Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm not going to name any names, but I was horrified to see a youngster Veiled chameleon so near death today at a pet store (a big one!) It was hanging on the water fall, partially in the water with it's eyes closed and very sunken in it's head. It may have, in fact, been dead...I was so upset to see it this way.

The humidity is always VERY low, and the temperature is always WAAAY too high...it's like the poor things are being cooked to death. I've NEVER seen the temp/humidity even remotely close to what it should be.

The Veiled was in with a Flapneck, but that one looked ok.

I'm not sure if anything can be done, but something should. I have e-mailed them to express my disappointment in the way their chameleons are housed, and to tell them about what I saw today. I'm sure they'll reply with a very generic reply, if I receive a reply at all.

Is there anything that can be done? I've tried in the past to make the employees aware, but they just blow me off as if I'm some know-it-all pest customer.

Kristen
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1.1 pygmy leaf
1.0 carpet
1.0 jackson
0.0.3 red eared sliders

I think I speak for everyone that we have all had our troubles with pet stores and their ignorance on the husbantry of reptiles. And you are right, the employees DO blow you off, especially if you are only 16 like me. On one particular occasion I went to a petstore in NY, and was shocked by the condition of the reptiles. A full grown male veiled was housed in a 20 gallon tall aquarium with a stick and some repti bark on the bottom. It had no uva uvb source, and the poor thing was extreamly dehydrated, let alone pissed. He was black, and was hissing at his reflection and at the kids who were jumping infront of him laughing. I could not stand to see such a noble creature humiliated and tortured like that. I first went to an employee and asked him how long the veiled had been there and why he was in a tank. The guy said he had been here for almost a year, no one would buy him, and that you were sappose to keep chameleons in glass tanks to keep them warm. yeah...right...thats about the stupidest thing I have ever heard. It was pointless to try to tell the employee that that was wrong because wheh he had answered me he had that 'well for your information' attitude. So I went right to the manager, and rather forcfully told him that keeping reptiles in inappropriate cages like I had seen there was cruel, and if he did not fix the problem, that I would spread the word about his thoughts on animal care. And trust me, I would have. Everyone in the entire store was standing behind me on the issue because they had seen the veield also. After a few silent moments, the owner aggreed to move him into a reptarium and get him proper lighting, heating and water. Just to be sure, I stuck around and watched him take one of the 65 gallon reptariums off the shelf and some plastic plants and sticks. Then put it all together after he grabbed a few light fixtures and bulbs. And when he went to take out the veiled, the chamelon bite him, hard, like oww my hand is now bleeding hard. I tried not to laugh, and was satisfied after he was placed in his new cage and he sure was happy because he immediatly turned green, showing off as he perched on top of a plant. Now I was surprised that I had actually made a differance, and I would have bought the veiled but my mother would not have been happy if I came home with another creature...

Sorry this is so long

Try to talk to the manager about it, suggesting that if they took proper care of their animals then they might have more happy customers and healthier animals. I don't know if it will help in you case, but be firm in you complaint, and let the manager know that you know what you are talking about, don't let him belittle you.

Hope this helps

Kaitlyn

If this store has blown you off before, report them for animal abuse/cruelty. Warn them about what you are going to do even if you send a letter instead of doing it face to face (sometimes this works better as it is less personal). Tell them you will call the local paper and Better Business Bureau to complain about their conditions. Call your city offices and ask who inspects pet shops. It varies. Tell them you want to report poor care, dying animals and abuse. Be factual and respectful, giving dates and anything to back your report up such as a copy of a CORRECT care sheet or book so they can base their observations on more than your "opinion" (after all, they don't know you are a cham keeper). Demand a followup. Tell them when you asked the shop to correct their care and what the result was. If you can help the inspector make a stong case this will work the best at getting the shop's attention.

My petstore has around a 4 month old veiled in a cage with an adult mellers. poor thing is going to get eaten. he's the size of the mellers head! they are fortunatly kept in a screen cage with at least fake vines and proper lighting. The temp is always around 100 though, and both of them look very dehydrated. the only water source they have is a homemade waterfall that is a dripper dripping over some slabs of stone at the bottom of the cage into a feces filled tub that is recycled back into the dripper. they never mist nor drip off leaves.
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From Sunny Florida
Jovana's kids listed below
1.1 Veileds
1.0 Ambanja Panther
1.1 Tamatave Panther

I'm afraid it is even more complicated than that. This is a large chain...and we have seen these problems in many of them (mentioned on this board before). So, I think it's much bigger than what is going on in this store...know what I mean?

Thanks for all of the suggestions though.

Kristen
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1.1 pygmy leaf
1.0 carpet
1.0 jackson
0.0.3 red eared sliders

It may be a chain, but it still has a local store manager who is making decisions about store stock. Chains can have individual differences store to store. Don't let that stop you. They can still be prosecuted for animal neglect and poor business practices. Actually, sometimes chains are more sensitive to complaints because they don't want a bad reputation in other locations.