A couple weeks ago I emailed their customer care concerned for their veiled's well being. The temps and humidity were way off and the 4 little guys they had in there just looked awful. I went in today and they had taken action! There was a dripper installed (granted it dripped into a bowl, but they tried..) and the humidity was around 60% instead of 10%! The 3 they had left (I think the 4th died.. =( he looked really sick on the floor before..) seemed much more active and looked healthy! Feels good knowing that my email made a difference, even if it's not the perfect set-up. =)
Petco listened to my concerns!
- Thread starter jennelite
- Start date
ChamomilleCame
Avid Member
Amazing! congrats to that Petco 
sorry to hear that the last one died, but at least 3 of them are still there and not in the trash. Chain stores never have the perfect setup because if it is small, they animal can be found faster so people can see them and because they have limited space. But at least this Petco has to listen to what other people say
sorry to hear that the last one died, but at least 3 of them are still there and not in the trash. Chain stores never have the perfect setup because if it is small, they animal can be found faster so people can see them and because they have limited space. But at least this Petco has to listen to what other people say 
chameleonfan101
Established Member
It's nice to hear that people like you are helping educate our society!! Thanks!
chameleoman
Avid Member
hey do you have a copy of that email? we could start sending them to our petcos near us
TyggyToo
New Member
And now is the time to write up a very nice follow up, saying that you SAW the improvements, and hope that the information is distributed throughout the chain.
Happily, I've never seen chams in my local Petco/smart, but I take some pleasure in seeing with my own eyes that my Petsmart has a large tray of Fluker's food and gel water for their crickets. The Petco is still keeping them in a huge stinky barrel.
Happily, I've never seen chams in my local Petco/smart, but I take some pleasure in seeing with my own eyes that my Petsmart has a large tray of Fluker's food and gel water for their crickets. The Petco is still keeping them in a huge stinky barrel.
Elizadolots
New Member
Good for you! And, Tyggy's right, you should write a "Thank You" note.
You might suggest that while you understand the need for a bowl to catch the water, it does present a drowning hazard. A net covering would fix that.
You might suggest that while you understand the need for a bowl to catch the water, it does present a drowning hazard. A net covering would fix that.
hey do you have a copy of that email? we could start sending them to our petcos near us
It wasn't anything too lengthy, or great. I just told them what I saw. I really expected to go back in there and to see the same thing. I was shocked in a good way. Made me feel really good that I probably saved those babies lives
Yep! Definitely going to follow up with another email! I'm sure they get a lot of complaints, so they'll probably be glad to see something positive, lol.
I'll mention that and also touch on their use of substrates. Their care-sheet even suggests it..
Chadbot
New Member
It never makes sense to me why the big chains don't invest in giving out proper information for chameleons. If they did, they'd be making more money off of the sales due to upselling of products that you don't "necessarily" need for another type of reptile.
A cham needs more setup materials, and off the top of my head, I can think of products these places ALL carry but NEVER seem to offer to new chameleon buyers:
More expensive linear UV lights and hoods.
Drippers (costs more than a bowl)
Mister (costs more than a waterfall)
Terrarium (costs more than a "desert-style" aquarium and they could even be selling people two, a baby-size and a full-size!)
Extra Vines (costs more than sticks/rocks they often sell)
Extra fake plants
3 kinds of supplements
Water treatment
Digital hygrometers
Digital thermometers (vs the cheaper round analogs)
Timer
Care Books
If only they realized that by learning how to provide proper care info to a customer they could easily sell more stock, maybe they would change their ways; for a different reason, but at least a change...
Maybe I'll price it out with their online store and make the cost-benefit analysis for them.
A cham needs more setup materials, and off the top of my head, I can think of products these places ALL carry but NEVER seem to offer to new chameleon buyers:
More expensive linear UV lights and hoods.
Drippers (costs more than a bowl)
Mister (costs more than a waterfall)
Terrarium (costs more than a "desert-style" aquarium and they could even be selling people two, a baby-size and a full-size!)
Extra Vines (costs more than sticks/rocks they often sell)
Extra fake plants
3 kinds of supplements
Water treatment
Digital hygrometers
Digital thermometers (vs the cheaper round analogs)
Timer
Care Books
If only they realized that by learning how to provide proper care info to a customer they could easily sell more stock, maybe they would change their ways; for a different reason, but at least a change...
Maybe I'll price it out with their online store and make the cost-benefit analysis for them.
chameleonfan101
Established Member
This post has given me the idea to email my local Petco and share my thoughts with them. Also I will be writing a care sheet on how I successfully have and keep my veiled chameleon (since at my local Petco those seem to be more common). Hopefully they allow me to put the care sheet in the reptile section. I will be using the products they sell in order for them to hopefully give me a chance to do this. I know their products are more expensive and buyers will end up spending more money but I feel like it is better to do that instead of killing what I consider my favorite animals, chameleons. We will see how it goes hopefully i at least make them re-think the way they are keeping them.
shiftyeyes
New Member
i cannot stand walking into a pet store and seeing any kind of animal not being taken care of to the way that they should be taken care of. MAN if i was rich and had a huge farm or house i would buy up all the animals in pet stores and hire a well trained staff to take care of these amazing animals.....remember their live are in your hands and you are the only one who can keep them alive. i think that it should be a requirement in all pet stores that all staff take courses in how to take care of these animals, but no they hire all these joe blows off the street
The problem with that. People who go to petsmart/co do not want to spend all that extra money. they just want the tank and the animal and basic needs. I see it EVERY day at my work. People go by fish tanks at petsmart and then come to our store just to find out that their tank is too small for the amount and size of fish they want. Funny thing is that we get a lot of Petco and Petsmart employees that come to our store because they KNOW that its better than what they have.
Or do the opposite and not buy from them because with that money they are just going to purchase more animals.
tkilgour
Member
A little off topic, but still relevant. Did you know that in Iowa, the state passed a law that it is illegal to lie on a job resume and it is illegal to go into a slaughter house, or pet corporation facility and take undercover video. They are making it a felony. Makes you wonder what do they really have to hide, and does the US government really care.
Makes you wonder what do they really have to hide, and does the US government really care.
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