silly
I know neither one of you guys. Hell I dont even keep cresteds but I had to comment on here.
The BOI is not a place to come settle a personal score with someone. Kasi it is obvious that you never intended to purchase animals in the first place. You may have started the convo with Edger initially asking about animals he sells, but lets be honest, you already have a problem with Edgar regardless of why, but you simply sent him the message to bait him into a fight. I am a research biologist, and it is clear you dont really know what you are speaking of. Its clear that you have done some research, but it is also clear that you are simply regurgitating information that you went and read in a college level science book. While a lot of what you said is correct, it is still strewn with misinformation. You do as much damage spreading misinformation as do people trying to push taboo husbandry techniques.
You cannot attack someone simply because you dont agree with their practices? What works for the goose doesnt always work for the gander remember. Everyone has different experiences. I cant stand it when people say there is one and only one way to keep animals. Its like saying information in books, and care sheets are dogma. Do you really think how you keep your animals is equivalent to their natural environment and or range or habitat? We keep these animals in glass boxes. We simulate as much as we can to get it as close to their natural environment as possible but that goes much deeper than humidity, temps, and what physical structures you provide them. Cresteds in the wild see a huge range of temperature fluctuation. I would theorize that keeping them at a constant temperature (so unnatural remember) could potentially be more stressful than exposing them to temporary temperature swings. Remember just because the room hits 100 degrees doesnt mean every spot in the enclosure does. Temperature gradients are an unavoidable part of temperature transfers remember. Edgar didnt say he keeps them at a constant higher temp, he simply said he doesnt worry about his temps like so many people see as dogma. He simply lets the temps fluctuate with the ambient temps in the room. There is more than one way to skin a cat.
Also if husbandry boundaries werent constantly getting pushed then hell, we wouldnt have most of the stuff we do today let alone be breeding it. Do you think the way cresteds are being kept right now in captivity (or any reptiles for that matter) doesnt need improvement? Do you think we have learned all there is to learn about the best way to keep them? It would be ignorant to think that. People think just because their reptiles breed that they are keeping them 100% optimally, or just because they seem healthy they are being kept optimally, but its just not case with 99% of species. We keep them according to the way someone told us, and the way someone told them, and the way a book told them and so on and so on. People never want to venture off the beaten path when it comes to reptile husbandry. Like I said techniques become dogma, and people get crucified for attempting to make advancements in how we keep animals.
If you are a professional with a good name as you claim Kasi, you shoud have known this isnt an issue for the BOI. It is simply a difference in opinion that turned into a witch hunt. It was very unprofessional to come across in the aggressive way you did, as well as unprofessional for bashing someone elses techniques when you have no proof what so ever that his animals are unhealthy. It makes it seem as if you have a personal ax to grind. This would have been something you could have talked about in the open forums, but this doesnt pertain to business.
I know you say it was with good intent. You are doing it "for the animals" but really you have no proof that his animals are anything but healthy. It appears that many people have received healthy animals from him so...and you are basing all your claims and accusations on information you have read in a book, or read about on the internet like its dogma.
Im not trying to attack you in the slightest. You seem like you love your animals, and all others too for that matter. You also seem well spoken and intelligent. Because you seem intelligent and respected around here is the reason I point all this out. We are creatures of habit and its really easy to get close minded to anything that we view as different.
Will Wohlers
