Buying Cham from large chain

[ryno202]

i know it is generally frowned upon, but if one was to buy a chameleon from a chain pet store, what kinds of things should they ask to ensure a healthy pet?

i have been on the forums and researching chameleons for a few months and feel like i have the basic knowledge down. (yeah yeah 6 month super badge thing)

i 'held' a young female veiled at the local store today and asked a few questions about their dusting/suplement procedure, the lighting, age, misting frequency...

anything specific i should ask?
she looked fine. bright, non sunken, alert eyes. good grip (from what i could tell?) clean vent, snatched up 3 small worms from the employee's hand...

from the crappy analog thermometer the cage was at 85-90ish, but it was somewhat under the basking spot...humidity was 65 or so. i was tempted to ask why there was a water dish in the enclosure but didnt feel like being a smart ass. could have been to help humidity i suppose.

i dont really want a female so those specifics arent really necessary but if i go to a different store for a male i want to know what things to ask.

thank you all very much in advance. i love this board.

 

[KTown333]

For a female you are going to have to be ready for her to lay eggs and have a nice place to do it.

 

[ryno202]

That's why I said I don't really want a female. I am aware of those things thanks

 

[javsto]

what chain store are you getting it from, just curious on my end.

 

[Texas Panther Man]

Well if its a chain and its a veiled that your looking at. Then its almost assuredly cb. So no worries about wc issues. I'd ask age, how many months is it? How long in the store? Do they know what company or breeder they get their stock from? How many days gurantee do they give?

If it were me I'd forget about buying from a chain and call FLCHAMS. They carry a pretty big selection of veileds. They have cb offspring avail almost all the time. You know your getting a well cared for baby that was raised with the approp supplements and exposure to proper temps and uvb. You will have to mail him/her but they do that daily and its no big deal as temps have risen and its safe to overnight chams. Jmo.....

 

[laurie]

Hi there, you can't be too dumb - you think & ask questions. Now don't take my thread to mean you.
If I were doing it I would look at the cage it is in, check temp, check substrate to see if the cham pooping, hold the cham, do all the things you did before, then look at the legs, you want nice straight legs, the only bend should be the knee. Bendy legs are a problem. You can ask how long it has been there and the age, but the information may not be correct.

You know to check for spurs to determine it is male correct? i am betting you already know that.

Anything you are not sure on ask us for specifics.

 

[ryno202]

The one I held today was from petsmart. I am going to call other petsmarts and petco to see if they have any.

Thanks texas,
Good questions. Some of those I also asked.
I have frequented the FLCHAM website and that is also a possibility.
Honestly I was just trying to save some money, and i have another complication pointing me towards getting the local one.

I think spending the extra money for the quality cham from FL might just be better.

 

[ryno202]

Hi there, you can't be too dumb - you think & ask questions. Now don't take my thread to mean you.
If I were doing it I would look at the cage it is in, check temp, check substrate to see if the cham pooping, hold the cham, do all the things you did before, then look at the legs, you want nice straight legs, the only bend should be the knee. Bendy legs are a problem. You can ask how long it has been there and the age, but the information may not be correct.

You know to check for spurs to determine it is male correct? i am betting you already know that.

Anything you are not sure on ask us for specifics.

Haha thank you Laurie. You reccomended a few things I didn't think of. Yes, I know about the spurs but thank you for double checking.

 

[Kansascity]

Well if its a chain and its a veiled that your looking at. Then its almost assuredly cb. So no worries about wc issues. I'd ask age, how many months is it? How long in the store? Do they know what company or breeder they get their stock from? How many days gurantee do they give?

If it were me I'd forget about buying from a chain and call FLCHAMS. They carry a pretty big selection of veileds. They have cb offspring avail almost all the time. You know your getting a well cared for baby that was raised with the approp supplements and exposure to proper temps and uvb. You will have to mail him/her but they do that daily and its no big deal as temps have risen and its safe to overnight chams. Jmo.....

I agree go with FLCHAMS thats where I bought my little ones from and they arrived beautiful and are thriving awesomely.

 

[Carlton]

The one I held today was from petsmart. I am going to call other petsmarts and petco to see if they have any.

Thanks texas,
Good questions. Some of those I also asked.
I have frequented the FLCHAM website and that is also a possibility.
Honestly I was just trying to save some money, and i have another complication pointing me towards getting the local one.

I think spending the extra money for the quality cham from FL might just be better.

Some individual store staff may or may not be a good source of care info (which also means the chams there could be in trouble). First, review husbandry info here to give yourself some background. Look at photos of HEALTHY chams of the species you want. Go to the store, but before saying you want to buy the cham, set them up to convince you they know what they are doing. Tell them you are new to chams. Avoid asking them "yes/no" questions like "is this cham captive bred?". They'll tell you what you want to hear and you can't really disprove it. Ask them to list what supplies and equipment you'll need to set the cham up, and about basic daily husbandry. These are harder to get away with, because you can compare the info to info you can find here. If the store staff is knowledgeable about chams chances are they are caring for their stock well and you may not get handed a sick animal that needs immediate vet care to survive. If their care info is NOT what you would get from a place like this forum I'd pass on that cham.

 

[ryno202]

Some individual store staff may or may not be a good source of care info (which also means the chams there could be in trouble). First, review husbandry info here to give yourself some background. Look at photos of HEALTHY chams of the species you want. Go to the store, but before saying you want to buy the cham, set them up to convince you they know what they are doing. Tell them you are new to chams. Avoid asking them "yes/no" questions like "is this cham captive bred?". They'll tell you what you want to hear and you can't really disprove it. Ask them to list what supplies and equipment you'll need to set the cham up, and about basic daily husbandry. These are harder to get away with, because you can compare the info to info you can find here. If the store staff is knowledgeable about chams chances are they are caring for their stock well and you may not get handed a sick animal that needs immediate vet care to survive. If their care info is NOT what you would get from a place like this forum I'd pass on that cham.

Wonderful advice carlton. Thank you.