Just wish people would do more research

[Nellycool1]

To anybody getting or thinking of getting a Chameleon please do as much research as possible before hand I was reading a post on here last nite and the setup was shocking and the picture was really upsetting to see and I was up all nite worrying bout there Cham I just hope it's ok.

 

[Whatcamo]

Thats my standpoint as well but I come from a heavy background of reef keeping!
I also hoping you provided as much friendly input as possible because not everyone knows ya know

 

[Nellycool1]

Yes that's why I joined up to the forums to give and receive freindly advice im 27 years of age and it wasnt the pictures I wanted to see just before bedtime it was heartbreaking.

 

[DanSB]

How many people think they did do their research by talking to a person they were led to believe is n expert? IE whoever is selling the animal.

now you and I know this isn't the case as do many others. But what about those with little or no experience with animals outside of cats and dogs? Keeping a cat isn't difficult, you give it food water and a box to do its business in and it will be happy. Why would they even consider to do research on an animal when the pet store clerk tells them there is nothing to it and just do a few simple things. To most people's minds this passes the credulity filter.

I'm certain a very high percentage of chameleons sold simply die early from bad info. A very small percentage find their way here or to another good resource before it is too late and simply chalk it up to an animal that is too hard to care for or is sickly and dies easy.

Those of us who know better can do something about it. You can keep your ears open at the local pet store and correct bad information or point people in the right direction. You can visit mainstream pet forums and correct the yahoos on some of these sites, ll in all be vocal and intelligent to anyone who will listen, friends, coworkers, family, that guy asking for change on the corner etc.... Many of us already do these things to prevent bad things from happening to good animals. Join us!

 

[Jackson chameleonair]

Yeah im glad i did my research before i got my Jacksonii. Although i still hit rough patches im glad i found my way here. Usually if a have a problem or question i search to see if someone posted it. Most the time someone has and i can correct it before it's too late. But in all honesty i thought keeping a Chameleon was just putting it in a cage and giving him bugs and spraying him with water once a day because that's what i had been told(Thank god i found the CF's) but turns out they have alot of needs too be met. So i do all i can to meet them.
I find it hard not to spend money on the little guy and plan to get more

 

[mamba]

Reasearch!!!!

i am going to be doing research on veilds until i get one!!!! i am with you all on doing research before you buy.

 

[amanda509]

im doing my senior project on exactly this researching before getting a pet, chams for a specific example

 

[carol5208]

Nelly, you have not been on the forum long, but stick around and you will cry yourself asleep many more times. I have seen alot of sadness on here as my two years as a member. I agree with what the other member said that it is mostly bad advice from the pet stores, but that is where I draw the line for my sympathy with these people. In todays day and age I would say the vast majority of us either own a computer or have access. There are just too many resources on here to learn. I would never be content with buying an animal, especially a reptile which requires specialy care and putting its life in the hands of a petstore attendant. I realize also, that many of the members who come on here are young, wherein I put the blame on their parents. I too am guilty of not doing my research,and the pet store was the ONLY thing you had to rely on basically, but that was 40 yrs ago when I purchased a little red eared slider, along with the plastic bowl with the island and palm tree(still cannot believe they sell those things) and stuck it in the corner of my room and expected it to thrive. My mom did not know any better and guess what???? neither did the petstore cause no one told me I needed a UVB light and this was way back when! What I am trying to say is yes, put the initial blame on the pet store but when your chameleon is sick and dying you need to step up to the plate and accept some of the responsibility for the situation too. Sorry, but to me it is just inexcusable to NOT do your research.

 

[Olimpia]

I think I was lucky, when I wanted to get into reptiles as personal pets for the first time I had a local reptile store near the house that was run by a guy that knew his stuff. It was a reptile-only store, too, and he may not have known everything about every species he had for sale, but he was a huge help. I did a lot of my research in books and online but it was helpful to have a person to go to.

