Things took a turn

Four years ago, when I started this website, I had plans to fully integrate a YouTube channel I was still actively posting on. I spent a decent amount of time writing care sheets and sharing my thoughts on each species I care for.

But then things took a turn. The movement of the reptile keeping community seemed to drastically shift from this wonderful space of improvement and expansion of knowledge to blindly following the advice of those who should know better.

Suddenly I was inundated with comments saying things like “that’s too much space for a Royal Python” and “you shouldn’t give a crested gecko UV lighting, it’ll damage their eyes”. These comments kept rolling in for weeks and weeks and it felt as though the curious, scientifically minded audience I was had was replaced by a group of people that had no interest in bettering the lives of their exotic pets.

That’s why I took a leap back from YouTube. My platform was set up as an educational tool - a place where I can help others learn from the early mistakes we made as reptile keepers, and to encourage an audience to consider whether or not they believed the lines that have been so carefully spun by those who believe reptile keeping is more like a game of Pokemon than genuinely caring for living beings.

I’m not in this to “collect them all” or to see who can spend the most money on the craziest “paint job”. I’m in this because I have enormous passion for these animals and want to see their futures in captivity preserved in as positive a way as possible.

Thankfully, over the last year, I’ve seen a shift back to the place we were before. A place where people are focusing more on the natural needs of their pets and finding new ways to better provide them. I’ve very much on board for this journey myself so a return to YouTube is not completely off the cards!