22 Babies Sold and Only 4 Survived 6 Months??

[ChameleonLady]

So I am still doing my research and buying everything for my new chameleon (I haven't bought one yet). I was picking up mice today for my snakes and I spoke with the guy at the exotic pet shop. He highly advised me AGAINST getting a chameleon. He said they are extremely difficult to keep alive. He said he hatched and sold 22 baby chameleons and only 4 survived to live 6 months. I left feeling deflated. I certainly don't want to get an animal that I can't properly care for and god forbid it die. I feel like I have done a ton of research. Where are all these people going wrong?

 

[RobertAbramsky]

While chameleons are tough pets. You don't need to be so hyped up. This person must of given those chameleons the wrong conditions.

 

[Leslie11]

babies

Yes, they are somewhat delicate, but if you do your research and ask questions, that will put you ahead of the game, and be able to have a happy and healthy cham. Obviously, this man did not do his homework. Keep reading and learning. Take your time. Wishing you well.

 

[ChamEden]

Don't let that guys thoughts misguide you. Most likely he didn't know what he was doing. Yes chameleons are complex creatures, but in all honestly it is no harder than having to look after any other type of pet. It comes down to doing a little research and also a little learning as you go.

Chameleons are the most interesting creatures in my opinion! They are certainly addictive, you have been warned! Don't worry I strongly suggest you get a nice panther or veiled to start out with! You'll love them I'm sure of it!

 

[jannb]

Chameleons can be fragile and very high maintenance pets. You do have to do everything just right for them but I think you can do it as long as you start with a nice healthy chameleon, not too young and from a reputable breeder. You have been here researching and preparing, just keep that up and learn all that you can before you get your chameleon.

Also pet stores usually don't have allot of chameleon knowledge and I would steer clear of their advise and any chameleons they that might have for sale.

 

[Djturna4thakidz]

Yeah, the amount of information seems staggering at first but as you learn more and more it's not so overwhelming. You will find great information here on the site and if you do your research you will have no problem. They are the coolest pets!

 

[BKFritz]

The advantage you have over those 22 people is the fact that you are doing your research. There is a very good chance that he sold those chams to first time owners who kept them under scary conditions and didn't know what signs of illness to look for and would not have taken to the vet even if they did.

You know better, so you will do better. I don't think anyone has it all figured out but the fact that you are here, even though you have yet to adopt a cham yet, says a lot. I would take what that guys said with a grain of salt.

My advice, and I'm sure you would do it any ways, would be to set up your enclosure and fill out a "mock" how to ask for help thing before you pic your cham up. Post some pics and ask for advice. You will be OK!

 

[Mike Fisher]

He said he hatched and sold 22 baby chameleons and only 4 survived to live 6 months.

He either failed to educate his customers on proper husbandry or gave them bad info, or possibly even sold them too young. Hatchlings too young sold to new keepers are a recipe for failure.

 

[ZiggyStardust]

I absolutely agree with all of the above posts.

I am a first time Cham owner and have had my male Veiled now for just over three months. Keeping a chameleon happy and healthy does take work every day, but if you are prepared to invest the time and effort there is nothing at all to say that you cannot make it a success.

They are not the sort of creatures that you can just throw a few insects into the enclosure every day and be done with it - their environment needs to be monitored carefully to make sure that there is good ventilation, humidity, heat and light and that they you keep them hydrated etc. and also, if like me, you made the mistake of buying your first viv without a drainage system, then you need to mop up excess water from spraying every day! It isn't difficult though with a little knowledge, lots of reading and advice from more experienced keepers and breeders which is readily available on here.

 

[waynek]

sometimes people forget that in the wild these animals are born , grow , and reproduce without our help . if we bring them into our world we must try to replicate their world as best we can . the one thing that becomes our biggest responsibility is providing the correct diet .there is a lot of info on these forums to help you become a successful chameleon keeper . however I would not buy from the guy selling the babies that keep dyeing . he is probably not raising them correctly himself so you would be starting at a disadvantage .

