Disclaimer: This blog is extremely long and may be controversial. Read at your own risk (lol).
I have a very different take on PetSmart than many other forum members. I actually work at PetSmart in the Pet Care department (don’t flay me – lol). For what it’s worth, I would like to attempt to defend some aspects of the company.
As a corporation, PetSmart is not evil. PetSmart’s corporate policies regarding the treatment of animals within the stores are very humane, to the best of my knowledge. Since I have been employed there, I have been pleasantly surprised with the way we take care of our animals. For example, all of our birds, small furry animals, and omnivorous reptiles get fresh or freeze-dried vegetables and occasional fruits at least four times a week up to every day (depending on species). All of our birds have a constant supply of cuttlebone and millet. All finches, guinea pigs, and a few other pets are given fresh timothy hay once or twice daily. All food and water is dumped and replaced with a fresh supply daily (excluding the small animals that drink from water bottles rather than dishes). All dishes, exercise wheels, hide houses, etc. are soaked and washed three times per week. All bedding, ornaments, dishes, etc. are changed completely once a week. All reptiles that need it are misted as appropriate, provided with the proper basking and UVB lighting, leopard geckos are provided with moist moss at all times, etc. When an animal is sick, he or she is quarantined in a habitat set up specifically for him/her in our Quiet Room. He/she is taken to the vet as soon as possible, diagnosed, and treated in whatever way necessary until he/she either recovers or passes on. And the purpose of treating the animals is not to make them better in order to sell them. The purpose is for them to get better, regardless of what that means. Many of our pets are no longer considered sellable after recovering from certain illnesses, but we still treat them and then adopt them out for free once they recover. The managers even have a credit card that is only to be used in case of an animal emergency. The limit is $25,000. (Yes, that is three zeros. Know of any local pet stores that will spare that kind of expense on one animal?) I could go on, but I think I’ve made the point.
Now of course, I know that not all individual stores follow all of those corporate policies, which is unfortunate. Many entry-level associates are very ignorant and don’t follow all procedures properly, and some managers are careless and let them get away with it. This is where PetSmart gets a bad rap – from individual stores that don’t care enough to do everything right.
Now since this is Chameleon Forums, I want to specifically address PetSmart’s husbandry guidelines for veiled and Jackson’s chameleons. Not every aspect is perfect, but honestly, it’s a lot better than many of us here think (myself included, before I started working there).
Now, I am going to list specific quotes from PetSmart’s Care Guide for chameleons in blue, and I will follow them up with my own comments.
Terrarium
(A) Use a well-ventilated, tall enclosure since Chameleons like to climb. The habitat should be a minimum of 3' tall, although larger habitats are preferred.
(B) Screened lid, if not included with habitat.
This is all true. Perhaps it would be better if it specifically listed the pros and cons of a screen enclosure versus a ventilated glass terrarium, but for the sake of being concise, this recommendation is accurate since it says “well-ventilated, tall enclosure.” (If you don’t believe chams can be kept in glass at all, please consider this thread: http://www.chameleonforums.com/everyone-who-knows-you-cant-keep-chams-glass-31937/)
Heating
• Equip the habitat with two (C) thermometers (one high and one low) and one (D) hygrometer to monitor the humidity levels.
• The basking spot is the warmest point in the habitat during the day. Heat is provided by a (E) high-wattage heat bulb placed directly above the basking spot. (Turn basking bulb off at night.)
• Use a ceramic heat emitter or night heat lamp as needed to maintain nighttime temperatures.
This is all accurate, although the third point is a little misleading. But if you continue reading the guide, it says that nighttime temperatures should be 65-70F, so if the person reads and uses logic, it indicates that a nighttime heat source is usually not necessary.
Lighting
• Chameleons are diurnal, meaning they are most active during the day. Use a daytime (F) UVA/UVB (ultraviolet light) fluorescent bulb for approximately 12 hours per day.
• For night viewing, and to minimize visible light seen by your Chameleon, use a night-specific bulb.
