Poor girl.

[Angelwolf]

Ok, guys. You all know that I agree with the general recommendation to not support the big box pet stores, and their careless breeding and selling, but I made the mistake of looking into the cham cage while I was there, today. There was this sweet, tiny little girl who really melted my heart! So, long story short, my husband said no, but I still feel like I could save her life if I had her. And leaving her there is just a death sentence. She appears to have been bitten, or possibly gotten caught in/under something. The end of it is definitely dead, and she has lost almost half of the tail. She can still use her tail, up until the damage. So the reason I am posting this, is because I need your help to talk me out of falling into the same trap that so many keepers fall into.

 

[Virgil1972]

If you buy her they will just replace her with another one. If people quit buying them then they will stop stocking them and that would save many many more chams.

 

[Angelwolf]

I know, but she's the one in need, right now...

 

[Angelwolf]

And I already have the perfect name. "Shorty"

 

[alphakenc]

So does number 2 and 3...4...5....in the back room waiting to be coming out and be bought from a person just like u.

 

[Virgil1972]

I think they do a poor job taking care of them on purpose so people feel bad for them and buy them.

 

[alphakenc]

Thats exactly correct,the power of visual sympathy is greater than me n u can imagine.

 

[Angelwolf]

Ya. But I used to actually work there. So I know what the back rooms looked like. They didn't seem to even realize that there was even anything wrong. I just know that she will end up dying. But I could give her a good and healthy life.

 

[alphakenc]

I understand ur kind heart coming from....if that was me working in there,I will help them to escape....until the corporate realize to build them a big proper cages,they will all escape like the Houdini n never come back.

 

[alphakenc]

Pictures u walk in the puppy dog shelter,where every single cute puppy in tiny little cage being fed with a can of tuna fish(like the meal worm) poop in the water dish n looking lifeless with their sadest eyes stare at u.....will u help them to escape or pay the adoption fee to help just one little puppy in those not liveable conditions ???
I would rather support those dog breeder show not because they better looking but properly caring in the right living environment.

 

[Angelwolf]

Pictures u walk in the puppy dog shelter,where every single cute puppy in tiny little cage being fed with a can of tuna fish(like the meal worm) poop in the water dish n looking lifeless with their sadest eyes stare at u.....will u help them to escape or pay the adoption fee to help just one little puppy in those not liveable conditions ???
I would rather support those dog breeder show not because they better looking but properly caring in the right living environment.

Ok. Not fair. I used to be one of those dog show breeders. So of course I would prefer a quality bred animal. Like you said. It's hard to have a heart.

 

[alphakenc]

Ok. Not fair. I used to be one of those dog show breeders. So of course I would prefer a quality bred animal. Like you said. It's hard to have a heart.

There is absolutely nothing wrong to have a kind heart,but u have to look at this whole thing in a different perspective,instead of buying the poor living cham from the petstore,will it be better to educate their employees or let ur voice be heard on their corporate level?? if they are the pet lover like they claim to be,they will listen to the pet consumers/ lovers like u n all others....not until they take action to correct those chameleons living situation,for a true cham lover should stand on their ground to not support those petstore until the correct care info to be apply in those poor living chameleons,and lots consumers will also be affected by copying the same exact way that they treat their chams.....having bark substrate,feeding dead mealworm....etc etc,the vicious cycle will never be stop until people like u and me learn to put our sympathy behind and start looking to educate the public the correct way on how to do it right,that will be the final goal in the chameleons keeping history,period!!!

 

[callie.chamlover]

I wouldn't be able to resist.

 

[alphakenc]

If u wouldn't be resist,then start buying every single one of them,since the pet store will never have trouble to find a consumer like u.

 

[Theveiled]

Maybe you could explain her problem to them and slowly convince them to let you have her for free? that way the petstore doesn't make a profit off of her but the cham still has a chance at life. IDK its just a thought

 

[Angelwolf]

There is absolutely nothing wrong to have a kind heart,but u have to look at this whole thing in a different perspective,instead of buying the poor living cham from the petstore,will it be better to educate their employees or let ur voice be heard on their corporate level?? if they are the pet lover like they claim to be,they will listen to the pet consumers/ lovers like u n all others....not until they take action to correct those chameleons living situation,for a true cham lover should stand on their ground to not support those petstore until the correct care info to be apply in those poor living chameleons,and lots consumers will also be affected by copying the same exact way that they treat their chams.....having bark substrate,feeding dead mealworm....etc etc,the vicious cycle will never be stop until people like u and me learn to put our sympathy behind and start looking to educate the public the correct way on how to do it right,that will be the final goal in the chameleons keeping history,period!!!

Thanks @alphakenc . That's what I needed to hear, which is why I came here. I knew if anyone could talk some sense into me, you all would! And I also knew you guys would also understand the internal struggle I was dealing with, too. @Theveiled I tried to talk them down, but they would only go to 10% off. Which just proves the whole point. In fact, the first thing the manager asked is if they were on sale. When she was told they weren't, she came up with the 10%. Like almost as if to say, if it was on sale it would be no discount, regardless of the injury. At $80 a pop, they really are all about the profit. But if I could have talked them down to like $50 I would have scooped her up!

 

[WAMBO]

Yep, they will just abuse the next one, probably as soon as next week. You'll want to buy it too, once it starts dying in their store, then the next. I think it makes more sense to stop the insanity of abuse. The sales rely on the mind hearted with knowledge, and the ignorant that want a 'cute lizard'. Saving one won't sane the rest, and may even condemn a few more, IMO.

 

[jajeanpierre]

@Angelwolf If you want her buy her. The tail is a common injury. I shut the door in a young gracilior's tail and he lost about an inch. It happens. It will just dry up and fall off. I'm sure you could get a huge discount for the tail.

What kind of dogs did you breed? I used to breed Shelties and mini Dachshunds. Loved showing dogs!

 

[OldChamKeeper]

Don't buy it. If you can get it for free or 50% at the min, you're ahead.

I'd just contact animal control and wage war with the store over the lizard. once it's too much of a headache they stop selling them...for a few months and after the outrage dies down they go back to it.

Bottom line, don't buy from the stores that don't care.

 

[nightanole]

Meh pet stores shouldnt sell pets.

As for rescues from a pet store, im all for it if they give them up for free. As the forum theme goes, its not a rescue if you paid for it. However i know of several rescues where the pet shop just gave them up and a few vet visits later they were fine.

I think its a far stretch to believe pet stores keep the animal in sub optimal conditions on purpose just to increase turn over.