Tips for teaching / avoiding impulse buys

[clownbaby]

I know this is a weird post, but how do you teach others (for example, kids) that animals are hard work? I have a friend who has decided that he wants a turtle. No dissing to him at all, but turtles are obviously a lot of work. He hasn't even had a basic aquarium before. I think I got the message across to him that he really needs to research a lot a lot a lot before he even thinks about setting up the enclosure, but I realized at that moment that I have no idea how to explain or teach people about the dangers of impulse buys. I do work with kids here and there and want to set a good example. Any tips on how to go about the topic of "impulse buys" with people, children & adults alike...?  

Again, I don't mean anything mean to my friend at all, he gets it and cares. But I do know this is a problem and want to help explain and teach in a nice way if/when this comes up again. Please be nice everyone! 

[TOtrees]

Ask open-ended questions, that you know the answers to (or have some idea): Ie not things that are just yes or no or I guess. What do turtles eat? How much does that cost? How big a tank do they need? Where would that go? What kind of light or heat do they need? How do you keep the tank clean? What does a turtle smell like (as in if the tank isn't well-maintained)? What do guests think of turtles in the house? 

A saying that I'm living and dying by at work is really relevant here: if you tell someone what they can or can't do, they'll fight you all day long. But if you give them a problem to solve, you'll get a better outcome and they'll have ownership/agency of it also. 

[Pepere]

On 9/19/2024 at 1:37 PM, TOtrees said:

A saying that I'm living and dying by at work is really relevant here: if you tell someone what they can or can't do, they'll fight you all day long. But if you give them a problem to solve, you'll get a better outcome and they'll have ownership/agency of it also. 

It is a pity it took me 59 years beforeI was introduced to this saying….  It could have saved a lot of heartache to have come across it sooner….

[NOLANANO]

I have a friend that I got into the hobby and while he is getting better about it, he liked to buy stuff with zero research in the beginning. You just have to educate where you can, try to be more forceful when disaster is immanent (him wanting a puffer fish), but let them make mistakes and learn. Be there to help them fix issues that arise and introduce them to forums and youtube channels that can help them figure out their own issues.

[mynameisnobody]

I had a co worker ask me advice and then tell me the petco guys disagreed with me. I told her that when his advice failed, and she wanted help, to let me know. Sometimes you should allow a failure so that they can feel like they were part of the solution. Most future serious hobbyists will continue while this first failure usually means an abandonment of the hobby. You can lead a horse to water…

PS the petco guy said 3 Oscars in a 29 was appropriate while I told her that she shouldn’t even be thinking of 1. Anywho

[clownbaby]

On 9/19/2024 at 2:48 PM, mynameisnobody said:

I had a co worker ask me advice and then tell me the petco guys disagreed with me. I told her that when his advice failed, and she wanted help, to let me know. Sometimes you should allow a failure so that they can feel like they were part of the solution. Most future serious hobbyists will continue while this first failure usually means an abandonment of the hobby. You can lead a horse to water…

PS the petco guy said 3 Oscars in a 29 was appropriate while I told her that she shouldn’t even be thinking of 1. Anywho

Yeah... I hear these stories of petco workers not knowing anything and recommending horrible stocking options, meanwhile my local petco has told me that 10 pygmy cories alone without any other fishes in my 30 gallon is overstocked ... I mean I'm glad they aren't telling me to get 3 oscars but like CMON 🤣 funny how different acorporationn can be  depending on the location

[Tony s]

Have you tried steering him towards a tortoise instead of a turtle. That would eliminate the need to maintain an aquarium at the same time. And give most of the same behavior. Turtles in an aquarium can be much harder to maintain than fish in some regards.

[Tony s]

Other than that, he has to decide by himself. If you push, depending upon his personality, he could come to resent it. If he still decides he wants one, just offer him help to learn what he doesn’t know. And you’ll probably learn something as well.