NYKC Herps, Bad People

[NocturnalNature]

Brian,
Excellent reply!
I too have worked with Reptiles and Amphibians since the age of 6 ( now 32). When I speak with others regarding my experience I always mention the age that I became interested in herps. To me at least, it proves my overwhelming passion and commitment to these wonderful creatures.
I can remember spending countless hours running the creeks and fields looking for anything I could find. I would then pull out the trusty (and woefully worn) field maual and try to identify it by its picture. At this point because of my young age I would track down the nearest adult to read me all of the information regarding the animal.
My point is that just because others may have not taken the hobby seriously as youngsters there are many children who have and will continue to pursue their passion for these creatures at an early age and in the process build up their knowledge and experience along the way.

Bottom line is - CUT THE KID SOME SLACK!
The minute we refuse to overlook or forgive some of the mistakes made by our younger generation is the moment we have lost sight of our own childhood and the mistakes that we too invariably have made along the way.

Jackie Lapradd

 

[David Reid]

Shaking my head...

K.,
Have you ever heard the phrase, "Give someone enough rope and they will eventually hang themself?" It means someones true personality will eventually come out, given enough time, and that a bad guy/gal can only pretend to be amiable for a period of time, and will eventually show their "true colors." Whether or not you are still associated with the "other two" really means little at this point. You have buried yourself with your language and poor attitude.

Dave Reid

 

[reptile-realm]

poor attituide, man get a life. its people like you who creat bad attituide!

 

[Mjollnir]

Right on man! That last example was perfect. I, myself, have about 5 years experiance with Reptiles. Ever since the 7th grade. But by the 7th grade, you're actually old enough to care for you pet. I rode my bike to the pet store to get food for my first turtle

 

[Mjollnir]

Right on man meaning Right on Darin Chappell

 

[Audrina Head]

I still can't imagine that a 5 year old, who can't even read and understand a caresheet (unless it's an exceptional 5 year old ), can be the sole caregiver of a pair of bearded dragons.
There's nothing wrong or dishonest about saying you have had reptiles since you were 5. In fact, I would say that's a good thing to say. It shows that the interest is not because it's a 'cool thing' (you know how people buy burmese pythons and get tired of them a year later) . But I still don't think caring for a lizard at 5 gives the same amount of 'experience' as caring for the lizard at 15.

 

[NEWReptiles]

Hmmm. lets see, im now 26, I have been collecting/keeping herps since age 6, so I must have at least 20 years experience???

NO!!!!!

I have about 8-9 years, because I had no idea what was going on in the real world untill my teens, and even then, keeping a few turtles and a Garter snake hardly provides experience.

This is just my take.

Why is everyone bashing this guy?!?!

you need to know who the hell you are talking about.

it isn't bull####. I am very expierenced,

So get that through your head.

1 more thing, how did you get 18 clutches of beardie eggs from 2 females?

And my bearded dragons are healthy, this is my 18 clutch, so don;t say we aint done this before!

i may not have bred them but i did have 2 female bearded dragons,

So did you breed them or are you a liar?

 

[reptile-realm]

in the last 3 years i have gotten a male

 

[reptile-realm]

and i already apologized for cursing. so drop the subject and find someone else to intagonize.

 

[NEWReptiles]

man get a life.

I see you stopped swearing, now a little respect towards other people/members is in order.

18 clutches from your females is pretty awsome. I just thought I should ask, as I seen your post that stated you never bred them before, And I may have read it the wrong way. Sorry if I did read it wrong.

 

[E2MacPets]

i paid for everything with some money i got from my great grandma when she passed.

You know, I find this very interesting. It is my understanding that funds such as these are usually awarded to the parents as custodians for the child, who can get access to those funds only upon turning 18.



How much did beardeds go for 11 years ago?

How many lived 5+ years indoors without adequate exposure to UV light or proper supplementation which were largely unavailable in petstores at that time?

How many books or caresheets were published and easily available when the internet was in its infancy?


Quite an amazing child, huh?

 

[NEWReptiles]

You know, I find this very interesting. It is my understanding that funds such as these are usually awarded to the parents as custodians for the child, who can get access to those funds only upon turning 18.

I too thought that is how the inheritance thing worked.

How many lived 5+ years

I was amazed to hear that they can live to 7-8 years, and even had a bearded that lived to age 7. From what I gathered, 4-5 years is what is expected.


I do have one question though, and please correct me if im wrong, but I thought Beardies lay between 10-30 eggs. So 18 x at least 10 leaves 180 baby beardies. My question is what was done with all of the offspring?

Agian, Im no dragon expert, but did a lil research because I had thought about breeding mine.

 

[E2MacPets]

I do want to add... at this point in time I honestly hold nothing against any of these kids. They're young, they'll learn from their mistakes. Somewhere buried in lies and exaggerations I do believe they have good intentions.

My advice to all of them is to shut up and enjoy the hobby.

Study hard, get into the college of your choice, and give it a go. Learning is something you should never pass up.

I hope this was a learning experience.

Worry about being big time breeders when you've had real world experiences. Never give up on your dreams, never let someone tell you what you can't try. But listen to voices of experience.

Sorry if this is somewhat incoherant, it's 1:45am and this "big breeder" has been cleaning up feces and looking at ways to go further into debt for some time tonight.

 

[martyc33]

Give this kid a break

I have enjoyed the BOI and have never posted before, but I think you guys are being a little harsh on this guy. He has admitted that he was wrong by associating with the people that he was associated with and has ended it. Why kick him while he is down? It seems that some of you get pleasure from kicking people and, in some sick way, it makes you feel better about yourselves. This guy has not defrauded anyone. He has not done anyone any harm. Let him be!
Martin Cole

 

[NEWReptiles]

Why kick him while he is down?

