From the Mirriam-Webster Dictionary

Debate
Main Entry: 1de·bate
Pronunciation: di-ˈbāt, dē-
Function: noun
Date: 13th century

: a contention by words or arguments: as a : the formal discussion of a motion before a deliberative body according to the rules of parliamentary procedure b : a regulated discussion of a proposition between two matched sides

Main Entry: 2debate
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): de·bat·ed; de·bat·ing
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French debatre, from de- batre to beat, from Latin battuere
Date: 14th century

intransitive verb 1 obsolete : fight, contend
2 a : to contend in words b : to discuss a question by considering opposed arguments
3 : to participate in a debatetransitive verb 1 a : to argue about b : to engage (an opponent) in debate
2 : to turn over in one's mind

Thank you for taking the time to read that.

Now I love a great debate and here on the bearded dragon forum, two items spark no greater controversy than Substrate and Basking Temps. With reptiles, what was acceptable 20 years ago is being learned to not be quite right. Case in point, the first iguana book I ever purchased told me to feed Monkey Chow as a daily staple. It also mentioned Romaine as a primary vegetable source. Today, we realize that animal protein is NOT a staple and well romaine is pretty much crunchy lettuce. Changes in husbandry have created longer healthier more productive lives. Now I could use my many years of rescue and get involved in this debate and tell you all the #1 cause of deaths in bearded dragons for me, but I will not. As I am not a regular beardie keeper, I research and find what is right, and I also check with friends in OZ as to temps. That is the wonderful thing with our global reptile community. We are now open to learning other options to care that in years before the internet and open communication was not possible.

I love a good debate and I truly enjoy reading them, however what I do not love is getting abuse reports. They make my head hurt. I do not like coming to a good debate over substrate to name calling and dealer bashing. That is not acceptable as outlined in our TOS.

So what this means is combat each other on what you feel is best to keep the animals on and why. Do not call people names, make fun of people for their opinions, or slam other breeders on the forum.

BTW for the record, I am the queen of this forum and Ldypayne is the princess. Just wanted to settle that score.

If you have any questions, feel free to email me and I will be glad to answer your questions. Everyone has a right to an opinion and it isn't wrong merely because it isn't yours.

Cindy Steinle
PHFaust
Kingsnake.com Site Coordinator