Fr ?

smy_749 · 03-18-13, 10:12 PM

So I just got into monitors, sold my snakes (I had a son and moved and what not, was easiest to sell them) and took the opportunity to try something new. I was directed to varanus.net from someone on the faunaclassifieds.

Does anyone here have experience dealing with FR on varanus? He seems to know his stuff, but he was being a real A-hole and I'm not one to be proud to admit when I'm wrong or insulted easily. Also when I post a question he writes a whole page, which has nothing to do with the question, and filled with why I'm such an idiot on monitors. I said the word "arboreal" just referring to a taller cage as opposed to a wider cage, and he wrote a long response because I wasn't planning to build a cage around a redwood tree or something. Then someone asked why eggs are sticky and others are not, and I said something about predation, and evolutionary explanation perhaps....and he told me to basically stop talking and learn how to house a monitor properly. ....Sort of shocked at the rudeness and hoping not every 'expert' is the same.

KORBIN5895 · 03-18-13, 10:21 PM

Lol! That's so funny. He is a tool with some antiquated techniques.

We have several actual biologist, zoologist, scientist and old fashioned hands on experts here. In other words we really have the greatest minds here on ssnakess. Infernalis will be along shortly and he can help you out or tell you who on here you should talk to.

smy_749 · 03-18-13, 10:31 PM

I'm tempted to post all the stuff he's said to me in the passed week, but its too much work. It includes many many many posts about how stupid I am for saying the word arboreal, apparently its a banned word. It also includes being an idiot for asking about a species to do an ecology project on for my EEB class. Using a temp gun to go outside and this will make what I learn in school useless....O.o ? Example of what I put up with " How hot should my basking spot be? How cold do you let your tank drop to at night? " and the answers are something like

" You sound like a beginer, as such you think all those temps and such are meaningful and if you do that, your animal will be great. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm sorry, thats not how it works. Not with monitors. "

Anyways, the reason for me posting, is I posted here, and on the reptileforum.co.uk and you guys seemed more down to earth. If one thing drives me nuts, its when a person forgets where he started out, --> knowing nothing.

crocdoc · 03-18-13, 10:52 PM

Sounds like a typical FR experience. Lol.

Many of us have been there, done that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by smy_749

If one thing drives me nuts, its when a person forgets where he started out, --> knowing nothing.

It's worse than that - in some instances he forgets where he still is --> knowing nothing. A year and a bit ago he and I had a huge argument about whether or not certain species of Australian monitor nest in termite mounds in the wild. I said they did, he said they didn't. This has implications for how they are kept in captivity if one wants to breed them.

He lives in Arizona. I live in...er... Australia, but he still argued like a fool and his followers sided with him (although they'd never been to Australia).

At one point in the argument, he said that if monitors nested in termite mounds, they'd leave visible scars.

I replied "yes" and then posted a dozen or so photographs similar to this (I have hundreds):

For a sensible person, that would have been a hint to cut one's losses and stop arguing for fear of looking like a fool, but no, that didn't happen and he carried on regardless.

That's not the only evidence I have, of course, and I think he'd soil himself if he had any idea of what observations I've made over the years.

However, I know when and where information is wasted. Discussing the behaviour of wild monitors on forums at which he and his minion hang out is tantamount to mentioning evolution in a creationist bible class.

He does know his stuff when it comes to captives, but he's not the only one out there that does and with other people you don't have to sift through as large a slag heap to find gold.

smy_749 · 03-18-13, 11:02 PM

I'm not big on people who boast and flaunt achievements, the more you come to know, the more you realize how much you don't know. He told me to go to borneo and measure temps with a gun to figure out temperatures for my rudi... I had to leave, I thought he was going to tell me the only way to keep a rudicollis is to move to Borneo or Malaysia, and build a tree house.

I like to take the middle path, not going to extreme ends. He seems to be on the extreme end (his experience with captive breeding) and lacking on the scientific end. Both of which, in my opinion, seem to fail when solely relied upon.

Anyways, formerly introducing myself----> 23 year old molecular and cell biology 5th year major (I like to take time off

). I'm from CT, (I think pretty close to infernalis if hes in NY like his profile shows) and it sucks here.
I'm half Egyptian and half Lithuanian or something....Got my first monitor (black roughneck) but have been keeping other herps on and off since I got my first anole at 6 years old. And I still don't know much of anything except basic husbandry and the names of basically everything.

crocdoc · 03-18-13, 11:24 PM

Yeah, the anti-science brigade runs large on those forums.

Any hint that you may have been in one of the biological sciences would have set you up as a target.

KORBIN5895 · 03-19-13, 12:01 AM

You know doc I was think the same thing about fr's knowledge.

infernalis · 03-19-13, 05:01 AM

I pretty much gave up posting anything at all on kingsnake, and I refuse to waste time with V.net....

jarich · 03-19-13, 08:18 AM

Its funny, apparently he is a very nice guy in real life, or so Ive been told by people who have met him. All I know of him is his online presence, which is childish. He does have experience, but the problem is that he gets in the way of that experience. There are many examples like the one Dave gave where he assumes something and then is unwilling to think otherwise, even when presented with proof. As Wayne and Dave said, not worth the hassle. Although its sort of a guilty pleasure to go on kingsnake and taunt him from time to time. He's so easy to wind up.

poison123 · 03-19-13, 09:42 AM

Idk about his monitors but i do love the techniques he uses for snakes. I've never talked to him though.

Scale_fever · 03-19-13, 09:50 AM

I once was a dedicated loyal member there! Now i just browse the forum.I'm done with his rudeness and his minions ganging upon the less educated,or hungry for knowledge. my experience there was to a point of no return.In my case i tried something new & got called pretty much stupid. Here's a link http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/varan...sion-mine.html Once i put him on the spot his attitude changed,he apolagized but it still didn't fix what was said. So i am done there posting! Here has some ups and downs. But you will have the 100 percent support of our members instead of jumping on you and getting gang banged!

poison123 · 03-19-13, 09:54 AM

The link didnt work.

smy_749 · 03-19-13, 11:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by poison123

The link didnt work.

It works for me

infernalis · 03-19-13, 11:56 AM

I fixed the link.

I remember that thread, I found a post I made and then later deleted griping about FR.

Oddly, I preach the same exact husbandry he does, keep them HOT and they eat anything that moves, or ever once moved.

Yet for whatever reason, Every single word I ever say in his online presence has to get stomped upon, judged or picked apart about "context"

I have read posts of his dating back as far as 10 years, he constantly attacks virtually every thinking mind that is interested in Varanidae.

V87 · 03-19-13, 01:27 PM

Am I the only one who likes him ?