Since the man has closed down his business, unfortunately, and that leaves us with another pet store that carries exotics. The reptile guy in the department is a mess, he looks like he knows about snakes but with a lot of the lizards the care is really sub-par. I've been there waiting for him to get me a frozen mouse or something and he was chatting to a girl who had gotten two bearded dragons and found out later that they were a pair, and were now fighting over mating. And the man WOULD NOT give her the very simple (and very beneficial to him financially, I think) advice of simply separating them into two cages. I was dumbfounded. He's had a tree monitor in a cage with a huge jaw growth for 2 years, and (gorgeous bright blue) adult veiled with a face destroyed by sinus growths and MBD for just as long or more. And what's worse than that is that the veiled finally SOLD! WHo allows an animal like that to be sold? And I worry about the guy who took him, I hope he is someone capable of keeping that animal comfortable the time he has left.

If I had relied on this second man for my info my "success" with keeping reptiles may have ended differently. I'm not a dumb person, and as a scientist I do my research, but I'm saying that if you don't know better you assume these people are people you could trust. So it doesn't surprise me that if this "expert" at the store tells people certain things, that unless they know better, they would believe it.

We have to remember to be nice and patient with the people that come here for help. Many times it's not their fault. And it's too easy to say "oh, you should have done supplemental research, why didn't you?" in hindsight. If they would have known to do that, they would have. They were probably misled and now here they are, looking for help. So remember to be nice

 

[carol5208]

yeah ok, I'll be nice on the outside and not so nice on the inside and keep it to myself! Sometimes it is really hard though...

 

[ChameleonFan1989]

I agree but sometimes it's not always the keeper to blame, blame the source where the chameleon came from as pet stores tend to give information out that is in no way accurate and sometimes peoples first cham do come from pet stores, mine came from a pet store not knowing private breeders even existed. I guarantee every keeper here has made a odd mistake in care even though we researched and I have made mistakes and quickly improved those mistakes.

Sometimes I get an impression from new people is that they could possibly be reluctant to ask for help where to a point it's to late for the chameleon in question, need to bear in mind, we are human, we make mistakes and learn from them in the future.

 

[carol5208]

yes blame the source like the pet store, but what is wrong with buying from a pet store and then taking the time to go online and start finding out about the animal you just purchased. 9 times out of 10 you are gonna find the info you were given is wrong. that's all I'm saying. I guess I think unrealistically then cause I can just not imagine going to a pet store, buying what they tell you and then leaving it at that! So for me, it puts the blame back to the purchaser. Before the internet and all the resources we have today, I would say yes, blame the pet store. JMO!

 

[Psychodrake]

Gotta admit I've seen some upsetting stuff on this forum. But that's part of the reason this forum exists, correct? We need to help educate people. Seeing posts from people who have bought a Chameleon impulsively, or clueless parents buying their kids Chameleons and so on is quite upsetting but it happens all the time. To people, they just looked like relaxed, easy to care for animals that make a cool display piece.

I researched for about a month before buying George and he's not had a problem yet, almost 8-9 months later. I feel like getting through the young stage was the hardest thing I've ever done, I constantly worried about him. He's turning into a healthy monster and it really has made me feel good, and a lot of that comes from advice from this forum as well as generally just reading threads.

 

[carol5208]

I agree but sometimes it's not always the keeper to blame, blame the source where the chameleon came from as pet stores tend to give information out that is in no way accurate and sometimes peoples first cham do come from pet stores, mine came from a pet store not knowing private breeders even existed. I guarantee every keeper here has made a odd mistake in care even though we researched and I have made mistakes and quickly improved those mistakes.

Sometimes I get an impression from new people is that they could possibly be reluctant to ask for help where to a point it's to late for the chameleon in question, need to bear in mind, we are human, we make mistakes and learn from them in the future.

I had no idea either that breeders existed.....but guess what?? I did my research and that is how I found out!!!

