# Before you bought your first reptile...



## Ssthisto (Aug 31, 2006)

How much research and setup did you do?

In my case, the first reptile I bought myself, I did very little research and through my ignorance the garter snake died. I was twelve and losing a beloved pet was devastating. At that time, unfortunately, there wasn't a computer in every house nor internet on every PC out there - so I couldn't ask folks like yourselves for help and advice. That's one reason why it took me over a decade to consider getting any reptile pets again.

And when I went to get the first reptiles of my adult life, I researched the easiest species to keep so that I could get something that would be forgiving of beginner mistakes and wouldn't require a complicated or expensive setup... and then read every book on leopard geckos I could buy, as well as trawling through forums and websites to create an aggregate of knowledge that I could polish a middle slice of.

When I started looking into getting a snake, I went one step further - I asked if I could MEET snakes and talk to people who owned adults and babies, so that I had some experience of the animals before buying my own. Then, when I'd narrowed it down to three or four choices, I bought every book I could find and again tried to build up as much knowledge as I could about ALL of them. Good thing I did - I've got all of those choices and more now 

Nowadays it's not often I go to a shop and see a species I don't recognise or know something about before I see the label on the viv (And oh, I like the times that I do go and see something NEW....) but my rule is and always has been that I won't buy anything I don't already know how to care for and have at least a suitable short-term cage set up for at home. Because I do keep a couple of rack systems, I generally have some free space... 

How much research and preparation did you do for your first reptile? How much preparation and research have you done for any purchases since?


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## sw3an29 (Jul 13, 2007)

i always do as much research as possible before i buy any animals


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## the-tick (Nov 27, 2006)

I read tons of care sheets, got the kathy love book, read here a lot before I joined.

Got all the kit and set it up for weeks before hand as well

About 3 months before buying


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## captaincaveman (Nov 6, 2006)

None, i had my first ones brought for me as a kid,a pair of leopard geckos, my mum and dad knew i like reptiles and surprised me, afterthat, i read up loads before my second choice a sawback agamid:lol2:


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## kennedykrew (Jul 31, 2006)

Our first purchase we read up loads on the internet before we bought it.
Years ago we 'kept' torts without any knowledge but it was different then.
I always read up on anything new i acquire before i get it ... but probably not enough TBH!!!


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## leogirl (Oct 1, 2006)

i remember when i was about about 5, reading through a book on reptiles saying to my mum i wanted a leopard gecko. i eventually got it when i was 17... or 18? so i had a good 13 years reading lol.

i still feel like ive learnt more since ive had rep's though.


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## crafty (Aug 13, 2007)

now research research research 
but i have to admit my first buy was an impulse buy


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## TSKA Rory Matier (May 27, 2007)

What l find interesting here, is that there appears to be so little trust in retailers, is this the case?

R


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## Ssthisto (Aug 31, 2006)

TSKA Rory Matier said:


> What l find interesting here, is that there appears to be so little trust in retailers, is this the case?
> 
> R


There are VERY few shops I would trust to give me completely accurate information. Even the very local shop that I like I still don't completely trust on care information based on the setups they have for various animals I already keep. The setups LOOK good, but they aren't necessarily the MOST appropriate for the species on display. 

Now, granted, I'd quite happily ask the folks at Snakes and Adders for suggestions (and in fact, one of their suggestions about sand boas did get one of our stubborn ones feeding) and there are other shops with employees that aren't just there for the paycheck. Most of the ones I'd be inclined to trust are dedicated reptile shops.


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## captaincaveman (Nov 6, 2006)

kennedykrew said:


> Our first purchase we read up loads on the internet before we bought it.
> Years ago we 'kept' torts without any knowledge but it was different then.
> I always read up on anything new i acquire before i get it ... but probably not enough TBH!!!


 
Your lucky, the internet wasn't a common household thing when i got my first:lol2:


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## sami (Oct 23, 2006)

we bought a yemen as our first lizard... 
we were in a shop, and Mason said.. ooh, i've always wanted a chameleon! 
so we bought the cham, the setup, a book and everything..
when we got it home, i read loads, used forums, etc. 

i try and buy a book on every species we have.. or at least a general guide book, and print out / read info on them etc. 

i am a bit of a hoarder of books.. but i have more than one.. and always consult them all / cross reference everything.. which i suppose is good practice for the current course i'm on.. 

