have you stuffed up b4?

[Chris1]

ive been incredibly lucky with some of my stuff ups,...

i had a sunning cage sitting on the bbq of my top floor unit with my 2 2 month old central beardies in it,...all was well, i was just inside making sure no birds harrassed them when a gust of wind came out of nowhere and blew it off,....i bolted down the 3 flights of stairs with my heart in my throat to find the 2 of them no worse for wear,...the sunning cage hit some trees on the way down, plus they were still really light,..the 2 factors i believe saved them. (i never put the sunning cage on the bbq after that, when the sun on the floor ran out, they came back inside_)

i also temporarily lost my first ever snake after i let him out for a supervised cruise one slightly drunken evening, and woke up 3 hours later,....i dont think ive ever panicked so much in my life, 2 hours of searching,...positive id never see him again,...i saw his nose poke out from the gap under the built in oven,...i grabbed the head and somehow managed to coax him out over a 20 min period,....needless to say if he dosent come out if im tired or tipsy, and if hes out and im getting tired he gets put away.

then there was a moonless night i had all 7 out for a supervised night time cruise in the backyard, all was going well, the back porch lights up the back yard beautifully,...and suddenly, blackout,.....i still dont know how i managed to find them all, but i did,...and the next time they got outside at night it was in their brand new safe aviary,....and i bought a bunch of torches so theres always one in easy reach,....

then the aviary stuffups,...after winter one year the grass had died and the soil under it sunk a bit,...i had checked for gaps, bbut obviously not well enough,..my boy diamond got out, i found him next door heading towards the bush,...now pavers cover the edges where the walls meet the ground,..

then my bf hit the aviary wire with the whipper snipper and i didnt notice the hole in the wire, i got home after being out for 3 hours to find one of my bredli (my fave at that) trying desperately to get in the back door, he went straight past the plum tree that leads to the neighbours roof,...

i dont think im careless when it comes to my critters,....but sometimes things go wrong,...

 

[Wrightpython]

no i havent stuffed up and i reserve the right to be obnoxious about it

 

[Skeptic]

I've never made a mistake in anything. I'm perfect in every way. I've also never been wrong. Except one time I thought I was wrong about something but it turned out I was right all along, so I guess I was wrong about being wrong.

Seriously though, the other day I was cleaning out all my snakes and I put one of my young Bredli's on the dining room chair while I was cleaning his cage out. I then realised I was all out of paper towel and the shops were about to close so I rushed out the door and drove about 3 k's before screaming **** and hitting the brakes. I got home and he was still chilling on the chair. Close call

 

[Red-Ink]

We all make mistakes... We are all continually learning

The same mistake that keeps happening several times is not learning... That is Bart and the cupcake, Hamster 1 Bart 0

 

[CaptainRatbag]

My biggest boo boo was putting a 60w IR heatlamp a bit too close to the glass on my spotteds enclosure.... I heard a 'crack' from my room and went in to find the glass broken :shock: luckily it wasnt hardened glass, so it didnt explode into marbles.... it just cracked and stayed in place.... although had I not been there at the time, clyde would have pushed out the broken triangle of glass and prolly would have got out.

The other mishap was when I took advice to feed my snakes out of thier enclosure.... I tried it, but on picking my (full) coastal up after his feed, the next morning he had chucked his rat :shock: That was the first ever chuck from my snakes, now I just feed back in enclosure and never a prob

I reckon the MAIN reason for ME having made so few mistakes so far, is from reading on here of others mistakes. By reading of other peoples mistakes, I think alot more about what CAN happen. For that, I am extremely gratefull

Newbs should be allowed to feel free to ask the simplest questions without being cremated by the 'all knowing'

 

[disintegratus]

no i havent stuffed up and i reserve the right to be obnoxious about it

I remember you mentioning in another thread that a friend/purchaser of yours was tagged by one of your hatchy vens...
...does that mean you did it on purpose?

