General Care Discussion :: idea

[Hoooneylynn]

Hey Mods and Steve,

I think we should make up a basic "care sheet" as maybe a sticky under general care to which we can refer new members.

It can contain such information as the "10 gallon per inch" rule, there are many people coming on with their turts cramped together, and some dont care when you tell them otherwise. This would make this more official and perhaps convincing. lol.

I know theres already a nutrition section, we can leave that out.

We can include UVA/UVB lighting, EXPLAIN both, wattage, etc. Many questions about lighting here. It is quite confusing sometimes.

We can include the heating, and post degree ranges which are adequate, and also ranges for illness, ie , bumping it up to 80-82 to boost immune systems.

Filters... maybe explain different kinds... etc...

I could go on and on, but you guys get the idea.

We can refer people to this sticky immediately after we get the same question over and over. It could be just a general care sheet sticky. I know we have similar things, but not really on the basic stuff, such as what I have listed.

What do ya think?

[cam722]

Actually there already is one. At the top of the forum you can see other options.. one of them is downloads. There is a basic care guide there. This is something that I've had an issue with for some time as I'm sure others have also. No one seems to bother reading the information that steve has taken the time to provide, regardless of how well he organizes things.

here is the direct link to that PDF file..

http://www.redearslider.com/res-guide.pdf

[SpotsMama]

At least if it's there, when someone asks you can refer to it in a post. Which is what you often do of course.

One thing I've thought is that it would be helpful to have a sticky on feeding cuttlebones to turtles.

[steve]

Hoooneylynn, thats a good idea. It'll have to wait because of what I have prepared for next week.

Carol, I do plan on an update for that. But yes, some people still have a hard time finding info, we'll address that when the forum is upgraded (which can be awhile).

SpotsMama, I'm actually doing a picture guide of me preparing cuttlebone. It might not be ready for next week, but it will be soon.

The current stickies are in need of an update as well. Again, it'll have to wait just a little longer

[Jessica313]

if it makes ya feel any better, i read everything on this site throughly when i first joined

Actually there already is one. At the top of the forum you can see other options.. one of them is downloads. There is a basic care guide there. This is something that I've had an issue with for some time as I'm sure others have also. No one seems to bother reading the information that steve has taken the time to provide, regardless of how well he organizes things.

here is the direct link to that PDF file..

http://www.redearslider.com/res-guide.pdf

[Hoooneylynn]

I have never seen that Carol, and I have read pretty much everything... lol.. thanks!

[cam722]

I guess I shouldn't have said NO ONE..

But I'm sure you can tell that many people take the easy road

Thanks both Jessicas..

[Kallistos]

The site has a LOT of information ,basically everything you need to know or will need to know. But, all that information overwelms some people and they begin to post new topics madly. (not like I never did that) Maybe a little condensed overall care sheet. 1-2 pages covering the basic necessities, like 1 paragraph on each subject. Housing, feeding, lighting, etc....

[Hoooneylynn]

When I first looked at this site, I would read thread after thread after thread... I went back pretty much to the very beginning, just drinking in all the new info. I would sit here for hours looking at this forum. I never found that at all, so it wasnt like I "took the easy road", I wish I had found it, I gathered all my info by reading for hours.

[cam722]

Ok, let me ask something since we're discussing this. When you first came here, did you read the website or did you just head for the forum? Just something I've been really curious about with the influx of newbies who seem to not want to look for any answers on their own.. and btw, I'm not talking about anyone who is currently part of this dicussion

[CountryGirl68]

I did the same thing Jessica did when I first joined but, having spoken to friends of mine that belong to other forums, many find it a "waste of time" because they can just ask the questions and get answers.

[SpotsMama]

I read everything on the site (or thought I did) before I got to the forum. I had never even heard of a "forum" before and had no idea what it was. When I found out, it was like heaven! Since then I've visited some other forums, but this will always be first in my heart.

Since I was new to the concept, I didn't understand at first that there were protocalls and etiquette to conform to. I probably rubbed some people wrong in the process.

There was so much to learn and so much detail, that I couldn't absorb it all. I'm probably an average learner. I had a sense of urgency too - I wanted answers fast because the life of my Spot was at stake. Therefore I asked a lot of questions that probably should have been looked up on the regular site.

Also, it was very good to get personal confirmation that I was doing ok from time to time.

I assume people are pretty much like me when they're asking all these questions - just trying to do a good job with their turtles. Right now there are a bunch of newbies because of Christmas. Nearly every stocking must have had a little turtle in it! The torrent should subside in a month or so.

[Kallistos]

To be truthful I hit the forums pretty hard when I first found this site. A lot of the questions were very specific, such as, XP3 set-up and lighting.

Here's my list of reasons why the website isn't utilized...

A) To start out with, people will search google for "turtle care" or "red ear slider care sheet." Turtle talk isn't on the first page so people don't read it.

B) After finding one of those basic care sheets they'll generally study them until they feel confident on basic care. Now all they have are specific questions.

C) They'll search for "turtle forum" or "red ear slider forum" BAM, turtle talk is the 1st hit. Maybe, generally not, they'll look at our care and for the first paragraph or two it'll look just like everything else they've read so they'll move on.

D) General Care Discussion/Habitat-Indoor is seen and their eyes widen. Then they start to post all of their questions. Everyone on this board is nice and their questions are promptly (within 30 minutes usually) answered. So now they'll continue to post everywhere since they're getting the information they came from.

I think if people post a question and the answer is in the basic care section we should just reply with a link and tell them to read it.

(I'm being hypocritical considering that I went on a mad posting spree not too long ago)

[SpotsMama]

I think referring people to a link would be just fine.

[Hoooneylynn]

Carol, I knew about the website for a month before I even went to the forum.