so i do a lot of research on everything.. i'll ask a lot of questions.. and poor people that have me added to their msn get a lot of questions asked of them *cough*sorry Gaz!*cough* 

a lot of the time, admittedly, it'll now be an impulse buy.. like the white lips. 
i'd wanted them for ages.. but kept being put off by the shop saying 'they're not for beginners' until we finally figured we weren't beginners any more.. give me my white lips!!! and once they were home, did a LOT of research... 

so i might not know everything before i get something.. but i'll know a lot more about them, and how they are supposed to be kept by the end of the same day  

sami


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## kennedykrew (Jul 31, 2006)

captaincaveman said:


> Your lucky, the internet wasn't a common household thing when i got my first:lol2:


I cant imagine... back with the torts you got them and put them in your garden!!!! that was it basically!
At least these days you can 'read up'.... if you can be bothered!
:whistling2:


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## ian_lawton (Apr 19, 2007)

lol i trust my local shops as they seem very good to be honest, but i do check about them buy books etc


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## NBLADE (Apr 11, 2007)

i always read loads of caresheets on the internet, and also confirm information with my local rep shop as i trust him, if there is anything i am not sure about i will ask him, but i do as much research as i can before hand.


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## snakelover (Dec 17, 2006)

Poll Options
*What, if anything, did you do to prepare for your first/later reptiles?*
I bought something without knowing what it was.
Nothing. I'm an impulse buyer and sort things out afterwards.
I buy on impulse, but I buy the equipment and books too.
*I buy the equipment first and get it set up.*
I always have spare equipment set up "Just In Case".
*I trust that the shop will tell me how to keep the animal correctly.*
*I read caresheets online before buying any animal.*
*I read lots of websites and a book or two about the animal.*
*I research every species before I buy it - online, in books and/or in person.*
I don't buy anything that hasn't been extensively planned for and heavily researched.


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## HABU (Mar 21, 2007)

i was lucky because i kept reptiles long before i ever bought one. back then though there wasn't very much to research. the library had a few books but they were very basic and never covered care. i always researched the habitat first and combined everything i gleaned from the odd book or encyclopedia. today you have it made because info is right at your fingertips. wild snakes gave me a foundation in basic snake care. i just used reasoning and applied it to my first store bought animals. seems like most people don't study snake 101 anymore. i think you should know what the jacobson's organ is and what labial pits are before you get a snake. you should also know their taxonomy and what a colubrid is and how it relates to a boid because it will give you a better understanding of snakes. know the body parts and how they work. understand the different niches they occupy. i can take a snake that i have never heard of before and i bet without doing any research, i could take care of it and tell you what family and even genus it's in most of the time just by it's structure. that's because i have studied herpetology on my own. back in the day keepers like me invented independently most all of the techniques used today. if you want to be sucessful at anything you have to do the ground work. i have had one problem i asked about here on the forum since i joined. about my one emmy. there is a reason for that...i rarely have any problems and things rarely get sick with me. anymore i go for the hard stuff because i still enjoy learning. learn the fundementals and most things solve themselves. it's like cooking, some people follow recipes and others know how to cook.... what i knew about retics, burms and anacondas back in the '70's was longer than this post but i knew about snakes. i have caught them and kept them before i ever bought one. i knew what a black rat snake's habitat was....my back yard. i made lots of mistakes but i was on my own. you nowadays don't have to make them because it's all on the internet. if you don't research what you are doing then you don't love what you are doing......just my thoughts on the matter. sorry about the long post!:blush:


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## Johelian (Nov 25, 2006)

Since I am fairly new to reptiles, I had all of the joys of the internet to rummage through when researching my first lizard  I also had a viv custom made to fit a chest of drawers top, so the fact that I was forced to wait for a few weeks gave me plenty of time to read up - and no opportunity to impulse buy


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## pankthesnake (Sep 29, 2007)

My first was actually a pair of hatchling corns (normal) about twenty years ago, purchased with very little prior research.

One fed like a pig, but the other was a non-feeder.

Luckily I bought my snakes from Dave Lester (anyone remember him?), who was extremely helpful with any reptile related problems and gave me advice that helped keep my snake alive and eventually into a good feeder.


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## Dan (Jan 11, 2006)

I clicked the first two. 
My first was bought for me as a kid and i just muddled along with it.

I clicked the second because a lot of the time i am an impulse buyer. At the end of the day many snakes can be slotted into nice little care aspects that you can personalise later. As an example pythons have a hot spot of 90 degrees so if i bought a python that's where i'd start. Yes there are exceptions but as a general rule that's about right.


