I just couldn’t leave her there…

summerseeking

Avid Member
Hi All!

It’s been a while since I posted. Stopping in to say hi, tell y’all about the sick Cham I bought on impulse, and to vent (just a little)

Last week I was in Vegas, supporting my cousin/favorite human who was competing for the title of Mrs. American. Like everyone else visiting Vegas, I Googled “reptile stores in Vegas” 🤣🤣. Was stoked to see there were a bunch. I checked out a few and was WILDLY disappointed and saddened for the animals. We’re talking, they made Petco stores look like saints. The worst of the offenders was LLL reptile. It was so very bad. Turtles with nasty water, Veileds and Panthers sleeping during the day, emaciated. It was bad. There was one Ambilobe Girl that was sweet and looked like she could have a fighting chance.

I had an honest conversation with the staff. I told them the reptiles are in bad shape and they were open to have a “transparent” conversation with me because “folks come in and see sick reptiles, never try to talk to us about it, and just assume we don’t take care of our animals”. They blamed the poor health of the reptiles on the breeder they came from, but they definitely had many other sick Chams that didn’t come from that same breeder (I of course asked lol).

I spent a little bit of time holding and examining the sweet Ambilobe girl and I just couldn’t leave her there. Because of her condition I negotiated a price that felt reasonable, and now I’m back home in the Bay Area California caring for her.

Her first vet visit wasn’t great. To be cautious my vet said she is “circling the drain” and “she would have died without intervention”…we are doing everything we can to try and help her. She is on an antibiotic, dewormer, and a nutritional supplement. The vet RXed carnivore diet, but I’m switching her to a combination of grub pie and carnivore because of the chicken main ingredient. She also was given a dose of concentrated calcium.

From what I can tell she doesn’t seem to have MDB, she had signs of an oral infection, possibly parasites, she is malnourished and dehydrated. Based on her length im guessing she is 6-7 months old and she only weights 13 grams. Her grip is weak but she hasn’t fallen and seems to climb well. She sleeps during the day, but less and less frequently which gives me hope for her.

When I see crappy reptile care at petco, I kinda expect it, but seeing such horrible conditions from stores specializing in reptiles was heartbreaking. I know LLL reptiles has a bad reputation, but this was so beyond what I expected.

Here are some links to video content of this story and of her ❤️ I named her Ezme which means beloved

Video of the day I decided to bring her home
Her quick enclosure setup
Video update of her condition

Hope everyone one is well.
 
Such sweet and beautiful girl :love:
Amazing you give her a honest chance for a good life👏
Witness this every time I go to (reputable) reptile stores and honestly the best ones I find at Petco like store. The enclosures are way to small there, however the animal are in good shape and healthy due decent care.
2 out of 3 chameleons I bought are `feeling sorry for them` and never regretted a second for taking them in.
 
Aww…poor sweet little girl. I pray she makes a full recovery with your loving care.
My heart breaks for any/all animals that are trapped in horrific conditions or made to suffer. The pet store knows that this particular breeder is awful, yet they keep buying from them. SMH 😔
 
The worst of the offenders was LLL reptile. It was so very bad. Turtles with nasty water, Veileds and Panthers sleeping during the day, emaciated. It was bad. There was one Ambilobe Girl that was sweet and looked like she could have a fighting chance.

I had an honest conversation with the staff. I told them the reptiles are in bad shape and they were open to have a “transparent” conversation with me because “folks come in and see sick reptiles, never try to talk to us about it, and just assume we don’t take care of our animals”. They blamed the poor health of the reptiles on the breeder they came from, but they definitely had many other sick Chams that didn’t come from that same breeder (I of course asked lol).
The breeder was responsible for turtles living in nasty water? :unsure:

I can't help but wonder why a company would do—and keep doing—business with breeders that supply animals in that condition?

On its face, it doesn't sound to me like it passes the 👃test.
 
Such sweet and beautiful girl :love:
Amazing you give her a honest chance for a good life👏
Witness this every time I go to (reputable) reptile stores and honestly the best ones I find at Petco like store. The enclosures are way to small there, however the animal are in good shape and healthy due decent care.
2 out of 3 chameleons I bought are `feeling sorry for them` and never regretted a second for taking them in.
It’s so true! I never thought I would say, Petco is doing a not so horrible, possibly decent job with their reptiles. One store had a small side room with panther chameleon cages, all adults. It may have been their breeders. They had 5 females in a single cage that would be too small for one. I had to keep telling myself “Summer, you only have room for one unplanned chameleon!”
 
The breeder was responsible for turtles living in nasty water? :unsure:

I can't help but wonder why a company would do—and keep doing—business with breeders that supply animals in that condition?

