Anyone else feel as if big pet store chains mistreat their chams?

[Cacti3]

Hello everybody, this is something I’ve always felt.

Every time when I go into a big pet store chain like Petsmart or Petco, I can never help but see how they mistreat their chameleons. It really makes me upset.

Literally every petco I go to always has 2 or more veileds in one cage. I once went to a bigger petco and saw TWO ADULTS in a cage together. I checked and they WERE BOTH MALES. I really wanted to buy one to help it escape, but I don’t have the space and it would just fund them more

Also, they always put them in such a tiny glass tank when they need screen. And they only have 1 longer branch with like 3 fake plants which is dangerous especially for veiled chameleons since they are known to nibble plants.

One time, when I was buying crickets for Spyro, I got a special experience. They took me to the back and it was horrible to be honest….


They had hundreds of crickets in different sizes crowded in 3 bins. They had reptiles and fish and animals on shelves.


I saw a 5 month old male veiled in a glass tank no larger than 8 x 10 x 8…It made me want to cry.

They also had a ball python in an even smaller tank then they do on their display.

This lady then told me to hurry up and choose what size I wanted. I was honestly too distracted looking at the state of the replies. The 5 month old male veiled in that tiny glass tank looked sick. He was brown with 1 branch and 1 fake plant. He was moving slowly too. I told the lady that the chameleon is in a way too small cage. She ignored me snd told me to choose my crickets already. That annoyed me to be honest.



Also, back to the topic of the display chameleons, I once went into a Petco and saw that they had the veiled chameleon cage lights off. The UVB and heat lamp….


It really makes me upset how they treat their reptiles there. And their animals in general….

 

[Cacti3]

Hello everybody, this is something I’ve always felt.

Every time when I go into a big pet store chain like Petsmart or Petco, I can never help but see how they mistreat their chameleons. It really makes me upset.

Literally every petco I go to always has 2 or more veileds in one cage. I once went to a bigger petco and saw TWO ADULTS in a cage together. I checked and they WERE BOTH MALES. I really wanted to buy one to help it escape, but I don’t have the space and it would just fund them more

Also, they always put them in such a tiny glass tank when they need screen. And they only have 1 longer branch with like 3 fake plants which is dangerous especially for veiled chameleons since they are known to nibble plants.

One time, when I was buying crickets for Spyro, I got a special experience. They took me to the back and it was horrible to be honest….


They had hundreds of crickets in different sizes crowded in 3 bins. They had reptiles and fish and animals on shelves.


I saw a 5 month old male veiled in a glass tank no larger than 8 x 10 x 8…It made me want to cry.

They also had a ball python in an even smaller tank then they do on their display.

This lady then told me to hurry up and choose what size I wanted. I was honestly too distracted looking at the state of the replies. The 5 month old male veiled in that tiny glass tank looked sick. He was brown with 1 branch and 1 fake plant. He was moving slowly too. I told the lady that the chameleon is in a way too small cage. She ignored me snd told me to choose my crickets already. That annoyed me to be honest.



Also, back to the topic of the display chameleons, I once went into a Petco and saw that they had the veiled chameleon cage lights off. The UVB and heat lamp….


It really makes me upset how they treat their reptiles there. And their animals in general….

This is also the reason I didn’t buy Spyro from petco/ petsmart and I bought him from an actual reptile store that knows what they’re doing

 

[VeiledMoodRing]

Yes, I have seen poor baby veiled chams at Petco with 6 in one cage and most of them had injured tails and eye bumps their beardies where in bad shape too. I got my baby from a friend that bought a mom cham from a good site and only had one batch.

 

[Cacti3]

Yes, I have seen poor baby veiled chams at Petco with 6 in one cage and most of them had injured tails and eye bumps their beardies where in bad shape too. I got my baby from a friend that bought a mom cham from a good site and only had one batch.

I know, it’s horrible. I wish I could do something to stop them from mistreating them.

Also, the give out complete misinformation. And their signs they have about chameleons is just wrong. One of them said “ DID YOU KNOW CHAMELEONS CHANGE COLORS DEPENDING ON THEIR MOOD? “ no they f-ing don’t.

Workers will also tell you wrong things and try to make you buy stuff they don’t need.

