tegu misconception

[dragonmetalhead]

ive had people scream because people thought i was a terrorist with a pet dragon

Lol, that's a bit of an extreme reaction.

 

[monstruo-the-tegu]

yeah i live in the south of virginia not many people like reptiles at all it doesnt matter what kind most people will kill a snake in woods on sight

 

[TegusRawsome80]

People are so judgemental of those who simply don't have knowledge.

 

[monstruo-the-tegu]

yeah i am not popular at school kind of a nerd and some people say that reptiles are stupid reptiles suck why do you like those scaley little monsters it makes me sad how people hate reptiles so much

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but i do have like 2 friends who have a few reptiles and there are people at my school who want a reptile i give them examples of good reptiles for beginners so far i have helped 9 people most started out wanting iguanas (i know really) but ended up getting corn snakes ball pythons cresteds beardies and other reptiles

 

[dragonmetalhead]

yeah i am not popular at school kind of a nerd and some people say that reptiles are stupid reptiles suck why do you like those scaley little monsters it makes me sad how people hate reptiles so much

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but i do have like 2 friends who have a few reptiles and there are people at my school who want a reptile i give them examples of good reptiles for beginners so far i have helped 9 people most started out wanting iguanas (i know really) but ended up getting corn snakes ball pythons cresteds beardies and other reptiles

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Nothing wrong with being a nerd who likes reptiles. Join the club. Don't let all the bad vibes get to you, man. You got a support system right here on this forum.

 

[james.w]

Why do the majority of people here expect everyone to know about reptiles?? Reptiles are a hobby that not everyone is interested in, why should they research them? That is like saying because you can't tune an engine you are a moron, or because you can't play the piano you are ignorant. Not everyone has the same interests in the world, and some of you are making them out to be morons, stupid, ignorant, etc because of that. This thread is full of ignorant people, some of you should look in the mirror and you will see just what a moron looks like.

That's a rude statement and highly uncalled for, no one here expects everyone to be able to identify reptiles, we just find it funny sometimes what they (tegus)get confused at being, they are infact ignorant which simply means they just don't know!

I agree it can be funny when people mistake tegus for other things, but if you read through this thread a bit you will see plenty of posts saying those people are stupid, morons, ignorant, etc. I understand the definition of ignorant, but I believe it is being used in a negative in the posts in this thread. There are plenty of words that have simple meanings, but can also be very offensive when used a certain way.

I am not talking about stars and other planets i am talking about things here on this earth things we have been around forever things we have walked right beside of everyday. Actually i know a lot of people that know about the stars and planets but as for me i dont worry about things out of this world that is out of my control.

How many people on this forum have walked beside a tegu in the the wild?? I guarantee less than 5% of the members have had the pleasure. There are millions of things examples that could be given as far as things some people know a lot about and others know very little. Like I have said when you take an interest in something you learn about it, if you aren't interested, you don't.

How many posts have there been about members of this forum asking whether a tegu was an Argentine or Columbian? How many members have bought Columbian tegus when they thought they were buying Argentines? These people are interested in reptiles ( tegus specifically) and still could not properly identify them. What does that tell you about this entire subject??

 

[Dana C]

I for one haven't walked side by side with a wild Tegu and likely never will. It is ok however because I have captive Tegus which have adapted to human interaction, a different diet, housing etc. I understand the difference but others do not. Yes, I have a little fun with people when they make silly remarks about them but I always do what I feel I am obligated to do and that is inform them or teach them in a very limited way about my critters.
They may take something away from it or maybe not. At least I have done what I really feel we all should do if we are to protect reptile ownership in this country and that is to inform, teach, and counter myths and the bad science that is often portrayed as fact on TV.
James and others are correct in that we all tend to look for information about that which strikes our fancy and interests us. Some of us are lifetime learners and research everything because we are intensely curious and MUST know everything there is to know about an animal, a war, a movie, a person, space, geology, physics and so on.
I sometimes make the mistake of assuming everyone wants to know as much as I want to know and I start lecturing or expositating on a given topic. That sadly has cost me a few would be friendships. However, I really do feel obligated to share what I know and offer well thought out alternatives to questions, methods, etc.
Nature changes constantly. Species evolve constantly even in minute ways. Species adapt or they don't.
Ok, I will shut my mouth.

 

[HeatherN]

i can relate dana, as an 18 year old, ive lost many friends to the passionate "lecture" and alienated many more of my peers. nowadays i try to keep things short and sweet while still educating. maybe people feel threatened by the well-informed and get defensive about it, such as insisting it's an iguana and not a tegu? just a theory, i can understand and empathize, but doesn't make it less obnoxious in my opinion.

 

[TegusRawsome80]

Haha I'm 18 too, but I really haven't had that many bad experiences with keeping herps. Most of my friends think it's pretty cool or are at least indifferent to it, and besides the obvious bit of teasing you get when you have an unusual hobby, no one seems to care that much.

 

[reptastic]

I'll say this whenever someone mistakes your tegu or any other reptile for something else remember to be polite as possible, remember the reptile industry is under attack and these same people who don't know need to be educated, we need them on our side, be gracious in all your words

 

[dragonmetalhead]

I'll say this whenever someone mistakes your tegu or any other reptile for something else remember to be polite as possible, remember the reptile industry is under attack and these same people who don't know need to be educated, we need them on our side, be gracious in all your words

And make sure to show them how sweet your tegu is! Let them pet him/her or take photos if they wish and make sure to emphasize how nondangerous tegus and just why they make wonderful pets. Planting a nice, big smooch on top of your tegu's head in front of people who would otherwise think to see your lips ripped off and eaten is an excellent way to change people's perceptions.

