Getting Informed: Who to Trust?
By Heather Björnebo
***This page is designed to be a rule of thumb for choosing sources of information about newts and salamanders. There always may be exceptions. Yet, since these are rare, it’s always advised that information always be double checked.***
Pet Shop Employees:
- Rating: Poor
- Typical Problems: No knowledge of housing, temperature or feeding requirements. Species identification based on shipping lists and shelf tags.
- Comments: The main goal is the sale of the animal, not providing correct information. Very few pet store employees have ever read a book on newts or salamanders, let alone owned one. Even if they have, the chances of it being successful are slim. If you ask for information from a pet shop employee take it with a grain of salt.
Pet Shop Fliers/Signage:
- Rating: Poor
- Typical Problems: Out of date. Species ID is wrong. Temperature, feeding, and housing requirements mimic that of fish, little regard for the animals true needs. Information provided "dumbed" down for faster sale.
- Comments: The main goal is the sale of the animal, not providing correct information. This information is usually provided by someone behind the desk that has done little or no research. Be cautious of ANY employee that uses this information as a basis for the information they offer you.
Pet Supply Websites:
- Rating: marginal to poor
- Typical Problems: Out of date. Species ID is wrong. Temperature, feeding, and housing requirements mimic that of fish, little regard for the animals true needs. Information provided "dumbed" down for faster sale.
- Comments: The main goal is the sale of the animal, not providing correct information. This information is usually provided by someone behind the desk that has done little or no research.
Personal Websites:
- Rating: average to marginal
- Typical Problems: May be out of date. Information based on personal experience only; quality depends on the amount of experience. Information may be over biased, flawed. No publications to back up information.
- Comments: Information on these sites is provided by pure enthusiasts, not experts. They may or may not know what they are talking about. Never use a personal website as your soul source of information.
University/Research Based Websites:
- Rating: average to good
- Typical Problems: May be out of date. Information may be biased or lacking in information on captive care.
- Comments: You can easily recognize one of these web sites because they provide citations or works cited. It can tell you what the author read before they wrote the information down. This can also be a great way for you to find out what they read and read it yourself.
TFH Publications/Herpetological Magazines/Pet Store Book Shelves:
- Rating: poor to good
- Typical Problems: May be out of date. Information may or may not be based on any research. Extremely biased. Not reviewed very often by peers.
- Comments: Quality of the information is entirely based on the reputation of the author. If you don’t know their background, best thing to do is not trust it. Never use this information as the bases of your animal’s care.
Field Guides:
- Rating: good to excellent
- Typical Problems: May be out of date. Species name may have changed or be inaccurate. No information on captive care.
- Comments: This will tell you a lot about the animal’s wild habitat. Based on research on wild individuals.
Scholarly/Society Publications and Journals:
- Rating: excellent
- Typical Problems: May be out of date (check the dates). Information hard to find. Journals are only available for purchase through the organization.
- Comments: Can obtain articles from local libraries. Key is finding WHAT article you want. Articles are peer reviewed and the publication process is rigorous. Only the "best" information is actually published.
Misc.:
- Other Books: Always check out the sources and ask around for the reliability of the information with other more experienced members of the hobby.
- Anecdotal Information: this includes when you ask a question via E-mail or on a message board. Realize that there is no way to tell if this person really knows what they are saying unless they can demonstrate the sources of their comments.