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## Daredevil (Jul 10, 2007)

I researched every snake before i got my first - online, in books and went to a few shops. Now however i wouldn't research as much as i know the basic care of the snakes i would want and i'm a bit more knowledgeable, although i still think that if it's a new species that you haven't kept before then everyone should do a bit of research.:no1:


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## JAM3S (Jan 17, 2007)

I was bought a garter snake when i was about eight after no research at all. After a while it started lifting his head up waving it with his mouth open and bangin it against the side of his tank. My family said he must be epileptic and as an 8 year old i didnt question them. It died..  i learnt years later about thiamine defficiency (sp?) and that goes along with us feeding a diet of whitebait only. It put me off keeping reptiles although i still had an interest in other peoples. eventually I decided at 22 to look into getting another snake so i did about 2 months research before going to buy my king and i have researched loads before buying any other snake.


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## darkdan99 (Dec 28, 2006)

To be honest i can say all of the above!!!!!!!!

I bought something without knowing what it was.
I have bought two unidentified snakes, and sevral un-id'ed inverts. When you dont PHYSICALLY knwo what the animal is how can you research it. 

One turned out to be a grey band king of some sort(abharrent), and the second a asian garter snake of some discription. 

When i got the first (king) i knew it was a CF north american from collected eggs. That meant i could cater for it easily. 

The second was WC from indonesia/PNG (double shipment) and was brought in as a mangrove snake. (which it obviously wasnt). So i gave it a tropical forest bed with oppertunity to climb(which it didnt). Only ate live fish or amphibians (tadpoles and small frogs). thrived for sevral months then got given to a friend with an identicle snake which happened to be a "asian garter".

Nothing. I'm an impulse buyer and sort things out afterwards.

I will intentionally go into a reptile shop with a few hundred £ (when i have it) and buy whatever takes my fancy. But i am in a position where i know how to cater form almost any animal i find in the trade. If i dont know how to care for it exactly then i can go online on the same day. 

I buy on impulse, but I buy the equipment and books too.
Depending on what i already have avalable and for grabs i sometimes buy equeptment, but usually i have it spare. 

I buy the equipment first and get it set up.
If i am wanting an animal for a while then i will get everything 200% setup before i get it. 

I always have spare equipment set up "Just In Case".
I have tubs and vivs that can be made avalable (some containing genral stuff, some empty. Some with animals that can be shifted into tubs to allow for viv space. I also have new light tubes (10%) and starters, along with a stat or two and a multitude of light bulbs and fittings etc. 

I trust that the shop will tell me how to keep the animal correctly.
Some shops i do and some i dont. but i will never rely soly on a conversation. 

I read caresheets online before buying any animal.
Before or immediatly after

I read lots of websites and a book or two about the animal.
deffinatly. Again either before or immediatly after purchase. 

I research every species before I buy it - online, in books and/or in person.
Sometimes!

I don't buy anything that hasn't been extensively planned for and heavily researched.

Thats what i try to do. But again i have kept a multitude of animals and i can really cater for the majority of things on previous research for the same, or a simlar species. 

You only need to learn to ride a bike once...so when you have kept a snake properly then you can keep the same species again relying on previous research.


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## Daredevil (Jul 10, 2007)

Finished yet!!:lol2:


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## snickers (Aug 15, 2007)

My very first snakes were a pair of garters. I had set up a viv and the heeting etc. I even had the food in 'cos I kept fish (EDIT: some of my oscars like frozen fish!, not that I fed MY fish to the garters). Trouble is garters turned out to be a big mistake. Nice to look at but they are nasty, smelly, evil things. A friend loved them so they were sold cheap. I then researched corns, and bought one from Dave Lester, the start of a second and much more successful attempt to keep snakes. It wasn't that I hadn't done the research on the garters, I hadn't understood the implications of a fish diet and the fact that garters are spawn of the devil.

I always have spare kit lying around. Even now I have a couple of spare mats, a spare stat and an empty viv. If I saw a snake I wanted badly I'd buy it but only if I had the kit or could get that at the same time, and I'd have to be confident I could take care of it. No good falling in love with boas if I have pythons in the house. No good wanting a GTP if I don't have high humidity facilities.


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## miffikins (Feb 25, 2007)

Before I got my leos I had been reading up on most of the widely available species, altho I was goin for a beardie once I finished uni, but then I found the local rep shop. My boyfriend got my viv for me and we set it up the day before, got the wrong substrate to begin with but changed it pretty quick.

I did sort of impulse buy my swifts having seen them in the shop and loving them, I looked them up on the net, but there isn't much. My OH got them me for valentines day with my basic knowledge, but I contacted a breeder in the states for some more info. My first female died a week later, but I think it may have been due to her gettin "baby bound" she was very fat and I think she may have been tryin to give birth, but I felt immensly guilty because I hadn't prepared myself for that.

