As a neophyte to reptile keeping, I feel that I experience both sides of this issue.



On the one hand, I certainly try to do my research into the care, habitat, habits, temperament, etc of my animals (and prospective future animals). I recently acquired my first reptile, a ball python, as a gift from my girlfriend, and I must admit I absolutely loathe hearing people tell me that I need to watch out for her "fangs" and that she is "poisonous." If I hear one more person tell me that a "friend's friend" had a snake stretch out beside her while she was sleeping so the snake could measure her up as a potential meal, things might get violent.



On the other hand, an outdated fear of reptiles, the lack of early and continuing education about and exposure to reptiles, and the fact that there isn't all that much definitive information out there on the care of snakes and other reptiles makes it hard for someone who is passably interested in the topic. For many types of snakes, there aren't that many resources on the web about the care of that particular species. Often, the information in one care sheet will contradict that in an other, and when there are only two or three such sheets available, determining enclosure parameters, e.g. humidity, is difficult. Recently, I read a debate on appropriate winter temperatures for snakes (jungle carpets, I believe) that got pretty heated. One guy even threatened to call the humane society on someone else, and this was on Kingsnake, among people who would probably be considered experts in another community.



While I do not defend people who ask ridiculous questions in an attempt to reinforce their own stereotypes or as a result of intellectual laziness, I do think it's important to note that even for those of us who take a very active interest in the topic, joining the reptile community can be very intimidating. I am now trying to make a decision about which snake I'd like to get next, and it's very hard for me to find a ton of information I can trust completely.



All of this to say: Personally, I would find a trustworthy manual for RBs to be immeasurably helpful .



Sorry for the length, this got a bit out of hand for a first post.



Gabe

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