 

[ChameleonLady]

I would never buy a chameleon from him. I plan to buy from a reputable breeder. I just mentioned that I was going to be getting one and that is what he told me.

 

[Decadancin]

I'm not sure what pet store it is, but think of it this way. If you worked in a pet store and repeatedly saw people bringing back dead animals from those who did not do enough research, it would be disheartening. You may even start advising against certain people purchasing animals because you are trying to prevent it from happening again. As an employee of a pet store you are constantly faced with people making impulse purchases and seeing the terrible results. It could just be his way of scaring people into doing a bit of research first and letting them decide what to do. Many would not even bother because they don't have that much time or patience. They just want a cool pet.

 

[Rango3d]

With proper care chameleons are not fragile. They are very strong.
Only with neglect do they become hard to keep.

 

[Psychobunny]

I remember people trying to talk me out of buying a cham for the same reason. I was told by a few people that chams were for ADVANCED herp keepers only, as though they were looking down on me.

My very first cham ever was back in the late 1970's, before pc's, and no books or care sheets. It was a male jax, from a exotic pet store in Washington DC.

The store clerk told me jax were from Mexico, need dry habitate!! so I had a sand substrate, no vines or branches, in a glass terrarium!!

After a few months of him not doing so well, I did some research and found out where they really come from.
Then I just changed my husbandry to what I thought the rain forest's of Kenya might be like.
Don't remember how long the little guy lived, but I had to figure everything out for myself, even called zoo's, they told me the same, you cant keep them alive in captivity!!

Oh, and I never dusted his feeders with anything!! that idea hadn't been discovered yet, or maybe the zoo's would have been a little more successful keeping them

 

[Olimpia]

I worked at a pet store while I finished up my degree and I can guarantee you that people fail for one (or both) of two reasons:

1. They get a sick or too-young animal from a bad source, like a sketchy pet store or importer.

2. They were not properly prepared at all, especially with the vital things: cage, lighting, diet, and water. Because you can always tweak and learn as you go, but if you don't have a UVB light or are not giving enough water, there's no chameleon that is going to last long under those conditions.

The people who keep both of these things in mind and prepare ahead of time and then seek out a reputable source are MUCH less likely to lose their chameleon. If you start off with a healthy individual you'll find that they are pretty adaptable, chameleons aren't made of glass, but they do need their essentials at the very least.

So don't let him scare you! Obviously either he or his customers were doing something terribly wrong because chameleons (especially panthers and veileds) usually have a great survival rate. Besides, you have all of us to hold your hand through the first weeks/months/years of cham ownership! lol Which is something they probably didn't have. So between the awesome research you're doing and the support you have from the forum, I'm sure you'd do great.

 

[ChameleonLady]

I worked at a pet store while I finished up my degree and I can guarantee you that people fail for one (or both) of two reasons:

1. They get a sick or too-young animal from a bad source, like a sketchy pet store or importer.

2. They were not properly prepared at all, especially with the vital things: cage, lighting, diet, and water. Because you can always tweak and learn as you go, but if you don't have a UVB light or are not giving enough water, there's no chameleon that is going to last long under those conditions.

The people who keep both of these things in mind and prepare ahead of time and then seek out a reputable source are MUCH less likely to lose their chameleon. If you start off with a healthy individual you'll find that they are pretty adaptable, chameleons aren't made of glass, but they do need their essentials at the very least.

So don't let him scare you! Obviously either he or his customers were doing something terribly wrong because chameleons (especially panthers and veileds) usually have a great survival rate. Besides, you have all of us to hold your hand through the first weeks/months/years of cham ownership! lol Which is something they probably didn't have. So between the awesome research you're doing and the support you have from the forum, I'm sure you'd do great.

Thanks so much. That made me happy. I emailed you a few times the last few days about hanging the pothos in my cage and supplements. You've ready been a tremendous research