First point is right, second is not. So there’s a little bit of misinformation here. (Although I’m not actually sure which kinds of light chameleons can and can’t see – can anyone jump in on that?)
Substrate
(G) Line the bottom of the habitat with reptile carpet or bark/fiber bedding.
• Clean out waste weekly and completely change bedding at least once a month.
This is just wrong, and in my opinion, this is one of the biggest mistakes in this Care Guide. But this is not just a PetSmart thing - most pet stores have not caught up to current husbandry trends of people who have a more specialized expertise in reptiles. Pet store husbandry recommendations typically air on the side of trying to create as natural of an environment as possible in captivity, and plus, PetSmart's reasoning for recommending bark or fiber is to soak up the water and help keep humidity levels up. But the corporate policies don't take into account the fact that the materials pet stores sell as substrate are actually nothing like what these animals live on in the wild (and many people don't know that). Most pet store employees who don’t specialize in reptiles don’t understand impaction risks (which is unfortunate and unacceptable, but difficult to rectify on a large scale). Regardless, I always tell my customers to use paper towels, newspaper, or nothing as substrate with their chameleons.
Decor
(H) Include decor to elevate your Chameleon closer to the heat source for basking.
(J) Provide branches (artificial or live) for hiding and climbing. Chameleons love live plants, but may eat vegetation, so it is important all plants are safe for reptiles and not treated with any chemicals.
• Ensure branches are the appropriate diameter for the size of your Chameleon’s grip (branches should be slightly larger than their grip.)
All of this is good, true information.
The guide also has a chart with humidity and temperature target ranges. It says humidity should be 50-80%, which is accurate. It says nighttime temps should be 65-70 and the daytime cool area should be 70-80. A bit of a discrepancy occurs which the basking recommendations, though. It says basking temp should be 80-85 for Jackson’s chams, and 90-100 for veileds. I know that those temps are a bit higher than many forum members prefer (particularly for female veileds), but at the same time, I do know people who keep chameleons in those temp ranges successfully. Temperatures are a matter of much debate and personal preference. I think the way a chameleon is behaving is much more telling than any thermometer in relation to temperatures. I always tell my customers to watch for signs of the temps being too hot or cold (and of course I explain what those signs are as well).
Dietary Requirements
• Chameleons are insectivores, meaning their diet consists or primarily insects although Veileds do require a small amount of vegetables.
• Chameleons benefit from a variety of different items in their diet so it is important to alternate the insects and vegetables being fed.
• They require calcium supplementation as part of their diet and may benefit from a reptile multivitamin.
All basically true.
Now, perhaps the other biggest mistake in this guide occurs in the footnote: “Insects should be dusted with a calcium supplement twice weekly and a multivitamin once weekly.” I don’t even know where that came from.
The other footnote accurately states, “Crickets should be fed a gut-loaded diet,” although it doesn’t explain that properly.
Water
• Chameleons will not drink from a dish. They hydrate by licking moisture from their environment. Drip systems or automatic misting systems are essential.
• Closely monitor the habitat humidity levels.
• Mist your pet’s habitat with warm water every day to maintain humidity levels.
Yes. I’m so glad this guide includes the fact that chams will not drink from a dish. On that topic, I have seen a few threads with horrified statements like, “And their chameleon’s only water was in a DISH!” Rest assured, PetSmart chameleons ARE misted at least twice a day. The reason the dish is there is twofold: PetSmart says that the dish is there to keep the humidity levels up, but I don’t think that’s really it. Personally, I think it’s about the perception. Let’s face it, the average customer walking in to check out the way we care for our animals (and that happens a LOT), is not going to know that chameleons don’t drink standing water. All that those people see is “OMG THAT ANIMAL HAS NO ACCESS TO WATER!” So we use a water dish to deter that. And I know about the breeding ground for bacteria thing, but remember, we’re supposed to change out the water every day, and we completely clean the habitat and change out everything once a week. So it’s not likely that bacteria will develop.
