My chameleon passes away today

[littlered20030710]

My chameleon was having the eye problems, we think it was an infection. Very sad he was my first chameleon and only had him since this Christmas. Are pet store chameleons more likely to pass away earlier or get sick more then when you purchase from breeders?

 

[Gavinsons]

yes, always buy from a well know breeder. preferably one of the sponsors from here. pet store chams are exposed to more than a cham from a breeder that actually knows how to take care of them. most pet stores will keep them in tiny glass cages with no uvb. i know how hard it is not to take one home from the pet store but wait and order one or go to a reptile show and buy one, it will live much longer

 

[carol5208]

I am sorry your chameleon passed away. The question you are asking is hard to say. Well known breeders are best. Often times when people purchase chameleons from pet stores they have underlying health issues from poor care that may not be obvious right away. Seeing that you have owned your chameleon since January it is probably safe to say that something in your care may have caused his health issues. I read your other post and you stated his eyes were both shut and crusted up. That is an infection and he needed to be seen by vet to get the proper medication. I also noticed you stated that you could not afford to take him to a vet. I am sure you loved your chameleon, but please do not run out and get another until you can save sufficient funds for future vet bills. It is not fair to the chameleon(or any other pet) to not be taken care of properly, which includes vet care if need be. I am sorry for the harsh words, but I see this scenerio much too often on these forums and it is very troubling to me.

 

[jannb]

First I am sorry for the loss of your chameleon. Did you take him to the vets to find out what was going on?

It is always best to buy from a smaller time breeder.

 

[littlered20030710]

I did not have the money for vet and he was very stumbly and I could not pick him up to take him to the vet because he would freak out and almost fall. We tried to put food right of front of him but it did not work.

 

[littlered20030710]

And I will not be getting a chameleon until August when I get more money to save for future vet bills.

 

[JoeVet]

I would recommend you post your husbandry specifics before you purchase another one. The members here can help point out areas of improvement to make your next effort a more possitive experience.

 

[carol5208]

Littlered, please go to the health clinic again and fill out the "ask for help" form. You stated he was wobbly, which could be a sign of a condition called MBD. Did you dust your feeders with calcium and are you certain you were using the correct UVB bulb(not just a light bulb) for lighting? Maybe we can find something in your set up that will need to be corrected as long as you plan on getting another one. It could be that none of this was your fault at all, but it would be a good idea to show us a picture of your set up, a picture of your chameleon(if you have any) and fillout the form. If mistakes were made, I am sure you would not want repeat them again. I am glad you are going to set some money aside for vet bills. It really is a must.

 

[Carlton]

yes, always buy from a well know breeder. preferably one of the sponsors from here. pet store chams are exposed to more than a cham from a breeder that actually knows how to take care of them. most pet stores will keep them in tiny glass cages with no uvb. i know how hard it is not to take one home from the pet store but wait and order one or go to a reptile show and buy one, it will live much longer

Not ALL breeders are great, especially for mass produced veiled chams. A bit of research using the Fauna Classifieds Board of Inquiry can really help you avoid the worst ones. Some of these guys pay so their ads show up at the top of some web search engine lists. Newbies seem to find them a lot and regret it. Show chams are not necessarily better especially if the seller is travelling around with the same animals. Lots of stress at a show!

To me, the best option is to check with known breeders and ask if they will be attending a show close to you. Pick out a cham and have them bring it so you can see it in person and take it home right from there. No shipping stress either. Still, shipping from a responsible breeder can be fine.