 

[Kam333]

We all make mistakes... We are all continually learning

The same mistake that keeps happening several times is not learning... That is Bart and the cupcake, Hamster 1 Bart 0

Reminds me of a chinese saying that I drum into my students - " a man is only a fool if he makes the same mistake twice"

 

[Dippy]

My little Diamond got out and went AWOL for about a weekend a half, it's only because I moved my bluey to a new tank and forgot to fix the lid on the old one that I found her. She must have climbed the cord of the heat lamp and fallen in but couldn't get out haha

 

[Pauls_Pythons]

Well as we are owning up to all the silly things we have done I may as well let this little pearl-er in.........................
Many years ago in a previous life when I was still a pom I had a rather large Burmese female. She was too big to clean the tank with her inside so the routine was she has a wander around the lounge with doors all closed while I clean up the mess that comes with a healthy 14ft python who loved to eat.
We had also recently acquired a beautiful rottweiler puppy who was then around 4 months old I guess, (you know where this is going don't you?)
Anyway, to cut a long story short I thought I had locked the dog in the back of the house but obviously I hadn't. When I came to return Petra, (short for petrified) the Python to her enclosure I find her and the puppy laid together both fast asleep!!
How lucky was I that she was either so well fed she didn't feel the need to take an extra meal while out of her tank or maybe she was accustomed to the smell of dogs and knew they weren't food. I guess I will never know the reason but that was too close for me.

 

[Jeannine]

ive made mistakes, not quite brave enough to out them but i have learned

the only 'problem' i see with coming into a site, any site, and asking advice is 20 people will give u advice but its 20 DIFFERENT pieces of advice and then its up to the person asking to work out what to follow first etc and that can make it more confusing and in the end it could cost a reptile its life while the owner is trying their best

all advice is helpful yes but pray tell exactly 'who' do the newbies listen to first?, i mean if 8 of those 20 people give the same advice then its obviously the first thing to try and im guessing a lot of times the situation is resolved, part of my 'mistake' was following what i then believed to have been the right advice but it wasnt

 

[MR_IAN_DAVO]

ive made mistakes, not quite brave enough to out them but i have learned

the only 'problem' i see with coming into a site, any site, and asking advice is 20 people will give u advice but its 20 DIFFERENT pieces of advice and then its up to the person asking to work out what to follow first etc and that can make it more confusing and in the end it could cost a reptile its life while the owner is trying their best

all advice is helpful yes but pray tell exactly 'who' do the newbies listen to first?, i mean if 8 of those 20 people give the same advice then its obviously the first thing to try and im guessing a lot of times the situation is resolved, part of my 'mistake' was following what i then believed to have been the right advice but it wasnt

This is allways a hard thing to work out with whatever advise you get. The best thing is to ask lots, try to work out who you trust the most & also to use your own common sence to help you make a decision. It can be very hard on forums esp for newbies, but you can check profiles & ask others if they know of or trust that person. The more info you can gather should help you make a better decision. The trouble is some people think that they know & are genuinly trying to help & some just have no idea. Confusing isn't it.

Cheers
Ian

 

[Pythoninfinite]

Pythoninfinite.....I have to disagree with you somewhat....sometimes no matter how carefull you are - animals excape ( whether through not closing an enclosure properly or just plain having a houdini reptile ) - THIS DOES NOT MAKE PEOPLE IRRISPONSIBLE PET KEEPERS.....and I actually take offence at you suggesting this....
We did our research before getting our reptiles - but learning about them is a continual thing...
You cannot tell me that you know everything...I know we dont...

You have totally missed my point... Of course "things happen" from time to time, regardless of how experienced and/or careful a keeper may be - they happen to me as much as they happen with anyone else. Probably my biggest consistent problem was not checking to see if both sections of sliding glass are fully closed after cleaning - I overcame that by cutting the tongue on the sliding glass locks just long enough to engage the lock when both sides were fully closed... problem solved once and for all.

In my book, an irresponsible pet keeper is one who, knowing that a problem exists with an enclosure from which an animal frequently escapes, allows it to happen again... and again... then comes on here and treats it as a joke, as though the escape is some sort of snake naughty behaviour. It's just the same thing as a dog being able to escape the yard and roam free in the neighbourhood, or cats being left out at night - the consequences may be different but the principles are the same. If you have animals in your care, you have a duty to know where they are at all times, for the welfare of the animals, and the wellbeing of those around them.

I know a bit about reptiles, but I'd be the last person to suggest that I know it all. You have no need to be so defensive... unless I touched a nerve... and even then, if you looked objectively at what I have written in this thread, you would see that I have never suggested I know it all.