To summarize the last part, it says to remember that all pets may bite, chameleons are easily stressed, and always supervise children around pets. All accurate information.
Ok, so there are definitely a few mistakes in this Care Guide, and I’m not trying to justify them at all. But remember, there was a time before impaction risks and the necessity of daily calcium supplementation were widespread husbandry knowledge, and relatively speaking, it wasn’t really that long ago. That being said, the guide definitely needs to be updated.
On the other hand though, it does include a lot of great information. And the most important thing about it is that it aims to prompt the reader to do his or her own research. The PetSmart Care Guides are not meant to be all-inclusive husbandry information. They are simply guides, hence the name. The reader is supposed to get general information from the guide, and continue searching for specifics from there. For example, the guide says that chameleons require UVA and UVB lighting, but it does not spell out exactly which bulb they need. So the owner needs to ask someone or look it up to find out that a Reptisun or Repti Glo 5.0 is best. I personally like this about the guides, because my hope is that the reader will turn to Google and end up discovering the haven that is Chameleon Forums (which is exactly what happened to me, back in the BC time period of my life – Before Chameleons).
All in all, PetSmart is far from perfect, but it’s really not as bad as many people think. The corporate policies regarding standards of care are made with the best of intentions. And things that are less than ideal are changing – it just takes some time. I have made a few suggestions to my store manager (like that we should stock calcium without D3 and that the crested geckos should be fed crested gecko diet rather than only insects), and she was totally receptive. I watched her send requests to corporate to consider these ideas. I know not everyone is open to ideas and suggestions like that, but once again, that is related to individuals, not the company as a whole.
Also, please remember that the idea that locally-owned pet stores are more humane than PetSmart is truly a myth. The only way to judge any store’s standards of care is to visit the individual store and judge it for yourself. In my experience, the store where I work is actually much more humane that any of the locally-owned pet stores in my area.
Ok, I will end this now. If you actually read this all the way through, kudos to you. I just had to get it out.
I have a very different take on PetSmart than many other forum members. I actually work at PetSmart in the Pet Care department (don’t flay me – lol). For what it’s worth, I would like to attempt to defend some aspects of the company.
As a corporation, PetSmart is not evil. PetSmart’s corporate policies regarding the treatment of animals within the stores are very humane, to the best of my knowledge. Since I have been employed there, I have been pleasantly surprised with the way we take care of our animals. For example, all of our birds, small furry animals, and omnivorous reptiles get fresh or freeze-dried vegetables and occasional fruits at least four times a week up to every day (depending on species). All of our birds have a constant supply of cuttlebone and millet. All finches, guinea pigs, and a few other pets are given fresh timothy hay once or twice daily. All food and water is dumped and replaced with a fresh supply daily (excluding the small animals that drink from water bottles rather than dishes). All dishes, exercise wheels, hide houses, etc. are soaked and washed three times per week. All bedding, ornaments, dishes, etc. are changed completely once a week. All reptiles that need it are misted as appropriate, provided with the proper basking and UVB lighting, leopard geckos are provided with moist moss at all times, etc. When an animal is sick, he or she is quarantined in a habitat set up specifically for him/her in our Quiet Room. He/she is taken to the vet as soon as possible, diagnosed, and treated in whatever way necessary until he/she either recovers or passes on. And the purpose of treating the animals is not to make them better in order to sell them. The purpose is for them to get better, regardless of what that means. Many of our pets are no longer considered sellable after recovering from certain illnesses, but we still treat them and then adopt them out for free once they recover. The managers even have a credit card that is only to be used in case of an animal emergency. The limit is $25,000. (Yes, that is three zeros. Know of any local pet stores that will spare that kind of expense on one animal?) I could go on, but I think I’ve made the point.
Now of course, I know that not all individual stores follow all of those corporate policies, which is unfortunate. Many entry-level associates are very ignorant and don’t follow all procedures properly, and some managers are careless and let them get away with it. This is where PetSmart gets a bad rap – from individual stores that don’t care enough to do everything right.
