A little hesitant about posting this...sorry

[Pretty Piggies]

Thank you! I've even thought about posting this myself. People sometimes judge on here, but mostly it's just straight forward talking, (without meaning to) having an edge. As Queen.anirbaS said, just put your feelings aside and your pigs first. This site is possibly the best GP site out there, for free! It's helpful, and that's all it's supposed to be here for. No one can hurt you without your permission. Besides, things come out different on the internet. It's pros outdo it's cons, so we're all fine. It would be better though if people would realize they're not talking to their computer screen, they're talking to a real person.

[Luna8]

I agree! I haven't come across very many mean people on here, but still, there are some of them that makes you want to stop posting and give up the Forum, but please reconsider! It is a great place as you know, and the best place for Cavy Slaves, and you, being a Cavy Slave, could always use more education on them...*wink wink* See what I'm hinting? Just ignore them, don't reply to them, or, sometimes you should post them...Oh, I don't know what I'm saying anymore! Just reconsider, and I think in the end, you'll be very happy you posted this and the disission you made. Of course, there's no right or wrong answere, just wanted you to know how I feel about it! I'm going to stop at this, and let you think about it, that and you have so many others, you'r heads probably bersting!

Hope you stay,
Luna

[Crystalkate]

You are definitely right @Pretty Piggies this is the best gp site. I don't know what the state of my gp would be without all that I learned from here.

[Holly&Fred]

I see both sides on this one. First, it is a little off-putting when you join, and a little unnecessary. A huge volume of members on this site are kids, and this is the internet. Kids aren't always the most polite in general (not that they can't be -- many kids on this site are very helpful and polite!), and even very polite adults get rude online. So it's really not worth it to take personally. My best example was early on, I had just gotten a pig from Craig's List and was trying to figure out how old it was. I got a series of really snarky, rude replies that generally ran along the lines of, "how could you possibly expect us to help you figure how old your pigs is, what a dumb question to ask." I went to my local guinea pig rescue and they told me to check his toenails -- the thicker they are, the older he is. His nails were thin and sharp, so I knew he was older adolescent, but not adult as I had thought him to be. When it's that kind of thing, there's no need to get rude with people in my opinion; it really was offensive and off-putting.

On the other hand, I see how easy it can be to get snarky with someone when they have an animal's life in their hands. Outdoor cages, feeding really stupid stuff, grid floors, balls/harnesses. "I just can't put my pigs in a bigger cage 'cause there's 17 rooms in my house and they're all filled with furniture!" is a prime example of the kind of argument that it's easy to get carried away and get rude with someone over, and so in that instance I'm more forgiving of it. And yes, someone actually said that to me, I'm not making it up. It wasn't on this site, but it happened.

The point is, yes, you might be doing the very best you can for your pet in your given circumstances, but some of us give up a lot so that our pets have a good quality of life. I had to plan my entire bedroom around my pigs, because I live in a very small two-room apartment and my boyfriend and I both run small businesses from home. So it can be easy sometimes to get snarky and mean with someone who says that they have all this space and they just can't do any better for their pet because it would be such a big sacrifice. Of course, sometimes circumstances are out of your control and all you can do is the best you can. I think most people recognize that here and that's the point where they'll let an argument go, but a lot of people on this site have made substantial sacrifices for the wellbeing of their animals, so when an animal's life is in danger or when an owner is being overdramatic about how AWFUL it would be to make a small adjustment in their lives for the benefit of their pets, it's easy to react. There's two sides to this argument, and while I agree that the site comes off a bit rude sometimes, other times I can relate to it -- although I won't justify it.

[Cavalicious]

To the Powers that Be: Thank you for that lovely new banner to remind us that this is a community.

Can I offer another general suggestion to all members? Please refrain from any variation on "You have a lot to learn." Providing direct links to fleece, coroplast, GP introductions, cage specifications, diet, etc. is really wonderful and can reach a person without that particular zinger, as tempting as it must be to put out there. And I know all of us can have a bad day to make us impatient, but it's not necessary.

Thanks in advance.