Posted by:
crocdoc2
at Sat Sep 1 18:16:41 2012 [ Report Abuse ] [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by crocdoc2 ]
I agree with FR on this wholeheartedly. Over the years I've seen numerous keepers with little to no monitor experience attempt to start breeding programs with species that are uncommonly bred in captivity. While the intention is noble, the reality is that there's usually a reason those species aren't commonly bred and you're better off starting with a species that will encourage your efforts with positive results and then try your hand with something trickier. Most, if not all, of the people that start off with a trickier species get discouraged and drop monitors altogether.
I also agree that experience with other reptiles is often a hindrance when starting with monitors. When I ship off baby monitors to new owners I send them care information a few weeks prior and occasionally I receive an email response to the effect of "no thanks, I don't need it as I've kept x, y and z reptiles before". Those are the people I end up spending the most time on the telephone with later, explaining why their baby monitor isn't feeding yet.
This isn't a criticism - everyone has something to learn and it's just a matter of being open to it in order to move forward.
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