Now since this is Chameleon Forums, I want to specifically address PetSmart’s husbandry guidelines for veiled and Jackson’s chameleons. Not every aspect is perfect, but honestly, it’s a lot better than many of us here think (myself included, before I started working there).
Now, I am going to list specific quotes from PetSmart’s Care Guide for chameleons in blue, and I will follow them up with my own comments.
Terrarium
(A) Use a well-ventilated, tall enclosure since Chameleons like to climb. The habitat should be a minimum of 3' tall, although larger habitats are preferred.
(B) Screened lid, if not included with habitat.
This is all true. Perhaps it would be better if it specifically listed the pros and cons of a screen enclosure versus a ventilated glass terrarium, but for the sake of being concise, this recommendation is accurate since it says “well-ventilated, tall enclosure.” (If you don’t believe chams can be kept in glass at all, please consider this thread: http://www.chameleonforums.com/everyone-who-knows-you-cant-keep-chams-glass-31937/)
Heating
• Equip the habitat with two (C) thermometers (one high and one low) and one (D) hygrometer to monitor the humidity levels.
• The basking spot is the warmest point in the habitat during the day. Heat is provided by a (E) high-wattage heat bulb placed directly above the basking spot. (Turn basking bulb off at night.)
• Use a ceramic heat emitter or night heat lamp as needed to maintain nighttime temperatures.
This is all accurate, although the third point is a little misleading. But if you continue reading the guide, it says that nighttime temperatures should be 65-70F, so if the person reads and uses logic, it indicates that a nighttime heat source is usually not necessary.
Lighting
• Chameleons are diurnal, meaning they are most active during the day. Use a daytime (F) UVA/UVB (ultraviolet light) fluorescent bulb for approximately 12 hours per day.
• For night viewing, and to minimize visible light seen by your Chameleon, use a night-specific bulb.
First point is right, second is not. So there’s a little bit of misinformation here. (Although I’m not actually sure which kinds of light chameleons can and can’t see – can anyone jump in on that?)
Substrate
(G) Line the bottom of the habitat with reptile carpet or bark/fiber bedding.
• Clean out waste weekly and completely change bedding at least once a month.
This is just wrong, and in my opinion, this is one of the biggest mistakes in this Care Guide. But this is not just a PetSmart thing - most pet stores have not caught up to current husbandry trends of people who have a more specialized expertise in reptiles. Pet store husbandry recommendations typically air on the side of trying to create as natural of an environment as possible in captivity, and plus, PetSmart's reasoning for recommending bark or fiber is to soak up the water and help keep humidity levels up. But the corporate policies don't take into account the fact that the materials pet stores sell as substrate are actually nothing like what these animals live on in the wild (and many people don't know that). Most pet store employees who don’t specialize in reptiles don’t understand impaction risks (which is unfortunate and unacceptable, but difficult to rectify on a large scale). Regardless, I always tell my customers to use paper towels, newspaper, or nothing as substrate with their chameleons.
Decor
(H) Include decor to elevate your Chameleon closer to the heat source for basking.
(J) Provide branches (artificial or live) for hiding and climbing. Chameleons love live plants, but may eat vegetation, so it is important all plants are safe for reptiles and not treated with any chemicals.
• Ensure branches are the appropriate diameter for the size of your Chameleon’s grip (branches should be slightly larger than their grip.)
All of this is good, true information.
The guide also has a chart with humidity and temperature target ranges. It says humidity should be 50-80%, which is accurate. It says nighttime temps should be 65-70 and the daytime cool area should be 70-80. A bit of a discrepancy occurs which the basking recommendations, though. It says basking temp should be 80-85 for Jackson’s chams, and 90-100 for veileds. I know that those temps are a bit higher than many forum members prefer (particularly for female veileds), but at the same time, I do know people who keep chameleons in those temp ranges successfully. Temperatures are a matter of much debate and personal preference. I think the way a chameleon is behaving is much more telling than any thermometer in relation to temperatures. I always tell my customers to watch for signs of the temps being too hot or cold (and of course I explain what those signs are as well).
