I saw a vield chameleon at the Petsmart in Buckhead or it may have been perimeter and it was definately in a small glass terrarium and looked kind of stressed bc it had no place to hide. I notified an employee that chams do not drink from water dishes and she said that they only keep the water dish in its cage for looks. Apparently most people don't know that they don't drink from water dishes and people would complain if they saw a lizard with no water. They indicated they mist them several times a day. The enclosure was definately too small with no hiding though. Hopefully your letter helps! I think it will, Petsmart seems to be a pretty good company.
So I emailed Petsmart today...
- Thread starter Grim Crow
- Start date
amanda509
New Member
kudos! i wish petsmart and petco were the same store, but i think petco has a lower level of care than petsmart does. ive talked with some of the employees, and many of them are uneducated about the dept. they're supposed to be specialized in...but, maybe i should write a letter too, along with the cham i will be rescuing from there (if it isnt deceased yet) and i will more than kindly give the reptile head heck for letting a cham get that bad without vet care 
The Petsmart closest to me will not carry Chams as the girl that heads that department will not order them as she feels she can not care for them to keep them alive. Others that a about 30 or so minutes from me will carry them. They looked alright... they did not have proper care information. So I'm sure of it can be different from store to store. However I can not hurt to have forum members who care write and express how the husbandry and care sheet could be better suited for Chameleon care. I do well at Petsmart as they have learned much more about what care and products are better for Chinese Water Dragon care. What I personally learned I passed on to them and they listened. They have even sought me out to ask questions of have people that are interested ask questions. So yes it will make a difference in the locations and the people that work there. So it can't hurt and it could possibly help to write to headquarters to express that they could learn better care and make changes for proper care of the reptiles that you have knowledge of. Write to them!!! They are more likely to listen if many write then they will to only a couple letters.
ChamomilleCame
Avid Member
Agreed. PetSmart doesn't take care as well as breeders or something (duhh it's a chain store) but I bought my cham there and I fixed him. At first, he did horrible- he barely moved, barely ate, I didn't see him drink until like the fourth day I got him. He's doing super now, so I guess they do a little bit below OK job. But yes; once again, happy that the letter was sent 
pssh
Avid Member
Here is an easier thing to do at a local level. Print these out, and ask why they are not keeping their animals like their care sheets say to. Obvisously the glass thing wont change (and it's not always that important as they can and do live in glass) but they will have to think about it.
Petco:
http://www.petco.com/assets/caresheets/lizards/Chameleon_Cool Climate.pdf
http://www.petco.com/assets/caresheets/lizards/Chameleon_Veiled.pdf
http://www.petco.com/assets/caresheets/lizards/Chameleon_WarmClimate.pdf
Petsmart:
http://www.mypetsmart.com/care-guides/reptile/chameleon-veileds-jacksons/setup-steps
Petco:
http://www.petco.com/assets/caresheets/lizards/Chameleon_Cool Climate.pdf
http://www.petco.com/assets/caresheets/lizards/Chameleon_Veiled.pdf
http://www.petco.com/assets/caresheets/lizards/Chameleon_WarmClimate.pdf
Petsmart:
http://www.mypetsmart.com/care-guides/reptile/chameleon-veileds-jacksons/setup-steps
i didnt read this whole thread, but there are actually laws which require pet stores to keep up to date information on all animals they carry (if you ask they have a little place with various booklets).
Needless to say, the laws dont do much and most ppl dont even know about the caresheets there, including the employees...
just makes me sad and something I intend to prosecute/pursue to the best of my ability once I pass the bar...
Needless to say, the laws dont do much and most ppl dont even know about the caresheets there, including the employees...
just makes me sad and something I intend to prosecute/pursue to the best of my ability once I pass the bar...
