Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've written previously about a pair of Uros at a local store, who are not looking well. I decided to buy them, and asked the store owner to hang on to them until today...

...then one of my clients bounced a $4000 check off of me.

While I have other money coming to feed to existing dinizens, I *don't* have $120 for a pair of Uros. I do have a nice 40-gal tank available, plus lights and greens.

Our current Uro mali (happy now these four years) is a rescue, so I've been down this road before.

The store owner is feeding them LETTUCE. The one with the scratch appears lethargic. I have no idea if the two animals can be salvaged...

Is there any place I can find funding for rescuing these two animals before this store kills them? I realize I can't save every critter in the store, but I also dislike ignoring the suffering of an animal, especially when I thought I could do something about it!

Or is there someone else who can take them? I'm in Pinellas County, Florida. The store is Pet Safari in Dunedin, FL.

I'm open to bright ideas.

Thank you.
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Scott Robert Ladd
1.0.0 Iguana (Rex)
1.0.0 African Giant Plated Lizard (Clyde)
1.0.0 Uro mali (Wizard)
0.1.0 Corn Snake (Amber)
1.1.0 Red-Eared Sliders (Jade and Emerald)
0.4.0 Homo sapiens (Maria, Elora, Becky, Tessa)
blog: http://chaoticcoyote.blogspot.com/

well, if talking to them has not worked then there are a couple things that you can do. when i told on a pet store, i contacted my local herp society, not much they can do but they were helpful with information. i called animal control, the city humane society and the county humane society. nothing really ever got done, but i did get one person fired.
or you can take a small bag of proper greens to them and a care sheet and tell them this is their last chance to listen to you before you call all those people. and take a camera phone if you have one. i wish i did for helga. try talking to both the manager and the reptile person/people
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vonnie
***There is no pleasure in having nothing to do; the fun is in having lots to do and not doing it. Mary Wilson Little ***

oh yeah, if you have to call people, make sure you mention that you know the proper care since you have owned and loved (the name of your uro). sadly even the humane society can think "it's just a lizard" you have to make them realize that they are pets too!
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vonnie
***There is no pleasure in having nothing to do; the fun is in having lots to do and not doing it. Mary Wilson Little ***

Short term you are doing the Uro's a favor. Long term you are unwittingly encouraging the pet store to bring in even more unhealthy imports, ultimately dooming them all to a similar fate. I respect your compassion, but if the pet store is getting what they want for these animals, ie $$, then they are encouraged to continue thier same course of action. I really do symapthize with you, it's hard to walk into a pet store and see an animal suffering at the hands of ill educated employees but if people didn't buy these animals the store wouldn't sell them.

I would talk to the manager, but I wouldn't reward their neglect with my hard earned cash.

Just my $.02
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"Nothing happens in contradiction to nature, only to what we know of it."