ChamMan7
Established Member
A few weeks ago, during a supplement run to a local big-name pet store, I stopped to watch one of the employees clean out their veiled chameleons TANK. I had always been quite bothered by the fact that the two three to four month veileds they had were kept in the same ten gallon tank so I stopped and watched her clean, curious as to how knowledgable and proficient with their reptiles the employees were.
In an attempt to catch the little guys she quickly lunged at the cham from the top of the tank, pinning him down against the coconut fiber substrate (pointing at yet another lack of general knowledge of handling and environment setup), and grabbed him around the middle to put him into a small Tupperware next to the tank while she cleaned. I walked by at this point, apauled and quite angry. I bent over next to her to look in the Tupperware container at the poor guy and she asked if I was interested in him. I told her at the moment I wasn't able to take another Cham but she was persistent in her attempts to sell him. She picked him up in the same manner as before and presented him to me saying, "I would let you hold him, but he bites."
I was not surprised to hear this as he had good reason to, but then she gave him even more reason by grabbing his casque and shaking in it what She apparently thought was a playful and loving manner. Hissing and biting at her fingers she dropped him back in the tank.
My reason for sharing this is not to discourage the purchase of chameleons from big name pet stores like this, but to share it on a forum that people care about the wellbeing of these amazing animals and to be mindful of what can be happening in these stores. I am sure that not all stores and employees are this incompetent but there are the exceptions that I think we all need to be reminded of. Make sure your purchases are from breeders with knowledge and good reputations that are devoted to the health of the animals they are producing.
A few days later, after clearing some space, I went back to the store and bought the little guy. He is thriving and now living a much happier and stress free life.
In an attempt to catch the little guys she quickly lunged at the cham from the top of the tank, pinning him down against the coconut fiber substrate (pointing at yet another lack of general knowledge of handling and environment setup), and grabbed him around the middle to put him into a small Tupperware next to the tank while she cleaned. I walked by at this point, apauled and quite angry. I bent over next to her to look in the Tupperware container at the poor guy and she asked if I was interested in him. I told her at the moment I wasn't able to take another Cham but she was persistent in her attempts to sell him. She picked him up in the same manner as before and presented him to me saying, "I would let you hold him, but he bites."
I was not surprised to hear this as he had good reason to, but then she gave him even more reason by grabbing his casque and shaking in it what She apparently thought was a playful and loving manner. Hissing and biting at her fingers she dropped him back in the tank.
My reason for sharing this is not to discourage the purchase of chameleons from big name pet stores like this, but to share it on a forum that people care about the wellbeing of these amazing animals and to be mindful of what can be happening in these stores. I am sure that not all stores and employees are this incompetent but there are the exceptions that I think we all need to be reminded of. Make sure your purchases are from breeders with knowledge and good reputations that are devoted to the health of the animals they are producing.
A few days later, after clearing some space, I went back to the store and bought the little guy. He is thriving and now living a much happier and stress free life.