ScalesTailsandClaws
New Member
Every time I enter the store for supplies (I'll never buy an animal from Petsmart) I always make a point that the chameleons, tortoises, anoles and water dragons are NOT being taken care of properly. I'll just ask an employee where the dripping system, uvb and humidity are. I know that some of the staff there know that the setups are inadequate, but they just don't care! It's so great that you wrote to upper level management. I really hope it makes a difference.
amanda509
New Member
chameleoman
Avid Member
start a petition around your neighborhood 
AndrewWelch
New Member
I think the pet stores don't listen or read to those emails or anything because they think that not much people own chameleons, and since they are such small creatures they don't take the care as seriously as they should.
We bought our first veiled from Petsmart, it already had MBD by the time we took it home. We had them pay the vet bills but Charlie died regardless. Their answer to us "Did you want a replacement?" I was crying right in the store.
I found out later that Charlie had been shipped so small that he had lived at the store in the unhospitable conditions for months before we bought him.
I am very glad we did not give up on Chameleons, we bought our Rico next at at the Arlington breeder show from a great breeder. All our Chams are doing well now..
I found out later that Charlie had been shipped so small that he had lived at the store in the unhospitable conditions for months before we bought him.
I am very glad we did not give up on Chameleons, we bought our Rico next at at the Arlington breeder show from a great breeder. All our Chams are doing well now..
AZJ0SH
New Member
I have mad multiple suggestions about the care for their Chameleons at the PetsMart near me, and everytime the manager assures me they'll fix the problem. A year later, nothing has changed, but I noticed they do sell the Chameleons within a week or two of getting them in, so hopefully their new owners will take better care of the little guys.
chameleonfan101
Established Member
mamba
New Member
local petsmart
fortunatly my local petsmart doesnt carry chams so i wouldnt know if they would have the right setup. there is a petstore that does have the right setups and that is "that fish place, that pet place" which is about 15 mins from me. i am very lucky to have the largest pet store in the world right near me.
fortunatly my local petsmart doesnt carry chams so i wouldnt know if they would have the right setup. there is a petstore that does have the right setups and that is "that fish place, that pet place" which is about 15 mins from me. i am very lucky to have the largest pet store in the world right near me.
JRchameleons
New Member
I see that a few PetSmart employees are standing up for the company, and as a fellow Pet Care Associate I would like to do the same.
1. PetSmart does provide UVB lighting for all reptiles (even those who don't need it). If you look carefully into and above the cages you can see the tube lights just above them.
2. The PetSmart where I work does dust crickets with calcium and a multivitamin occasionally. Most stores at least dust with calcium.
3. There is some debate about whether the glass reflection issue really exists for chameleons. But assuming it does, it shouldn't actually be a big deal in the majority of cases because PetSmart gets their veiled chameleons extremely young, usually around 6 weeks old. They have not yet reached sexual maturity at this point and more than likely, they'd still be kept in an enclosure with many of their siblings if they were still with a breeder anyway.
4. It's true that glass enclosures with only top ventilation do not provide ideal air circulation, however, there is more to PetSmart reptile enclosures than most people notice. If you look carefully, there are ventilation holes on the sides of each individual enclosure (or maybe it's just one side; can't remember for sure). Also, there is a fan that runs extremely lightly throughout the whole setup. It's not enough to stir up dirt or dust; just enough to circulate the air. PetSmart's reptile setup is actually pretty well-designed for that of a big chain pet store.
5. The chameleons are required to be misted at least twice a day (along with all other arboreal reptiles and reptiles that require high humidity). At my store we mist the chameleons 3-4 times per day.
6. Remember, in theory, the reptiles are never supposed to be in PetSmart very long. The point of a pet store is to sell them. So their setup may not be ideal, but it is certainly adequate for them to live there for a few weeks at most. At my store we rarely have one chameleon for more than 2 weeks.
Basically what I'm trying to say is that according to PetSmart's company policies, the chameleons (and all live animals, for that matter) should be receiving adequate to excellent care (small animals and birds have it MADE at PetSmart). But of course, there are many stores with employees and managers who don't care to follow the policies and don't care about the animals' welfare. This is both sad and infuriating, but in such a large corporation it's very difficult to consistently monitor every single store. More often than not, the bad things you see in any PetSmart are the fault of that individual store and not the company as a whole.