In my last post I made 1 comment, and asked a few simple questions. Thats all.

 

[ms_terese]

Marty,

I don't believe anyone is being overly harsh on the young man in question (Kenneth), although the boys he chose to align himself with were given up on long ago....at least until they swallow some huge doses of a maturity drug.

However, keep in mind that Kenneth has shown attitude well beyond his years, and has not heeded advice to stop exaggerating. The truth is, from what can best be deciphered, he has a couple of dragons. I doubt he's bred them, because he hasn't sold any babies. Nothing wrong with that at all, until he starts exaggerating his animals and experience on a website to get people to buy from him. Better to learn NOW that that's unacceptable rather than have his name on a 100 page thread here in 5 years because he's in over his head.

As many of us have said, hopefully he'll learn some lessons. However, when his response to an admonition about misrepresenting his age is

put you real birth date, full name, and location on this place.... ever heard of kid napping?

you just have to wonder if this young man is interested in straightening out and doing things the right way.

 

[bpc]

OK Darren, here's the senario: You are placed in a Russian Space capsule tonight and told to fly it into outerspace. Wouldn't have a clue, would ya?

Second senario: You grow up watching your parents fly a russian space capsule, they explain what they are doing, let you help a little here and there, explain what all the buttons do, even let you ride along a couple-a-thousand times (much like riding in your parents car). Then one day they let you fly it with them, you do that a couple a hundred times (much like having a restricted license). Then we put you in there and tell you to do it yourself. On that flight you DO HAVE experience. You may not have ever done it by yourself before, but you have seen it, been taught it, done it with help, etc.

You're right, a five year old cannot know when it time to feed the animals, but he can help do it when it is time. I have a 3 year old and a five year old, BOTH help me feed from time to time. Are they running my breeding program for me? No, but I bet if you asked my kid what a corn snake ate he could tell you. I also bet if we set up a pinkie, a mouse, and jumbo rat and asked him which one to give to the corn snake he could tell us which one. How would he know which? EXPERIENCE, having helped do it. I fully expect that by the time he is 9 or 10 (maybe sooner) he'll be able to run the colubrid portion of my snake room by himself (with supervision).

The last year that the NRBE was in Orlando there was a family there selling veiled chameleons. They had hundreds if not thousands of them. I told the mother I thought it was great that she and her husband chose to involve the kids with thier business. She immediately corrected me, and went on to tell me that the business was the 13 year old's. HE had built this business up to NRBE level and HE actually employeed his family to come help HIM do the show. HE was paying his parents to work the show!!! So it can be done.

 

[Audrina Head]

I don't disagree that say, a 13 year old who has had reptiles in the house since 5 will know more than a 13 year old that got his first reptile 2 years ago...maybe we should count the ealier years as 'half-years' ...I mean, it's worth something, but I don't think being a 'helper' gives as much experience as being the sole or primary care giver. It's not a function of age; If I were to go marry a guy with no prior experience with reptiles, and he helps me clean cages and feed the animals, but doesn't do anything other than that, after a year I don't think he would have the same amount of experience and knowledge as someone who was taking care of everything (researching care, cleaning, feeding, learning behavior, watching for changes in behavior, monitoring temperatures, etc.) for 6 months.

Also:

no man, i had to do everything with my reptiles because my parents think that reptiles are stupid, and a waste of time. So i was on my own, i may not have bred them but i did have 2 female bearded dragons, and a green anole and i did everything with them.... except deive to the pet store.

I don't think that a 5 year old taking care of 2 bearded dragons and an anole all by himself with -zero- help from parents or others is realistic. Exaggeration and/or outright lying isn't cool.

 

[E2MacPets]

Exactly.. all by himself would mean that at five years old he was reading everything on the subject (and really, how many books were published 11 years ago on bearded dragons that a 5 year old could comprehend) without help from his parents. It would mean at 5 years old he had enough of a concept of time that he was changing UV bulbs every 6 months (mercury vapor bulbs weren't exactly mainstream). It would mean that at 5 years old he was breeding enough insects to support 2 bearded dragons or he was walking to the store without permission from his parents weekly to buy feeders and properly care for and gutload those insects.



No one is saying that experiences you've had at 5 years old are meaningless. No one is saying that with an attentive supervisory figure a child couldn't learn to handle many responsibilities of caring for animals at a young age.

What they are saying is that while you could say "i was instilled with a love and respect" for animals at 5 years old, you could not say at 5 years old without help from parents you learned how to take care of an extremely demanding animal with minimal external knowledge on the subject on your own and had it live for 7 years and even breed in that time.

 

[Seamus Haley]

One thing that needs to be mentioned...

While there are plenty of people who started at a younger age or had experience at a younger age (I agree that experience is qualitative rather than quantitative) and people have mentioned that a five year old *could* have been the primary source of the care of these animals (Yeah... right, I don't buy that one at all)...

This SPECFIC individual seems unable to find the shift key or put together a complete thought, so there's a good chance that they're at best semi-literate and likely didn't learn to read until they were twelve.

This SPECIFIC person is clearly lying about their experience, education and knowledge because they thought they saw a shortcut... I would wager that they were well aware of the nature of the other two before entering into a "partnership" with them as well... Bunch of sixteen year old kids too lazy or too criminal to start the right way and build a reputable base of customers.

This SPECIFIC person is also continuing to lie about the above mentioned information, refusing to just admit it and make a genuine effort to correct their mistakes... And at this point if they do apologize or make any claims that they will be altering these deceptive practices, it's likely just another lie.