Y'know..

[Bellalee]

Forget it... nothing to add.. nor will anyone read it anyways.

 

[2bacop]

I think that every experianced gecko lover tells people not to buy from a pet store for several reasons.

1) The geckos sold at MOST pet shops are usually so sick that even if you were to buy them and take them to a vet and do everything you could they would still not make it. I can tell you from experiance that most times the geckos that come from the breeder that supplies the big chains come in very very small and very very sick, It takes months to try and nurse them back to health and generally only 1 out of 10 survive.

2) If you are new to getting leos it is best to get a gecko that is already healthy and thriving to begin with. This is because not only do you want to have a good experience with your first leo but because it takes and experianced person to know the proper and most effective way to even attempt to get these animals healthy

3) The more people buy these sick and half dead leos, the more that store will order. Which means they more they will order from the breeder. It is just a vicious cycle and if even one person decides "hey I am going to get a healthy gecko from a breeder" then that is one gecko that is saved. Like I said before I can tell you from personal experiance that in this day and age geckos from the chain stores are not selling very well. Yes there will be one person who comes and buys one maybe once a month but when a reptile is sold in general its a big thing and company policy prevents a store from housing more than a certain number of geckos in one enclousre so they cant order more until one is sold.


Anyway that is just my two cents.

 

[Jenn]

I think the issue with the pet store is it is impossible to save everyone of them and if people stop buying them from there then that makes less room for the pet stores to buy more. Pet stores are a never ending battle the more geckos you buy from them the more that are breed to be sold to the pet store. as for the newbie comment noone gets ignored, I was a newbie not long ago and I was never ignored just jump in and start posting and I think if your question was ignored it is probably because it has been answered a million times and could be easily found when using the search function.

 

[Kitsune]

I think if your question was ignored it is probably because it has been answered a million times and could be easily found when using the search function.

I agree 100%. The search function is definitely unloved.

 

[Bellalee]

No question.. just posted pictures.. nobody commented or looked. I know how to use the search function quite well and have. I posted a hello, I got 2 comments...

 

[2bacop]

I think the issue with the pet store is it is impossible to save everyone of them and if people stop buying them from there then that makes less room for the pet stores to buy more. Pet stores are a never ending battle the more geckos you buy from them the more that are breed to be sold to the pet store. as for the newbie comment noone gets ignored, I was a newbie not long ago and I was never ignored just jump in and start posting and I think if your question was ignored it is probably because it has been answered a million times and could be easily found when using the search function.

I forgot to address the newbie thing but it is the same as what Jenn said. Experianced GF members get tired of answering the same basic questions especially about sand because 1) it is asked so many times 2) there is a search function 3) We usually get debated on the loose substrate issue which just gets people more upset than anything else.

This is not directed at anybody but a lot of newbies come on here and ask questions, which is fine. But when they get an answer from an experianced GF member and it is not one they like because they have to change something or buy something they argue it saying they read it somewhere or someone at the pet shop told them so. To experianced GF members this is frusterating (sp?) because they know the right information and a newbie is trying to say that they know more about it because they read it on some care sheet or they heard it from some person.

 

[Kitsune]

A lot of times people just browse the pictures. Not everyone posts. I'm sure you'll find that there are many many other people who get very little replies on their pictures.

Also, not many people check the Welcome forum. :x

 

[2bacop]

Ok so I just looked back your pictures had 188 views and a few comments and your hello had 8 comments on it. and like Kitsune said a lot of people just look at pictures and not reply you can only say "cute gecko" so many times.

 

[Bellalee]

I guess your right, thats why i removed my post. I understand. I'll just go back to looking around.

 

[acpart]

I am hampered by the fact that the original post was edited out of existence and I only have the comments. However, the most recent comment (based on the comments I can imagine the original comment as having been 2 completely different things) did spark my interest. When I first joined GF, there were times when I felt that any post from me was some kind of instant thread stopper. It seemed that whenever I posted, either starting a thread or responding to one, that was just about the end of it. Or else, it seemed as though people would misinterpret my post and give kind of scolding responses. Privately, I got kind of annoyed. To this day, I don't know why it was that way or why it changed. Maybe my style was too formal, or maybe I was just posting about things that people weren't interested in. I do think that there is some kind of "style" that some new people to the forums have that encourages a lot more responses (for some reason the "help me help me I'm so confused" posters often get taken under peoples' wings right away); it would be an interesting project for a sociologist or sociolinguist or a folklorist. That said, I definitely did and do find many (not all) GF threads to be interesting and informative and many posts to be worth reading. I'm glad I was able to keep my left-out feeling private (until now, when it doesn't matter anymore) and I'm encouraging anyone else who feels "left out" that things can change and probably will change. Sometimes the groups that take more time to get into are the groups worth being in (I don't mean to say, by the way that GF isn't welcoming, because it is, but sometimes what GF can give does not match with what a new member wants; mine is a case in point).

