) which was incredibly frustrating for me. Now I know of course what to look for, how much things cost and where to go for certain things, but it was a result of scouring the net for hours finding alternatives to things that could be purchased in the states for a fraction of the cost.(And even then, prices vary from west to east)

It wouldn't matter much for health I don't think, but for feeders or enclosures it could really help people imho. Especially because Dubai are illegal here, when I was looking for alternatives for staples from crix, all I seemed to see was Dubai and how they're amazing and the best and to go with them even if you're breaking the law. Which is not something people would be willing to do and may be ignored any ways by more senior posters set in their ways/opinions(might be personal experience here...).

Just my two cents as a newbie.

 

[sweetiepie9]

I'm from Canada, too, and I've had to scrounge for a lot of things, too. The shipping to Canada from the States for lights is out of this world, the last time I looked the shipping was the same price as the light I was looking for. So I had to ask a friend who has a mailbox in the States (we're close to the border) and was able to get a good deal in CDN$ but shipped to the States. Not everyone has that option, so has to put up with prices in a pet shop, if you can find the lights there. It can be a big problem for us Canadians. Glad to hear, CountofCasualty, that you were able to find what you needed. I have 6 dragons, so it can be a big problem. Luckily I got my local pet shop to give me a 30% discount on lights as found a Canadian site (no longer in business) that was 30% cheaper than what was sold in the shop. So I was lucky that way!

 

[CountofCasualty]

I work in a small pet store, so I'm able to order my lights through them and get wholesale. Which is much cheaper then buying from the states or in PetSmart. The only other pet store that deals with reptiles(oddly enough the one I bought Baron from) only sells the Exo-Terra bulbs. I won't be going to them any more since I can buy everything I need from work or am getting it delivered to a Bellingham and drive across since I'm in Vancouver. (I'm doing that with Pheonix Worms and ordering 5,000 to 10,000 each time and keeping them in a wine cooler starting next month because they are so expensive here!)

 

[XiDiS]

off topic... removed comment

 

[sweetiepie9]

Wow, you're near Vancouver, I live in New Westminster and work in Vancouver. My boys are all adults, except Titan, he's my new juvie, but my adults all eat supers only, so getting them in large quantites isn't worth it. I have a roach colony, was lucky enough to get someone's colony who lived close by for $60, which was great as Titan loves them. So other than that I get crickets for my two geckos, but again, they don't eat a lot. But your plan is a good idea, phoenix worms here are so expensive!

 

[DTRM30]

Hmmm - I wonder if our canadian members can put together a list of alternate items that you've been able to find and where to get them ? and have it placed in a sticky somewhere ?

maybe the same for UK members - I have seen that sometimes foods and such go by different names

It would probably be extremely helpful for new and old members alike

Just a thought

 

[sweetiepie9]

And a good thought.