By the way, there is no such thing as "just plain having a Houdini reptile" - but there are people who acquire reptiles and who totally underestimate their abilities to escape from enclosures.

Jamie

 

[ForgottenXo]

We have all made mistakes before...like forgetting to replace a click clack lid...leaving an enlosure open...

The biggest one, and one i will never EVER make again, was buying mice, thinking they looked off and feeding them anyway AND not checking the temps in my enclosures...

I lost my jungle because of this, she got a case of "food poisoning' from the mice, was mid shed, and the temps were fluctuating wayy too high...she got a RI and couldnt fight it off, and she died.

I am very lucky that I currently have some VERY knowledgable people behind me that i know i can call at any time and ask questions. Im a newbie...only 5 years in the hobby and i still have alot to learn. Complacentcy is the biggest issue...Never get to the point where you arent VIGILENT with your collection and never take it for granted. Have a back up plan, strict quarantine procedures and get into a routine...

Dont sweat the small stuff, its when you get complacent, 3 little mistakes can come together and cause alot of heartache...

Kayte Xo

 

[Waterrat]

I am making mistake right now. :shock: So is he.

 

[SpilotaFreak78]

I don't know if this is a mistake or whatever you want to call it but I put too many snakes in one 3ft enclosure. They are all between one and two yrs old, somewhat small in size because I control their diets (I want them to kind of age as natural as possible, not be overfed and grow too large too quick atm). I blame my Bredli, shes so companionable that the other three will not part with her, they pine when ever I take them away from her. Before anyone says I need to move them, I will, I have two new cages on order. Just waiting on bits and pieces for those cages too. This housing is only temporary.

I know there are unspoken rules about putting more than one python together in a cage but I've never had any problems. I guess once they become breeders then they will have to be separated, but they are fine now, no hissing, fighting or anything.

What else have I done that I cna admit to. Only handling snakes after feeding them. None have chucked up yet, but this was mainly when I had to put them back into their cages after feeding them in their own tubs.

 

[citrus]

Are you missing me Citrus ? :cry:

sorry mate I wasnt talking about you directly.

 

[MR_IAN_DAVO]

Sometimes it is a mistake posting on this forum. But who really cares but the newbies trying to get some help?
A shame on us all !!!
& sometimes some old newbies, but bugger it all we know best & just leave us alone?????
Cheers
Ian

 

[killimike]

Sometimes it is a mistake posting on this forum. But who really cares but the newbies trying to get some help?
A shame on us all !!!
& sometimes some old newbies, but bugger it all we know best & just leave us alone?????
Cheers
Ian

Between this thread and the one about a snake shipped without air holes, it's good to know nothing changes around here. It's strangely reassuring

 

[junglelove]

A couple of things to mention already - sanosuke, most keepers who respect and value their animals would ensure that the first escape was the last. One day you will lose your Children's forever - you might even tread on it when it's on one of it's regular outings. Foolish indeed.

Secondly, junglelove... our animals cannot afford the costs of us learning "by trial and error." If you keep animals, you learn what you need to know before you get them... but this seems rare these days. Fundamental to the welfare of any animal is a secure enclosure or yard. If an animal escapes more than once, you are not being a responsible keeper/pet owner.

Jamie

wow i think you might be one of the ones joshua was talking about but i wont say anything negative to that one.

it doesnt matter if we are carefull driving somthings are out of our controll and we crash, or ur in a rush lock the keys in the car, lose children at the shops, OR even one of the most common and yes funniest im always carfull where i walk but still manage to trip over a flat surface!! if u get what im saying

 

[FAY]

We were out the back and I decided to come into the loungeroom with the dog walking beside me. All of a sudden the dog starting acting strange......here was one of our womas resting on the dog's bed.
Hmmm must of left one of the glass sliding doors open. Picked up the woma, put it back in it's enclosure and shut the 6mm glass doors.
Went into the loungeroom and was watching TV...when lo and behold, here comes the same woma sliding along into the loungeroom. Ah ha..can open the glass doors itself as I know for a fact I mad sure they were shut properly..on go locks from now on.
To think that it's enclosure is on the verandah, so had to cross that, cross the reptile room come into the hallway and then into the loungeroom.....