Reptile & Amphibian Forums

The other day I was in there, they had 4 Jackson's (3 females, 1 male) all crammed into one little terrarium. They only had two for Cham's, and in the other was a tiny little Veiled Chameleon...baby, but I'm not well versed enough in Chams yet to tell just how old. I'd say his body was about 1" or 1 1/2" long. At least they didn't have HIM in there with the big ones.

ANYWAY, the guy comes over and starts chit chatting...telling me the females have been beating up on the one poor male. Saying they really got into one time where he almost thought he should break it up. I'm sitting there DYING while he's telling me this. I felt bad for the poor guy, but I've been told not to buy one just out of sympathy. He had been there for a few weeks, and knowing my luck, I'd get him home just long enough to fall in total love with him to only have him die the next day. I felt bad walking away, but we don't even have our set up done yet.

Today, I go in there to get some things and I only saw one female and then I see the male...on the bottom, at the back, lying on the ground...I only saw his tail and back end...the front was under some foilage. I think he was dead...but I was scared to ask. If he is, I'm going to feel so bad that I didn't save him. I know if I were to have bought him, he probably would have just died on me then I would have felt even more like it was my fault.

Anyway, I'm just so ticked that those idiots are allowed to sell live animals. I mean, for real, how much can they know about them? Just venting...I'm going back tomorrow to see what happened. If I don't see him, I'm going to ask.

Kristen
P.S. I'm pretty non-confrontational, and I had my kids with me, or I would have said something today.

Kristen,

We know what you mean.... the "idiots" part.

Hubby and I wandered into our local P-Mart and saw a veiled cham in a terrarium with a waterfall and orchid bark on the bottom of the cage.

I asked the girl whose idea was the "set-up" and she said that "corporate" gave them strict guidelines how to decorate and set up the displays. She admitted that she knew such substrate was bad for a cham - and the waterfall was not needed.

The only way to get them to change anything is contacting their coporate offices....

Morgana - Reptayls, Ltd.

I also tell (politely) the store employee or manager (in front of other customers if possible) that I refuse to buy ANY pet products from stores that mistreat sale animals and will tell friends and other pet ownerss to do the same. This often gets attention, I feel better, and other customers think about it.

He probably would have died anyway and that store certainly does not deserve your business. I bought a cham like this from a pet store in the same strip center where I own my frame shop. I bought her, actually I traded two day geckos that I bred for her. I knew she was eggbound when I got her but it was really hard for me to see her every day in that condition and I had to get her out. On the other hand I also felt it was wrong for me to support that store and their practices by buying her.
Now I go in every day and make sure the geckos are being taken care of and fed properly. It's hard because I work in a strip plaza with these people daily, they are not easy to deal with and actually most of the animals in their store are pretty well taken care of. I just do not think that chameleons are a good pet store animal they should be sold by breeders and reptile stores that are willing to take the time and space needed to care for them properly, not toss them all into a tank together.

I sent an email to the corp HQ of P smart after seeing in my local that they had three chams in an aqurium. Got back a very polite letter saying how they need the humidity and that young chamns can live together.
Sent them another email thanking them for the info but pointing out that the chams looked to be about seven months old and very unhappy looking. Tried to explain that the water dish on the bottom of the tank was not a good idea and that they should stop selling animals that they have no idea how to take care of and that I would not be coming there for any of my pets needs.
I suggest everyone send an email to their main office, maybe someone will wake up after a dozen letters telling them they are losing business.

>>I sent an email to the corp HQ of P smart after seeing in my local that they had three chams in an aqurium. Got back a very polite letter saying how they need the humidity and that young chamns can live together.
>> Sent them another email thanking them for the info but pointing out that the chams looked to be about seven months old and very unhappy looking. Tried to explain that the water dish on the bottom of the tank was not a good idea and that they should stop selling animals that they have no idea how to take care of and that I would not be coming there for any of my pets needs.
>> I suggest everyone send an email to their main office, maybe someone will wake up after a dozen letters telling them they are losing business.