Despite all of that, I do applaud you for standing up for proper husbandry and trying to make a difference. Don't ever stop using your voice for that.
1. PetSmart does provide UVB lighting for all reptiles (even those who don't need it). If you look carefully into and above the cages you can see the tube lights just above them.
2. The PetSmart where I work does dust crickets with calcium and a multivitamin occasionally. Most stores at least dust with calcium.
3. There is some debate about whether the glass reflection issue really exists for chameleons. But assuming it does, it shouldn't actually be a big deal in the majority of cases because PetSmart gets their veiled chameleons extremely young, usually around 6 weeks old. They have not yet reached sexual maturity at this point and more than likely, they'd still be kept in an enclosure with many of their siblings if they were still with a breeder anyway.
4. It's true that glass enclosures with only top ventilation do not provide ideal air circulation, however, there is more to PetSmart reptile enclosures than most people notice. If you look carefully, there are ventilation holes on the sides of each individual enclosure (or maybe it's just one side; can't remember for sure). Also, there is a fan that runs extremely lightly throughout the whole setup. It's not enough to stir up dirt or dust; just enough to circulate the air. PetSmart's reptile setup is actually pretty well-designed for that of a big chain pet store.
5. The chameleons are required to be misted at least twice a day (along with all other arboreal reptiles and reptiles that require high humidity). At my store we mist the chameleons 3-4 times per day.
6. Remember, in theory, the reptiles are never supposed to be in PetSmart very long. The point of a pet store is to sell them. So their setup may not be ideal, but it is certainly adequate for them to live there for a few weeks at most. At my store we rarely have one chameleon for more than 2 weeks.
Basically what I'm trying to say is that according to PetSmart's company policies, the chameleons (and all live animals, for that matter) should be receiving adequate to excellent care (small animals and birds have it MADE at PetSmart). But of course, there are many stores with employees and managers who don't care to follow the policies and don't care about the animals' welfare. This is both sad and infuriating, but in such a large corporation it's very difficult to consistently monitor every single store. More often than not, the bad things you see in any PetSmart are the fault of that individual store and not the company as a whole.
Despite all of that, I do applaud you for standing up for proper husbandry and trying to make a difference. Don't ever stop using your voice for that.
JRchameleons
New Member
1. PetSmart doesn't sell panthers.
2. PetSmart only has one chameleon caresheet that applies to both veileds and Jacksons. It's not perfect, but it's really not as bad as many people think. It differentiates the temps and a couple of other things between the two types, but otherwise their care is pretty similar, so why make two separate brochures?
3. The responsibility for researching how to properly care for any animal ultimately falls on the owner's shoulders.
your petsmart letter...
hi there. i just came across your thread about the letter to petsmart about the care of their chameleons...did you ever get any satisfaction from them? and if so, any chance you could point me in their direction? i have written numerous letters, went and got cashiers and managers to show them that the reptiles are overheated. i've seen temperatures at 120 degrees in those little glass squares they have the herps in. and i've always seen aggression being caused by the site of a neighboring reptile. when i brought this up the first few times it was a thank you so much we'll take care of it right away. nothing was ever done that i know of... everything's still the same!
hi there. i just came across your thread about the letter to petsmart about the care of their chameleons...did you ever get any satisfaction from them? and if so, any chance you could point me in their direction? i have written numerous letters, went and got cashiers and managers to show them that the reptiles are overheated. i've seen temperatures at 120 degrees in those little glass squares they have the herps in. and i've always seen aggression being caused by the site of a neighboring reptile. when i brought this up the first few times it was a thank you so much we'll take care of it right away. nothing was ever done that i know of... everything's still the same!
Please CC PETCO corp on your email, as the two that I have been to in MD are a horrific torture chambers for Chams, this weekend I saw 3 female veiled chams adults that look like all of their legs have been broken and reset a dozen time MBD , no water source ,glass enclosure not 1/10 of the required size, it was heartbreaking and talking to them as nicely as I could at store manager level did absolutely no good. I hate buying crickets there as I feel I am supporting those cham Nazi's
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