Ackies, I read everything I could, goin nicely with my monitor obsession.

I know now where the best places are to go for info, havin a lot of the stuff I read about leos being wrong, luckily I changed it in time for it to have no damage.

I am very impulsive tho, so its something I really have to control. The amount of times I go into into a shop and say "I want it!" is amazing, luckily Andy usually says no, which is a good thing!


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

I answered the last option. I try to research as much as possible before committing myself, as the last thing I want to do is to move a pet on because of any reason.

When I bought my first garters (2 of them) in 1979 there was nowhere really to research and in fact you couldn't really buy them in pet shops - at least I'd never seen them!

So I took advice from a friend of mine who was a vet and who had a real interest in reptiles. He loaned me a book which was a tad technical, but gave me the information I needed about habitat, temperature etc and he told me where to buy them from.

I remember being horrified when they arrived because they were in a little cardboard box about 6-8" square. Inside the box they were in a sealed plastic bag with some shredded paper. There was nothing on the box to indicate that the contents were live and my postman threw it into my lobby. Poor things, but they did really well and lived for years.

Here's a photograph of them not long after they arrived with my daughter, who was 4 year old and about 3 years later with my son when he was 10. Sorry about the quality, but obviously the photographs are old and my scanner isn't connected so they are photographs of photographs


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## Athravan (Dec 28, 2006)

I did absolutely no research and knew nothing about reptiles when my mum bought me my first at about 12/13. Didn't even have the internet. He lived until he was 12 so I don't think I did too badly. Once I got the internet at 15/16 and started getting more interested in other species, I read up and researched loads. But saying that, I will also impulse buy now - if I saw something, and wasn't sure what it was, but I wanted it - I would probably get it, as I believe I have the experience and the equipment available to house and adjust to pretty much anything... hasn't happened yet, but it might.


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## MSL (Jul 30, 2007)

I voted the last one but even if you do that you still get lots of srprises along the way and you defo dont know everything whatever you buy!


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## HABU (Mar 21, 2007)

before books and care sheets, this is how you learned about pythons........take two snakes........and learn!:lol2::2thumb:










dang! this is ancient!!:crazy:


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## UrbanGeckoWarrior (Aug 13, 2007)

i was told unless i dead sh** loads of research there was no way i was getting a "Decko" (as you can see no one else in ma famille did any research lol


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## Andy b 1 (May 14, 2007)

i do as much research as i can before buying an animal ( 3 months research before getting tortoises)

i also have spare cages and setups incase i find something i like


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## 955i (Aug 17, 2007)

pankthesnake said:


> Luckily I bought my snakes from Dave Lester (anyone remember him?)


I remember Dave, used to spend a fair bit of my time in the shops in Walsall.

I am sometimes an impulse buyer but I always have a load of spare stuff lying around so I can accommodate anything unexpected.


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## Torres13 (Aug 30, 2007)

I did extensive research before I bought my first reptile but I had been thinking about it for months before hand so it wasnt a spur of the moment thing!


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## Meko (Apr 29, 2007)

almost impulsive.

If i see something i like or want i'll do a bit of research on it from a few care sheets to make sure it's something i really want and can afford to 'run', get the viv set up and then buy it.

Never been one to do intensive research into anything as my teachers will tell you.


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## kolo (Aug 20, 2007)

Before buying my leo I did loads of research at first looking at caresheets and websites then joining forums and asking questions on things I still wasn't sure about. 
When I decided I wanted a leo I still had a month wait while I saved up the money for the set up and everything, during that month I carried on reading about them and peoples experiences with them, mainly because I was so excited about getting one.


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## NicolaMe (Nov 2, 2006)

I voted i research before i buy.....but im also an impulse buyer too arrrrrgghhhhhhhhh :blush:


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## eeji (Feb 22, 2006)

my first rep was a water dragon, my nephew had got bored with it after the Godzilla phase had worn off, so I knew very little about it. That was definetly an impulse thing. He died soon after, he had mouth rot and other problems when i got him that I knew nothing of. After that I did lots of reading and got another. He was doing fine, but caught an infection whilst being boarded elsewhere and died.
The geckos I've had were also impulse buys, but were researched when I got them home.
Before i got corn snakes they were researched before hand, as i was unsure which type of snake to get so i researched everything i thought i wanted


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## becka (Jul 10, 2007)

i did alot of research before i got my beardie, in fact i did with all my reps but unfortunately alot of it was bad advice so ive had to change set up temps food etc.


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