• Posted 12/19/2024.
    =====================

    I am still waiting on my developer to finish up on the Classifieds Control Panel so I can use it to encourage members into becoming paying members. Google Adsense has become a real burden on the viewing of this site, but honestly it is the ONLY source of income now that keeps it afloat. I tried offering disabling the ads being viewed by paying members, but apparently that is not enough incentive. Quite frankly, Google Adsense has dropped down to where it barely brings in enough daily to match even a single paid member per day. But it still gets the bills paid. But at what cost?

    So even without the classifieds control panel being complete, I believe I am going to have to disable those Google ads completely and likely disable some options here that have been free since going to the new platform. Like classified ad bumping, member name changes, and anything else I can use to encourage this site to be supported by the members instead of the Google Adsense ads.

    But there is risk involved. I will not pay out of pocket for very long during this last ditch experimental effort. If I find that the membership does not want to support this site with memberships, then I cannot support your being able to post your classified ads here for free. No, I am not intending to start charging for your posting ads here. I will just shut the site down and that will be it. I will be done with FaunaClassifieds. I certainly don't need this, and can live the rest of my life just fine without it. If I see that no one else really wants it to survive neither, then so be it. It goes away and you all can just go elsewhere to advertise your animals and merchandise.

    Not sure when this will take place, and I don't intend to give any further warning concerning the disabling of the Google Adsense. Just as there probably won't be any warning if I decide to close down this site. You will just come here and there will be some sort of message that the site is gone, and you have a nice day.

    I have been trying to make a go of this site for a very long time. And quite frankly, I am just tired of trying. I had hoped that enough people would be willing to help me help you all have a free outlet to offer your stuff for sale. But every year I see less and less people coming to this site, much less supporting it financially. That is fine. I tried. I retired the SerpenCo business about 14 years ago, so retiring out of this business completely is not that big if a step for me, nor will it be especially painful to do. When I was in Thailand, I did not check in here for three weeks. I didn't miss it even a little bit. So if you all want it to remain, it will be in your hands. I really don't care either way.

    =====================
    Some people have indicated that finding the method to contribute is rather difficult. And I have to admit, that it is not all that obvious. So to help, here is a thread to help as a quide. How to become a contributing member of FaunaClassifieds.

    And for the record, I will be shutting down the Google Adsense ads on January 1, 2025.
  • Responding to email notices you receive.
    **************************************************
    In short, DON'T! Email notices are to ONLY alert you of a reply to your private message or your ad on this site. Replying to the email just wastes your time as it goes NOWHERE, and probably pisses off the person you thought you replied to when they think you just ignored them. So instead of complaining to me about your messages not being replied to from this site via email, please READ that email notice that plainly states what you need to do in order to reply to who you are trying to converse with.

Ratforums

shelliebear

shelliebear

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....I posted a topic there about how snake owners can love rats too. (I had a pet one, she was the sweetest thing ever. I LOVE RATS AND MICE.)
I said how if snakes would eat something else, I'd feed it to them, and if mice ate snakes, I'd feed them snakes.
I want animals to survive and be happy, but they have to eat what they have to eat.
My topic was removed and I was banned (without being given a reason).
I'm really upset. Do they think that I have no regard for life and its meaning?
In the wild mice get eaten all the time. No one c02's them first so they don't suffer as much. It's BRUTAL.
I at least TRY to make it humane for the rodents I use as feeders.
And separately I have some as pets, because they make amazing pets. They are sweet, they are cuddly, they are awesome.
I'm sorry that nature is the way it is, ratforums.
I'm sorry that I tried to let you all know that not everyone is as horrible and closeminded as you think, that someone can love different types of animals.
You are all missing out on how people really are, and for that, I'm especially sorry.
...if mice or rats ate live food, as I said before, I'd feed it to them--and where would you all be? Would you honestly not own a rat as a pet because it eats meat?
Grow up. They have to eat.
People eat meat. I bet most of the people on the ratforum eat meat.
Which makes them all a bunch of hypocrites.
I wasted my time trying to open their minds.
I guess from now on, I'll talk only to snake owners, who seem to better understand that you can love all animals, regardless of what they eat. They have to eat too. :angry:
I didn't make them that way. Grow up.
Shelliebear
 
And another thing. Just because I own snakes doesn't mean every rat I see in a store is food for my snakes. The ones labeled as "pets only"--I fully respect that. I NEVER buy the ones labeled pets only for food, and not just because they're expensive. I have respect for those animals.
They make good pets and some of them should be pets.
I'm not walking around all day looking at animals and thinking, "Let's feed that to my snake."
Have some faith in snake owners. We're not bad people. >:/
 
You went onto a pet rat forum and talked about feeding rats to snakes. What did you really expect?
If someone comes onto a pet snake forum and starts talking about killing snakes, no matter how necasary it might be, no matter how many snakes are killed all the time, would you expect the forum members to say "Oh yes, we understand that people kill and eat snakes, never mind that we keep them as pets".

