With all due respect, you don't know what the owner is doing right now. For all we know, the chameleon is in the vet right now, and all these people criticizing harshly is not really helping. At least the owner reached out, many would not post a thread or reach out for help. We don't know what the owner is going through, and I think the best we can do is just provide any emotional support and give more advice, with the chameleons best interest in our minds. If everybody is just criticizing harshly, the owner is less likely to respond nicely or do what is advised. Not trying to criticize, but the best we can do is just help without criticizing.
I think the OP did get medication for the mouth. That was very well said.
I would agree, and definitely do your research on behavioral fevers too, OP.
Hi Mitch...I ought to not have singled you out. I think there were a lot of passionate, somewhat heated comments on this thread and after reading a certain number, I felt compelled to speak up in the service of peace. But you could be right that the owner could do more. Just think of parenting in general - parenting kids....who can't be critiqued and who can't do more? I have tons of things in my own life, and in the way I relate to other people, that I could improve upon. I think I'll be a work in progress forever...lol. I had birds for many years and initially the care I gave them was atrocious (out of ignorance). I later became more experienced, and the birds I had then had their own room and were flying free, had several jungle gyms, and I made them homemade organic bird food. So it's process and people evolve on their own timeline. Acceptance, kindness, and patience help people to unfold faster than anything else, so that approach is a win-win.
That said, I hope everyone keeps the awesome advice coming! This group was a godsend to me when my cham was sick and after she died. It's one of the reasons I would like to make friends locally with some cham owners - this group clearly consists of unusually thoughtful and caring people
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Hi Mitch. Having read your post, I would have guessed you were a native English speaker. There was nothing confusing about what you wrote. And, despite being a bit of a grammar geek, I noticed no grammatical errors either…lol (not that I would care if there were any). What is your first language? And how the heck did you learn English so well? I am studying Spanish and am a super slow learner, so always welcome any language learning tips.
Sorry that you were frustrated. I tried to be thoughtful in how I responded, but I’m sure I could have responded in a better way. I think I could have been more sympathetic to your concerns about the cham alongside of making my other points. However, it’s always easier to see that in hindsight
You are so right about it being ideal to research chams before buying. My niece bought the cham that I helped to care for, on impulse. She was at a reptile expo and fell in love with the little gal (as did I, later). My sister, niece, and I had no idea of the expenses involved or the complexity of the care. And so there was a huge, overwhelming learning curve that we all took on, and a significant financial investment. I likely spent 50+ hours researching optimal cham care and eventually happened upon this forum, which restored my sanity…lol. But I definitely agree that it would have been sooo helpful had we done some research prior to the purchase and gotten things well set up in advance. But, as you say, you can't always anticipate what you are getting into.
Thanks for your thoughtful reply : )
