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Intervention

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Most of us would be willing to REHAB the snakes for him. As in, take them and nurse them back to health, then GIVE THEM BACK when the situation is right.

The house is too hot. An animal with a respiratory issue shouldn't have no water!

The dead animal that I found was not in the rack.

These things were brought up to Robbie while I was there!

I'm not sure what else I'm supposed to do from Ohio?

Many of us would be willing to take in 2 or 3 animals each while robbie cleans his house, sorts out his finances, and prepares to have the animals he loves back!

But most of us are unwilling to pay money for an animal we will be paying more money for due to care standards.

Please, Robbie. Contact people that you trust. Ask them who and what they want to help you with, and reduce your burden so that it is a JOY again.

As things get back under control, update us on your progress, and work the fostered animals back into the collection. Slowly, to make sure that the care doesn't get away from you again!

Please?
 
my apologies to Paul-dominic for calling him names, but you really didn't need to kick him while he's down.

I don't argue that the care was below standard, especially for Robbie. none of you know what the loss of his pets Is doing to HIM. my concern is the way you handled it.
 
I think you all know who I am, I saw many of you in Daytona, and I am a real person...
Robbie just texted me and asked me to let you know that his internet was indeed turned off. He is not avoiding this thread or any of you, but he does not have a smartphone. He can text in updates to Facebook, but has no way to access this site.
I also know from talking to him that he is aware of your concerns and is in the midst of making some very tough decisions.
I think that if we give Robbie a little time to figure out the best way to handle this situation, especially the fact that it became rather unexpectedly very public, he will return with answers to many of your questions.
Think about how you would feel if this much of your "dirty laundry" were aired in this very public forum... I applaud Robbie's restraint in not getting mad and taking time to think about his actions and the appropriate response.
Personally, I think that this may not have been the best forum, but people are certainly trying to do the right thing, and I respect that. At this point, I am convinced that Robbie is also working on finding, and then doing, the right thing, but it's going to take a little time.
 
I don't believe that I know you page but thank-you. The very fact that he has virtually all his animals available for rehab, or sale says a lot. I would feel extremely violated, and betrayed if so many of my friends suddenly started talking about such a huge thing on here.
 
But it was HIS choice to bring people into his home.

How were we supposed to react?

His decision to bring MULTIPLE people over, in shifts, communicated in a way his acceptance of his living situation!

If that wasn't a cry for help, what is?

I'm not sure what else we were SUPPOSED to do? I was forwarded his response to pm's sent in this regard, and that combined with his reaction to me from inside his house has indicated that this has reached a point where individual effort may not be enough to resolve it.

When private avenues of support did not produce the needed results, as in, decisions, people decided to come forward here.

This is where we all met. This is where we all discuss this sort of thing, and NO ONE wants to see Robbie hurting, especially as the more animals he has that are behind on care, the more overwhelming it is, which will spiral him further down!

I know I'm just the quiet weird one, and that I didn't talk to Robbie much... But honestly, WHAT did he expect?
 
I am quite sad that my rep has already been given away for the day tiggertime. I agree with every word you've said.
 
Guys, I think you need to realize the difference between depression and clinical depression. Clinical depression is a mental illness, and needs to be adresses with therapy and medicine. The mind simply isn't making enough "happy". Normal depression happens to anyone when something terrible happens. Death, tragedy, ect. But it goes away Clinical depression is reoccurring and debilitating.

I do not think anyone on this forum is qualified to diagnosed which Robbie may or may not have.

I will say this, you can talk on the internet all you want but nothing is going to happen unless someone goes to Robbies house and helps him. If he is depressed, and hoarding animals, someone needs to go over there and HELP him, physically. Help him clean, medicate, move, whatever.

I think someone (or someones) should make a list of people willing to take snakes in temporarily or permenantly to help Robbie get down to a reasonable number, arrange a date with Robbie to clean out his house, buy medicines that can be bought over the counter for mites or whatever else the snakes need, make sure everything is fed/cleaned/watered and pack up snakes to go to foster homes. And get any animals that need vet care vet care. Simple as that.