If you want to have some fun, go on a vegan forum and post a recipe for venison stew.
 
Wolfy-hound said:
You went onto a pet rat forum and talked about feeding rats to snakes. What did you really expect?
If someone comes onto a pet snake forum and starts talking about killing snakes, no matter how necasary it might be, no matter how many snakes are killed all the time, would you expect the forum members to say "Oh yes, we understand that people kill and eat snakes, never mind that we keep them as pets".

If you want to have some fun, go on a vegan forum and post a recipe for venison stew.
Click to expand...


I'm just guessing here but several people from a rat forum came to fauna to post about someone. They provided a link back to there site which described snake breeders in not such a nice light. I thought about actually posting there as well but decide against it. Not sure if this is what prompted her or not but they opened the door.
 
Wolfy-hound said:
You went onto a pet rat forum and talked about feeding rats to snakes. What did you really expect?
If someone comes onto a pet snake forum and starts talking about killing snakes, no matter how necasary it might be, no matter how many snakes are killed all the time, would you expect the forum members to say "Oh yes, we understand that people kill and eat snakes, never mind that we keep them as pets".

If you want to have some fun, go on a vegan forum and post a recipe for venison stew.
Click to expand...

:iagree: with this, 100%!!!
You can't expect people to change their views on something and accept your's instantly and without hesitation.
 
Dennis Hultman said:


I'm just guessing here but several people from a rat forum came to fauna to post about someone. They provided a link back to there site which described snake breeders in not such a nice light. I thought about actually posting there as well but decide against it. Not sure if this is what prompted her or not but they opened the door.
Click to expand...

But then you shouldn't expect them to NOT ban you or at least remove the posting. OP wasn't saying "See I got them back" but "Gee they shouldn't have objected to my posting".

Pet rat owners are not fond of snake owners. We feed the animal they cherish to our pets. Go figure they aren't all that open to snake owners posting that "hey I feed rats to my snakes, but I still like rats too".

Pretty sure that a Korean resturant owner that legitimately serves dog that posted "Hey, I have a pet pekeneise I love a lot, and I happen to kill and serve up dogs every day at my restaurant" would be all that well recieved on a pet dog site either.

For the record, I think rats make grand pets too. Very smart and personable pets.
 
Wolfy-hound said:
Pet rat owners are not fond of snake owners.
Click to expand...

Usually, but not always.
I am both a pet rat owner and a snake owner, and I'm pretty fond of myself, lol! ;)
I love my pet rats, and I love my snakes. I don't particularly like the idea that I have to feed my snakes the same type of animal I keep as a pet, but that's what they eat and when I decided to get a snake, I came to terms with that.
Now, I couldn't feed one of my own pet rats to my snake, but I don't have a big issue with buying frozen rats for them. Snakes gotta eat, just like the rats.
And if the roles were switched, I'd feed the rats f/t snakes for the same reason I feed f/t rats to my snakes; it's safer for the animal doing the eating, and more humane for the prey animal. Plus, I don't particularly get any enjoyment out of seeing any animal killed.
 
Denins, that is exactly what prompted me to post. You know the thread I'm talking about.
The point of my post on the Ratforums was NOT that I kill rats for food, but that you can own snakes and rats and love them both, and not be evil. >:/
It was NOTHING like going to vegan sites and posting meat recipes. I wasn't intending to piss anyone off.
The equivalent would be going to a vegan site where they think meat owners will buy any cow on the street for food and are awful people, and posting "I eat meat, and I don't think I'm evil."
Like I said, I wasn't trying to piss anybody off. I wasn't going there and challenging anybody. I was just putting my 02. cents. The title of the thread was "My thoughts on an issue".
NOT "You people are idiots". Nothing like that. Nothing at all.
I think you completely misunderstood.
As a member of debate teams myself (previously), I struggle to understand not listening to another person's argument. I can understand not agreeing with it but banning the member and removing the post...confuses me.
And if someone came on Fauna and posted "We feed snakes to our pets, but they still make good pets themselves", I wouldn't be upset. I think that's shallow. Like I said before, things have to eat. Everything has to eat.
I'm not sorry for that. It's not my fault. :shrug01:
I thought people would perhaps read what I had posted and think about it, and maybe even bring some of their thoughts to the table, as you all have done here.
After all, in my mind, I didn't say anything bad about rats. I said numerous times they are the sweetest pets I think I've owned. I guess I'm struggling to understand why people can't understand. :/ IF that makes sense.
but Dennis hit the nail on the head. :thumbsup:
 
