Why?

[Megan.]

Why do people not listen to those with more experience than them? Why do people how have owned chinchilla's a few days, weeks, or months think they are experts? Why do they act like know it alls?


I've noticed this so much over the past few months on this forum. So many newbies are acting like know it alls. They come on here for advice, and when it's given to them don't take it, and challenge everything experienced breeders and owners say.

Why is it that people who own chins for a few weeks/months won't listen to us who have owned them several years?

Honestly, one of these days those of us who do have actual experience(I'll admit, I don't know everything, but try to learn as much as I can, and will listen to those who have far more experience than myself) are going to stop offering our advice. Why give advice when it's falling on deaf ears? People will learn sooner or later to listen to those with experience when they find the animals they love so much(although, I would disagree and say they don't care about them at all...) lying dead on the bottom of the cage, because they were knew and thought they knew everything to know of chins.

Maybe i'm just stupid? Maybe i'm sitting here with around 4 years of experience, and know nothing yet those who have chins 2 weeks or so are gods? Maybe I should hail to them, and disregard what those with 15+ years of experience say?


People, Why can't you just listen to those with experience? They may be telling you stuff you don't want to hear because it's not want you want(example; your feeding the wrong food, breeding your animals too early, breeding animals that should never be put in breeding, feeding unhealthy treats too often), but they care. They care about he wellbeing of your animal. LISTEN TO THOSE PEOPLE WITH EXPERIENCE!!

[lauraboo]

I certainly don't know everything about chins (but in reality, I don't think anyone does as we are costantly finding new things out) and I'm certainly not the most experienced. But I did learn so many things from people who've had years of experience on this forum.

Perhaps people just like to try things out for themselves.. you know, the ones who unfortunately have to learn from experience, whether it is good or bad. Me? I play it safe. But yes, it does frustrate me when I see others who won't listen to the helpful advice being offered to them.

Just my two cents.. :rolleyes:

[DreamerTheresa]

Excellent, excellent post, Megan.

And this does seem to be a relatively recent-starting epidemic.

[Spoof]

I agree with you Megan. I know a lot of people, including myself, have pretty much quit visiting the boards. I will answer topics if I see them on occasion, but for the most part only get on to chat with people.

I feel like a broken record sometimes. :rolleyes:

I've also noticed some of the newer people can get very condecending, and I think the worst is those who've never experienced it directly but boy they sure know the answers. ~sigh. I'm sure I've done it on occasion in my past, but not quite as spastically as I've been seeing it in the last 6-8 months.

[Megan.]

Yup, we seem to have experts on hand feeding and breeding chins, when they've never done it before. You can learn from reading yes, but I don't think many people should be posting and claiming to know what they know without even experiencing it yet...

Or those who want to jump right into breeding when they've owned chins weeks(i'll save that for another thread, at another date..)

[TWHchinchillas]

That's a good post Megan.

I've owned chins for a little over 4 years now and I've been researching them for about 8 years. I had a lady that was determined to prove my beige v/c was a violet because she's older and must know more since she just bought a herd off someone late 2004. She actually came all the way to my house just to see my chin and say 'oh, that's a beige.' :rolleyes:

I still don't know as much as I would like about chins so instead of posting to something I don't know I try to keep quiet and let the experts answer. Then I listen to them and store it away for future use. :laugh:

[tweety]

megan dont give up on all of us i am a newbie myself and i love reading answers from the experienced crowd even on stuff i might not be using myself but at some point in the future i might need to know for my boys. i am grateful for this forum and the answers that i might need. maybe some are answering just to get there posts higher in numbers lol

[mouse0217]

I agree with tweety. I've done everything I have asked according to the experienced ones. Unfortunately, Pumpkin is still on the verge of passing on as I type this, but that is not because I did not do everything in my power to help her thanks to you all. Once again thank you all for everything and Pumpkin does too. You just never know how much it truly hurts to be losing something you had no idea you would love so much!

[dragonflower]

Please, those with experience, don't leave. Stay here and read the posts and help us raise our chinnies healthy and happy. Tell people when they are wrong, and if they don't listen, so be it. But at least the rest of us on here will see the right answers.

When I bought my first girl, I knew nothing about how to care for her. Had I not found this place, she would not be the healthy, well adjusted chin that she is. Thank you. :)

Maybe the board could be changed so the titles would only be there after moderators have given them out to those in the know. I know when I first came here, seeing Senior Member under a name made me believe they knew what they were talking about. :rolleyes: Yeah, I was wrong.

[tunes]

A lot of people think that Stacey, just as many people think 1000 posts means you know something. Neither is true.

Megan - Good topic, but hopeless argument. I watched a good friend of mine post on here the other day, out of total frustration, in a tone of voice she NEVER uses because someone insisted that they were right when they were not. This is probably the nicest person you'll ever meet and she had just had it with watching that thread grow.

Most experienced people don't just pull their answers out of their butts - they have HAD that experience or dealt with someone who has. But that doesn't seem to matter. Someone read a book, or talked to a vet (who in most cases has no clue), or read on a forum, or whatever - and that's what they go by. It makes people with experience feel there is just no need to reply because a.) they aren't going to listen or b.) they already know it all. So what's the point?