After that, they can help him get into some kind of therapy to help him with any depression he may have.

Keep in mind, none of this can happen unless Robbie wants it to. Nothing will change if he's not willing to change. Now, I would be totally willing to do ALL of this for someone I knew... but I have never met, talked to, or seen Robbie so it's really not my place. Someone should contact his friends/family and let them know how to help.
 
What concerns me is this frequently mentioned oblivious attitude towards dead, dying, and suffering animals under his care ....
 
I'm not sure bringing people over wasn't asking for help. But I've been through depression. Asking for help, and then dealing with the consequences of actually having it offered are very different things. Everybody said their part, and everybody here (well, everybody whose opinions I care about) respects each other. Give Robbie some time to deal with this. He's already started, and if you truly want him to be healthy, you need to let him solve this HIS way and take ownership of his own problems. No matter how good our intentions are, if we try and solve this for him, we're actually hurting him. Believe me...your message got through. Trust Robbie for a bit, and I hope we'll all see him make some good decisions. Try to understand that having something that you know you did not do well made a topic for public discussion isn't a comfortable sensation, even if you may have subconsciously known it needed to happen. We all want to help, but if you force help on anyone, you just make them more vulnerable. As hard as it is, it is time to wait to be asked. And that may take more than a day or two...there is a lot to process here...for Robbie and everybody else.
 
Agreed Paige. A lot has been done in the short amount of time since this thread went up. It's time to take a step back.
 
If that question was for me- I'm posting that in response to the above one that says, "what did he expect?". It sounds like he was unaware of the urgency of the situation....doesn't sound like a cry for help, and the other people who have mentioned he purchased additional snakes over the weekend adds to my suspicion that whatever he is suffering from (not necessarily depression) is not simply an keeper who is over-his-head with pets.
 
Unfortunately, this evening someone decided to jump to a conclusion none of us wanted.

In defending the existence of this thread at all, it may seem like we're attacking Robbie more.

People from anywhere can call animal control, and we would LIKE to prevent that to give Robbie the time he needs.

If people can give us more information, then no one will jump the gun.

There is a difference between attacking Robbie, and defending Robbie and this forum's actions on his behalf. If he doesn't see it as the latter, so be it.
 
Robbie has always seemed like a really nice guy. I've never talked to him except through facebook comments, but he's never given me a reason to not respect him. I can't say that I know everything about this, except from what I'm seeing here. I know depression is awful and that's it's not an excuse and all. I still say that this was the wrong place to do it, like tigger said, but I was talking to another member here about this and you know, if it was someone else in this forum, we'd be crucified for hoarding like that.

I'm not saying crucify Robbie, but emailing and pms won't do anything further now that all the cornsnake people are out of the area. I know he's trying to sell a lot of his snakes, and putting forth some effort to better his situation, I think that it's being pussyfooted around. I know that no one wants to call the authorities because of the stigma already associated with herp keepers and the possibility that they could condemn his house for cleanliness, but maybe authorities could offer him help in therapy and other things he needs help with.

I really wish Robbie the best, and a quick recovery.
 
I for one am proud of Robbie for making the choice. If I had a way to help get internet back on I would. I have decided to buy three of Robbie's snakes, mostly because they would go great with my future projects. However, if Robbie ever asked, I would consider sending them back to him for the same price or similar that I will be paying.

I hope if I ever get in a situation where I need help, that this forum will be just as supportive, which I know it will.

Robbie, most of us are proud of you for what you've decided to do for the snakes. Ignore all the people who just want to cause trouble because those of us who know you (even though I don't) care about you.
 
Just my POV... I think what needs to be said has been said... and since Robbie cannot respond, he has had friends respond letting us know that his internet is down and that he has been taking steps to make sure the animals are cared for. Thus, everything that can be done has been as far as this thread is concerned. I think that any more "hashing" can only be detrimental for both Robbie and the community here at CS.com that we care for. I think that this thread should be locked and done away with... for everyone's sake.

Of course, my opinion is only worth about half a cent, but there it is.
 
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