Also, Wolfy-hound--I wasn't saying they shouldn't have objected. I was hoping they would have given me replies instead. Nowhere on the site did it say you can't admit to owning a snake, and you can't admit that rats are great pets.
The site didn't say no one could put their thoughts forward, either.
If their intent is to censor snake owner's POV, then that's fine, but I wish they'd give some sort of perspective as to why, so I can understand. This is going to make my head asplode. :(
I love when people object or agree to posts and give feedback. Even my BK on Fauna helps me learn to be a better, smarter poster. I didn't say they should have objected, but what I did say was I didn't UNDERSTAND why they did.
 
Rachelle

There is absolutely no question in my mind that different sites have different goals, needs, and degrees of tolerance for opinions. Here on this site, in general, there seems to be a broad tolerance and a willingness to discuss points of view. Perhaps, because many reptile people are strong, unique types.
I hate what happened to you, but maybe it was a blessing in disguise, to leave a community that may not be either tolerant or thoughtful. Those communities are not always open to growth and change, so perhaps establishing a small group here of like minded people in the discussion forums will be more satisfying.
 
I think you're roght, Lucille. :)
I'm glad to be on Fauna, in any case. People seem to get it here. :(
:yesnod:
 
I used to have rats as a kid, and did some research a few years ago trying to find rat breeders locally to may be get one for my wife. :) She hated the idea, but that's not the point. :) Anyway, between "ratties this" and "ratties that", it became a bit obvious that at least a fair amount of rat "fanciers" are... well... a bit nutters about rats. It's similar to organic food zealots... they just lose all perspective on them and are a bit weird as a result.

Sounds like you wandered into a "nutter" forum... that, or they're just tired of dealing with trolls and unfairly lumped you in. There are PLENTY of snake/gecko forums that are "ooey, gooey, shnookie-wookums" in their tone... plenty of people treat their snakes and lizards like children. It's not hard to lose perspective, I can't really blame them for thinking you had malicious motives.

It's unfortunate... doesn't sound like you're missing out, though. :)
 
No, I do understand you didn't go on there saying "You're idiots", especially in YOUR mind. But to them.. as pet rat owners and NONreptile people, it's the same as if you'd gone in saying "I love feeding rats to snakes and I'd feed your rat to my snakes in a heartbeat".

Again.. it's pet vs livestock. To them a rat is a pet.. not a food animal, not a creature to be in a lab, not a pest to be eradicated.. only a pet.

You walked in and pooped on their rug and they tossed you out. That's their point of view. You can say "I was being reasonable and wanted to talk to them!" but to them, you feed their pets to snakes. They don't want to talk about feeding rats to snakes.

I'm pretty sure that to them it sounds the same as someone coming in and saying they feed live puppies to their pet tiger.. oh hey, I have a pet dog too, aren't they great? I don't care HOW reasonable that person thinks they are.. or how 'necasary' it is to feed snakes a rodent diet. From the perspective of the forum, they watched you come in and start talking about snakes that eat rodents. Most likely they labeled you a troll and booted you accordingly. It's their forum and they don't HAVE to talk about snakes or about how it's necasary to feed rodents to snakes or how rodents cause millions in damages and need to be eradicated in many areas by the thousands. They have a forum to talk about rats AS PETS.

There's plenty of reptile sites where rat fanciers also hang out. There's a lot of rat lovers that own reptiles on these sites. If you want to be a member on a rat pet-only site, you should keep quiet about feeding some to your reptiles as a matter of good taste and politeness. Or at least don't act surprised when they boot you. Just my opinion.
 
....but then one of their members shouldn't come to Fauna and post a link to their website either, knowing we feed rats as snake food. :shrug01: Which is what they did.
 
Posting a link to the rat forums when it relates to someone selling rats here(in their minds, warning US of a bad rat breeder) is a long way from saying "You shouldn't feed rats as food".
I'm just saying... it's better to lie low when you know it's an extremely touchy subject.

Myself, I was wondering from the very start why someone advertises rats for sale when they're pinkies? Is that normal? I mean, you don't know what the rats will look like yet, right?
 
I see this is a bit older but I actually know a very, very open minded forum for rats (and another for mice, both run by the same person). I know there is some rodent communities that get easily offended but these are really good. As long as your husbandry is ok and I think as long as you don't post feeding pictures, you're good!

If you want the links, just shoot me a PM and I will gladly give you them.
 
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