On its face, it doesn't sound to me like it passes the 👃test.
Oh absolutely not, everything that came out of his mouth set off my bullshit meter, and he knew it. Right after he said the breeder sent them like this. I said “I also noticed that you have many sick veiled chameleons. Did those guys come from that Florida breeder as well?” He of course said they didn’t. Con artist.
 
It’s so true! I never thought I would say, Petco is doing a not so horrible, possibly decent job with their reptiles. One store had a small side room with panther chameleon cages, all adults. It may have been their breeders. They had 5 females in a single cage that would be too small for one. I had to keep telling myself “Summer, you only have room for one unplanned chameleon!”
A couple of years ago, in a galaxy far, far away... on another reptile forum... there was an interesting thread about both Pet— chains and how they kept/treated the animals they sold. Members' related experiences that were quite different. The gist was that some locations' are deplorable, while others are exemplary (and anywhere in-between)—it depends on the individual store's management, and that store's staff.

In some cities where there may be 2 or 3 locations of the same chain, the pet depts. and pet care therein can vary like night & day. Members would patronize the "good" location and avoid the "bad" ones. Also, with changes/turnover in staff, conditions at any individual store can change from good to bad or verse-vicea.

One might think word of which ones were which would get around, and differences in bottom lines might be noticed by higher-ups. Unfortunately, those customers who know & care are usually far outnumbered by the unaware (as exemplified by the many many first-time/impulse purchasers who find there way here). So the difference in bottom lines may only be a blip—IDK. Due to the many rescue stories we also witness here, it seems evident that there are many who do not find their ways here.

One store had a small side room with panther chameleon cages, all adults. It may have been their breeders.
AFAIK, the chain stores don't do any in-store breeding—not enough expertise.
Did you happen to notice whether they were just female or both sexes?

At first I was thinking someone was smart enough to remove the gravid females so the eggs wouldn't be destroyed or offspring eaten, but it could also have been to prevent any adult males from fighting and killing other adults—male or female.
 
The store with the breeders was a small local spot. It had great reviews on yelp. A few people called it "the best in Vegas. From what I could tell it's a family-operated spot. There were all females in the group cage. All the males were housed individually.

So right about different locations in chain spots being better than others. I was reading a post yesterday where someone was saying they love one of the LLL locations in Southern California. It's hard to make sure all your locations are reputable when you get to a certain size. My local Petco does well with panthers but shitty with bearded dragons. It's all a toss-up, unfortunately. : (
 
Aw poor baby. I wish they weren't just in it for the money. So sad. She's beautiful so sweet you're giving her a chance I hope she pulls through. ♡ I've missed ya & your Vids. How are the feeders coming along??
 
Aw poor baby. I wish they weren't just in it for the money. So sad. She's beautiful so sweet you're giving her a chance I hope she pulls through. ♡ I've missed ya & your Vids. How are the feeders coming along??
I’m really rooting for her ❤️ The feeders are a process lol. My roach colonies are doing well. I set up the bins with an automatic misting system and that has been game changing lol. I’m starting a colony of grasshoppers. I’m excited, my starter group came in today. They’re super cute. This is the video of me setting them up 🥰🥰
 
Doesn't that propagate phorid flies? If I feed my roaches one baby carrot too many I have to clean out, dry out, & change all the egg crates & PT tubes. Yech. 🤮
My roach bins are all bioactive. I have them setup with substrate, isopods and spring tails (only the guys that like tropical environments), and I use wood bark and leaf litter. My red runners are setup bioactive too, but they prefer dryer environments so they aren’t on a misting line. I haven’t had any issues with infestation 🤞🏽🤞🏽🤞🏽🤞🏽😅

I try to use methods that minimize maintenance so I have critter/life/work balance lol. Bioactive is amazing for that. I never/rarely have to clean my bins.
 
I’m really rooting for her ❤️ The feeders are a process lol. My roach colonies are doing well. I set up the bins with an automatic misting system and that has been game changing lol. I’m starting a colony of grasshoppers. I’m excited, my starter group came in today. They’re super cute. This is the video of me setting them up 🥰🥰


They're such a gorgeous green! Where did you get them from?
 
I’m really rooting for her ❤️ The feeders are a process lol. My roach colonies are doing well. I set up the bins with an automatic misting system and that has been game changing lol. I’m starting a colony of grasshoppers. I’m excited, my starter group came in today. They’re super cute. This is the video of me setting them up 🥰🥰

You're soo effing cool. Lolol how do you breed grasshoppers? Lol I wanna.
 
DON'T buy from LLL. Sorry but this is not the first of this. They attend the shows in OR, it is 16hr if you are kicking it. They always have a variety but the animals are so so. But how did they get there? Do they have nice travel cages ? or do they spend days in the tiny cup they sell them in ? I have had issues with them online just ordering normal goods as well. I remembered them from 20 years ago and they ok. But now too many reports like this.
 
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