Dietary Requirements
• Chameleons are insectivores, meaning their diet consists or primarily insects although Veileds do require a small amount of vegetables.
• Chameleons benefit from a variety of different items in their diet so it is important to alternate the insects and vegetables being fed.
• They require calcium supplementation as part of their diet and may benefit from a reptile multivitamin.
All basically true.
Now, perhaps the other biggest mistake in this guide occurs in the footnote: “Insects should be dusted with a calcium supplement twice weekly and a multivitamin once weekly.” I don’t even know where that came from.
The other footnote accurately states, “Crickets should be fed a gut-loaded diet,” although it doesn’t explain that properly.
Water
• Chameleons will not drink from a dish. They hydrate by licking moisture from their environment. Drip systems or automatic misting systems are essential.
• Closely monitor the habitat humidity levels.
• Mist your pet’s habitat with warm water every day to maintain humidity levels.
Yes. I’m so glad this guide includes the fact that chams will not drink from a dish. On that topic, I have seen a few threads with horrified statements like, “And their chameleon’s only water was in a DISH!” Rest assured, PetSmart chameleons ARE misted at least twice a day. The reason the dish is there is twofold: PetSmart says that the dish is there to keep the humidity levels up, but I don’t think that’s really it. Personally, I think it’s about the perception. Let’s face it, the average customer walking in to check out the way we care for our animals (and that happens a LOT), is not going to know that chameleons don’t drink standing water. All that those people see is “OMG THAT ANIMAL HAS NO ACCESS TO WATER!” So we use a water dish to deter that. And I know about the breeding ground for bacteria thing, but remember, we’re supposed to change out the water every day, and we completely clean the habitat and change out everything once a week. So it’s not likely that bacteria will develop.
To summarize the last part, it says to remember that all pets may bite, chameleons are easily stressed, and always supervise children around pets. All accurate information.
Ok, so there are definitely a few mistakes in this Care Guide, and I’m not trying to justify them at all. But remember, there was a time before impaction risks and the necessity of daily calcium supplementation were widespread husbandry knowledge, and relatively speaking, it wasn’t really that long ago. That being said, the guide definitely needs to be updated.
On the other hand though, it does include a lot of great information. And the most important thing about it is that it aims to prompt the reader to do his or her own research. The PetSmart Care Guides are not meant to be all-inclusive husbandry information. They are simply guides, hence the name. The reader is supposed to get general information from the guide, and continue searching for specifics from there. For example, the guide says that chameleons require UVA and UVB lighting, but it does not spell out exactly which bulb they need. So the owner needs to ask someone or look it up to find out that a Reptisun or Repti Glo 5.0 is best. I personally like this about the guides, because my hope is that the reader will turn to Google and end up discovering the haven that is Chameleon Forums (which is exactly what happened to me, back in the BC time period of my life – Before Chameleons).
All in all, PetSmart is far from perfect, but it’s really not as bad as many people think. The corporate policies regarding standards of care are made with the best of intentions. And things that are less than ideal are changing – it just takes some time. I have made a few suggestions to my store manager (like that we should stock calcium without D3 and that the crested geckos should be fed crested gecko diet rather than only insects), and she was totally receptive. I watched her send requests to corporate to consider these ideas. I know not everyone is open to ideas and suggestions like that, but once again, that is related to individuals, not the company as a whole.
Also, please remember that the idea that locally-owned pet stores are more humane than PetSmart is truly a myth. The only way to judge any store’s standards of care is to visit the individual store and judge it for yourself. In my experience, the store where I work is actually much more humane that any of the locally-owned pet stores in my area.
Ok, I will end this now. If you actually read this all the way through, kudos to you. I just had to get it out.