 

[Nellycool1]

Like I said earlier on the reason I joined the forums was to help people and to learn stuff my self I have been nothing but nice to people on here and I haven't said it was anybody's fault so how can u say be nice it wasn't a nasty thread just to be clear to anybody who is saying be nice.

 

[partygirlha]

I joined because I was thinking of getting a chameleon. But after reading up more I decided that it's not the right time for me. They need the exact opposite of my other pets and right now I don't have the time and money to have anther room with different heating etc. One day I still plan on getting one, but I'm waiting until I can deal with a second pet room and and have more time.

I just wanted to share that there are people who read up, and sometimes we don't bring new pets into our worlds.

 

[RPCV]

I agree with many that most people are going to look to the local pet store as the experts and will not likely do much more research than what they are told - until they have problems. That's when we can help the most. I cringe when reading posts berating some new keeper (often a younger kid) who comes here looking to do the right thing only to get slapped down. That helps no one.

Fortunately I had a different experience at a local pet store. About 10 years ago I saw a cham at a pet store (Scott's - for those in the Chicago area). They asked me about my being able to have the time and money to care for it properly. When I explained that I was in a small apartment with a 2 year old kid - they actually explained in detail what a cham needed and talked me out of the purchase. I had forgotten about chams for a while but at some point realized that I was at the point in my life where I had space and could afford one. I had forgotten all the details of care the pet store provided so went on line to refresh my memory. Really glad I found this site! Been lurking and learning for the past couple years. Thanks to those whose advice has helped me raise a healthy cham.

Scott's has since gone out of business. I hope it was not because they chose to provide good information as opposed to just making a sale - but that might be the case.

 

[jennelite]

My boyfriend suggested getting a chameleon after our apartment owner told us we couldn't have a dog. There are dogs in the building.. but that's a completely different story/rant. Anyway, neither of us are a fan of indoor cats, so we decided this would be a new, adventurous route to take. Neither of us have ever owned a chameleon so I've been researching for almost a month. Glad I found this forum, It's been extremely helpful! I feel I understand the basics. Now I just spend a lot of time reading about other people's little ones and waiting. The wait is killing me! Can't wait 'til mine gets here!

 

[Red7ny1]

I researched for a couple weeks , then joined this forum and got even more info . After messaging back and forth with Camimom , then and only then , did I order my cham ( from Tiki Tiki Reptiles ) . And trust me , everyday , I'm messaging Camimom and telling her everything my little one does . That way , if something is out of the ordinary , she can tell me . Research is easy with the internet ... you don't have to find a library to drive to , then try to find the right books . Besides , the people on this forum are a better source of info , mainly because they know from experience . All of you have been a big help .

 

[DanSB]

yes blame the source like the pet store, but what is wrong with buying from a pet store and then taking the time to go online and start finding out about the animal you just purchased. 9 times out of 10 you are gonna find the info you were given is wrong. that's all I'm saying. I guess I think unrealistically then cause I can just not imagine going to a pet store, buying what they tell you and then leaving it at that! So for me, it puts the blame back to the purchaser. Before the internet and all the resources we have today, I would say yes, blame the pet store. JMO!

I just think everyone has a "credulity filter" wherein research stops if their previous life experience leads them to believe the information they got was sufficient.

Younger people and less experienced people tend to believe more of what they are told because they have no reason to doubt it.

As an example when my wife bought our Chameleon the guy at the pet store said keep it in a fish tank with a light it will be fine. I then jumped on Google and did a search for care of the animal. First page that showed up said essentially the same thing with the search string I chose. Why would anyone that has no animal experience go any further? Especially someone who is a normal Prime Time TV watching non scientific lacking curiosity adult or kid?

Seriously, if I hadn't known better already this would have passed my filter. Fortunately for me though I am mosey and curious to a fault and just won't stop researching anything I'm interested in. But I have to recognize most people aren't like this and just want to do the bare minimum to skate by...