Aliza

 

[Bellalee]

I agree totally acpart. There ya go.

 

[kyahbean]

I agree with Aliza, and it can get frustrating when no one responds to a thread, but you have to try not to take it too personally.

Not knowing what the original post was, it's impossible to really respond objectively, but it seems that maybe you posted pictures and didn't get a response? There are so many pictures here, and tons of members browse and don't post, I do that a lot. I don't respond to all the picture threads because I get annoyed at my subscription inbox being filled up with "cute!" and "love that pic!". Only if one really sparks my interest (usually the fat tail pics for me lol) do I actually put my thoughts in.

When I first joined, I got frustrated with lack of response, but I also noticed that when I really asked a question that hadn't been answered from my searching or browsing forums, people did answer it. It can take a few days, because not everyone logs in and avidly reads the forums every day, but I eventually got my questions answered. And sometimes you need to bump your thread, or find an active thread remotely related, and link to it in there.

It is a great community with a wealth of information, but just like any other social environment, it can take some work and patience to get exactly what you want out of it.

 

[Foreverandever]

The same thing happened to me. No one would reply to my threads or acknowledge anything I said. I never let it bother me. My world wont end if people dont reply :main_yes:. I do agree that it can get frustrating when you have a question that you really need answered (about a sick gecko or something else important) and no one will reply. Yet the next post down about sand has 56 replies.

I'm not naming names or calling anyone out...but I have noticed that some "established" members will only reply to or interact with other "established" members. Kind of like a clique. But, hey...if that works for them so be it I suppose

 

[Bellalee]

Ha... this post has totally gone off topic.. but it's completely what I am thinking. Although I DO take it personally... I don't mean to.. and I try not to but it's who I am. As for the first post it was likening pet store geckos, to that of pound dogs. I'm a bleeding heart, I feel everything should live it's last days out being care for by people who truly care/know what they are doing.

 

[malt_geckos]

The people who answer some harder questions can't just sit on here waiting for people to post comments. We all have lives and we get around to commenting when we can. I think it's best to just be patient and if no one replies, bump up the post if you want replies.

 

[thestack510]

I didn't see the original post, but I gather it was pics. As far as feeling like an outsider, I liken it to a new school or job. Once you post more and people gain some idea of who you are and what your personally is like you'll meet plenty of nice people here. Don't get discouraged or take it personal, it's not like that at all. It's kind of like being a wall flower at a party, you won't have fun until you dive right in and mix it up (not saying that you're a wall flower, Bellalee, it's just an analogy lol).

 

[bubblez825]

as a newb once myself, I can understand everything you are talking about, and completely agree with the above posts. If you want to meet more people and get to know the community, I would suggest the chatroom. Through my posts and threads and the chatroom, I have gotten to know many people on here, most of which have become my friends. Like you, at first I didn't get very many responses to questions and picture threads until I started to "show myself to the world" in a way, on here. as people started to get to know me and my personality, I got more replies, comments, and friendly advice. Just give it time, and like I said above, try the chatroom and posting more . If you need to talk to someone directly(like a right away basis) and cant wait for answers from threads, I'm SURE that no one on here would mind you PMing them for help. I know I wouldn't mind . I've lost track of how many PM's I've sent since I joined for help from people I've met .

~Emily

BTW, I'm laying on my stomache on my bed, and my gecko just crawled up my shirt on my back....she's sitting on my shoulder.... :main_laugh:

 

[reddmann]

Well I haven't been a member here very long but I was a member at another gecko forum before this one and it always seemed that they would take quite a while to answer my questions if they answered at all. On GF someone, usually several people almost always answered my questions quickly. It gave me the feeling that people here are more experienced and friendly than the other forum I'm a member of. Another thing I did is if my question had no response after a while, I would respond to my own question by saying "oh by the way etc..." to bump it back to the top and then others would start commenting. Hope this helps.

 

[thestack510]

I meant to put "personality" not "personally" darn predictive text, lol. I just noticed that.

 

[Alusdra]

I'd say that it's better to compare petstore animals to other petstore animals- it's a rare store (really, I've only found one fish store) that cares where their animals come from, who they go to, and take good care of them while they are there. Pet store animals are bad news whether you're getting a dog, a gecko, a small mammal or a bird. Even if the store itself cares for them, they got them from a breeder that doesn't care if the final owner knows how to care for them or not. And a lot of times said breeders will not care for their 'product' properly.

Pound animals, on the other hand, are not well cared for because an *owner* neglected them, and the shelter doesn't have the funds to fix those mistakes. There are some bad shelters out there, too, but they aren't looking to make money off of animals, they are picking up the slack as best they can.

As for no one answering... you waited 15 minutes! This isn't a chat, it's a forum. If no one says anything for 24+ hours, then they're ignoring you.