 

[HeatherN]

Haha I'm 18 too, but I really haven't had that many bad experiences with keeping herps. Most of my friends think it's pretty cool or are at least indifferent to it, and besides the obvious bit of teasing you get when you have an unusual hobby, no one seems to care that much.

well I'm assuming you're a guy, unfortunately, as i female, people think I'm crazy because i keep herps. seems to be a red flag for a lot of people lol, more guys than you'd think run away from that! :s

 

[Grendel]

I also agree that we as owners of exotic lizards and other reptiles ( that may or may not be dangerous to some degree) need to be good ambassadors of the reptile world. I own my own business and have a green tree python in my personal office. Initially some of my employees though that "python" meant it was going to grow to 20 feet and would eat someone sooner or later. Gentle education without shoveing it down anyones throat is the key. If someone does not want to get close or touch it, let them keep their distance. If they are genuinely interested answer their questions. Most important is not to belittle them for " stupid" questions. Having said all that, I'm pretty sure many people I work with think I'm a freak in disguise when ever FedEx brings a box marked "Live Reptile".

 

[monstruo-the-tegu]

when is this thread going to die lol sorry but i thouht 3 pages was to long but 4 pages

 

[Dana C]

Haha I'm 18 too, but I really haven't had that many bad experiences with keeping herps. Most of my friends think it's pretty cool or are at least indifferent to it, and besides the obvious bit of teasing you get when you have an unusual hobby, no one seems to care that much.

well I'm assuming you're a guy, unfortunately, as i female, people think I'm crazy because i keep herps. seems to be a red flag for a lot of people lol, more guys than you'd think run away from that! :s

You would be surprised Heather at how many females keep reptiles and tarantuas. If you look at who contributes here, on The Tegu Community and the snake forums you find a lot of avid female posters. I think it is great that you have a passion.

 

[kamikaze]

So many times when i just open up my store and i put mojo (my tegu name) out site the store to give him sun bathing, of course i put him in the cage so he wont escape and wont get bother by people passing by,..any way some people will ask me what he is..i would tell them its a tegu lizard from argentine, u know what..some of them would tell me that they have it a lot as well in their village..duh, there are none in indonesia!!!..so freakin' stupid..lol

 

[Quartzyellowjacket]

I agree with James, to a point. My dad is an auto mechanic (Don't worry, this becomes relevant) now if I walked up to him and asked " Hey dad is that a Buick or a Pontiac?" and he said "Its a Chevy". Lacking this knowledge doesn't make me stupid, just ignorant on the matter on which was discussed. But at the point on which I differ from James is that people could use more context clues and think about it first with common sense. If I see an unknown lizard with a person it would be better to say "Hey, what kind of lizard is that?" and not say "Wait a gosh darn second, that must be a snake because its flicking its tongue, why on earth do you got that iguana snake in this public park?". I mean come one, we all know what snakes are and what they look like.

 

[Jbrew_Tegu]

i have to agree with reptastic.

I agree. I think james.w is rude and makes un-called for statements in a lot of threads. Instead of providing information or resources he seems to look down on them. Also as a forum moderator I would think that you would have the correct traits to effectively execute this role.

General def. of a Forum Moderator:

Moderators
The moderators (short singular form: "mod") are users (or employees) of the forum who are granted access to the posts and threads of all members for the purpose of moderating discussion (similar to arbitration) and also keeping the forum clean (neutralizing spam and spambots etc.).[12] Because they have access to all posts and threads in their area of responsibility, it is common for a friend of the site owner to be promoted to moderator for such a task. Moderators also answer users' concerns about the forum, general questions, as well as respond to specific complaints. They also can do anything to lend a helping hand to a user in need.[13] Moderators themselves may have ranks: some may be given mod privileges over only a particular topic or section (called "local"), while others (called "global" or "super") may be allowed access anywhere. Common privileges of moderators include: deleting, merging, moving, and splitting of posts and threads, locking, renaming, stickying of threads, banning, suspending, unsuspending, unbanning, warning the members, or adding, editing, removing the polls of threads.[14] "Junior Modding", "Backseat Modding", or "Forum copping" can refer negatively to the behavior of ordinary users who take a moderator-like tone in criticizing other members.

Essentially, it is the duty of the moderator to manage the day-to-day affairs of a forum or board as it applies to the stream of user contributions and interactions. The relative effectiveness of this user management directly impacts the quality of a forum in general, its appeal, and its usefulness as a community of interrelated users.

Moderators also have categories e.g. "Global Moderators" and just "Moderators". Global moderators have the rights to moderate the complete forum while moderators can be assigned only to the sub-forum.[15]

James.w if you happen to read this I am not trying to correct or scowl you or team up on you. I am just expressing my general concerns about my experience with you and replies to other threads I have seen you respond to in the small amount of time I have been part of this community.

If you do not have anything nice to say, do not say it at all is what I was taught when I was growing up.

 

[james.w]

Please provide where I have made rude/uncalled for statements and not provided useful information.

You are welcome to express your opinions/concerns, does not bother me one bit. Just be willing to accept when I express mine.

 

[Jbrew_Tegu]

There honestly is no use in communicating with you in my mind... I am going to do my best to stay out of threads you are involved in. :s