 

[Cacti3]

Like I once went to buy Spyro a new log for Christmas and the worker said :

“ I think you should get your chameleon one of those hammocks “

And I said “ No thank you “

Because those hammocks are bearded dragon hammocks and chameleons feet can get stuck in them…

 

[LizardLurkin]

It's the unfortunate reality of the pet trade. I can accept the store as a transitional state for animals, granted they don't stay over long, to a point...What gets me more is the setting up people for failure with death kits and other improper products. It's not even just reptiles. Hamsters and the like get it terrible!
If they'd at least offer better products and updated care information, it would earn a lot more good faith...At least their crappy time at the store would be made up for sending off the buyer with the right stuff for their animals to thrive...But alas.

 

[MissSkittles]

As long as the pet stores are making money, nothing will change. While they do make a small amount from selling the animals, they probably make the bulk from selling the supplies for them. It doesn’t matter that the supplies are all wrong. I’m sure they’ve done their research and it’s found that people will only spend a certain amount to care for the animal they buy, and the chameleon death kit is well affordable. I’d guess that people who have invested time and energy into researching proper husbandry, also know better than to buy an animal from a chain store.
Now, with all of that being said, I bought Stella from a Petco in a very vulnerable time. I have no idea how long she was there for and guesstimate that she was maybe about 5 months old. Every day for just over six years, I am entranced by her beauty and her sassiness. I have zero regrets about getting her from Petco, especially when I think about the horrendous fate she may have had.
I also got Spike, my beardie from a different Petco. He was slow moving/lethargic and didn’t look as healthy as the others he was in with, so I had to get him. He’s been glaring at me now for five years.
I’d guess that my leopard geckos also probably originated from Petco…I got them from Craig’s List, chosen specifically because they were getting crappy husbandry.
I need to add - I avoid at all costs needing to step foot in a chain pet store and no longer look at Craig’s List. I’m at capacity, though wish I could save more.

 

[Cacti3]

As long as the pet stores are making money, nothing will change. While they do make a small amount from selling the animals, they probably make the bulk from selling the supplies for them. It doesn’t matter that the supplies are all wrong. I’m sure they’ve done their research and it’s found that people will only spend a certain amount to care for the animal they buy, and the chameleon death kit is well affordable. I’d guess that people who have invested time and energy into researching proper husbandry, also know better than to buy an animal from a chain store.
Now, with all of that being said, I bought Stella from a Petco in a very vulnerable time. I have no idea how long she was there for and guesstimate that she was maybe about 5 months old. Every day for just over six years, I am entranced by her beauty and her sassiness. I have zero regrets about getting her from Petco, especially when I think about the horrendous fate she may have had.
I also got Spike, my beardie from a different Petco. He was slow moving/lethargic and didn’t look as healthy as the others he was in with, so I had to get him. He’s been glaring at me now for five years.
I’d guess that my leopard geckos also probably originated from Petco…I got them from Craig’s List, chosen specifically because they were getting crappy husbandry.
I need to add - I avoid at all costs needing to step foot in a chain pet store and no longer look at Craig’s List. I’m at capacity, though wish I could save more.

lol the chameleon death kit

Yeah, that’s the reason why I only really buy from reptile stores that actually know what they’re doing and have correct supplies and most of the time people who genuinely care about their reptiles. If you go to a Petco or Petsmart asking for cage recommendations, they would most likely give random supplies you don’t need or recommend the death kit.

Something that has always had me questions is why the heck did Zoomed which is a good reptile brand decide to make such a terrible product for chameleons? I mean, they should probably know what chameleons really need….. and then they package incorrect lighting and call it a chameleon kit for $200?

I literally bought all of my supplies separately and it cost less I think… atleast less than the deluxe kit….


Also, 16 x 16 x 30 which is what they give you in that kit is too small for most common species. Not sure if it’s suitable for any species really. I don’t understand why a brand like Zoomed would make this…

 

[Cacti3]

It's the unfortunate reality of the pet trade. I can accept the store as a transitional state for animals, granted they don't stay over long, to a point...What gets me more is the setting up people for failure with death kits and other improper products. It's not even just reptiles. Hamsters and the like get it terrible!
If they'd at least offer better products and updated care information, it would earn a lot more good faith...At least their crappy time at the store would be made up for sending off the buyer with the right stuff for their animals to thrive...But alas.

I know, and then when you buy all the useless stuff they tell you to your animal ends up dying in a few months to a year or so…. Just to get money…

Not to mention that they get their animals from a breeding mill or something. And what’s horrible is that the animal welfare act can’t protect animals like reptiles, hamsters, or other small animals like amphibians. So, by the time you finally take your animal home, it’s already been through so much stress and cruelty ( especially from the mills, I really hope their chameleons don’t come from one ) that they will likely die soon… especially without proper husbandry….