Stressed Chameleon?

[chak]

This is not my chameleon
I went to the pet store to grab some plants for my aquariums, and I noticed they had a female jackson chameleon. Taking a closer look, I noticed she was VERY dark. Keep in mind that she was in a very high-traffic area. There was no way you could avoid walking by her enclosure.

excuse the poor quality. I was very concerned about her and considered speaking to an employee about it. Should I have? I've never seen a chameleon that dark.

 

[PoseidonTheChameleon]

Theres not much you can do. They will continue to treat animals the wrong way and spread wrong information no matter what you tell them

 

[Arpretty]

One suggestion... you can always write a letter and send it to headquarters!! Who knows if they will care but if enough people do, they will notice.

 

[Mendez]

She looks pretty young. If I'm not mistaken, female jacksons start getting their greens around 8 months. Before they get their greens, they are usually a combo of browns and reds. So her coloring, IMO, is not highly unusual.

With all of that said, she still looks very stressed from the pet store environment. It's a shame how pet stores treat their animals.

 

[chak]

I also noticed that they were feeding her mealworms... aren't those not recommended?

 

[chak]

She looks pretty young. If I'm not mistaken, female jacksons start getting their greens around 8 months. Before they get their greens, they are usually a combo of browns and reds. So her coloring, IMO, is not highly unusual.

With all of that said, she still looks very stressed from the pet store environment. It's a shame how pet stores treat their animals.

Good to know! It really is a shame how they treat the animals... I was very tempted to buy her to get her out of there, but I don't have the finances nor correct stuff for her at the moment..

 

[Mendez]

I also noticed that they were feeding her mealworms... aren't those not recommended?

Yeah, they really aren't recommended. But it isn't the end of the world either. They just aren't as nutritious as other feeders. Superworms would be better. Crickets would probably be the best available feeder for the pet store. Hopefully whoever buys her feeds her more than just mealworms. You could suggest to an employee to feed her crickets. But I fear your words would fall on deaf ears.

Good to know! It really is a shame how they treat the animals... I was very tempted to buy her to get her out of there, but I don't have the finances nor correct stuff for her at the moment..

It's probably for the best that you didn't rescue her. You can get a much healthier animal from a reputable breeder. Who knows what this cham has been through. It's a lot better to avoid pet store animals. Not only would you be supporting unethical business practices, but you would also be taking away support from dedicated breeders who are working their butts off trying to provide a better future for these species. If you want a jacksons chameleon, contact @JacksJill (U.S) or @Kaizen (Canada). They can help you out or set you up with another reputable breeder.

With that said, I bought my jacksons from a pet store. Looking back, I regret not supporting a reputable breeder; however, I don't regret owning him. I love him to death and would die for him. Going forward, I will only be purchasing from reputable breeders and not from pet stores.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

I also noticed that they were feeding her mealworms... aren't those not recommended?

Mealworms are not the boogiemen they are made out to be, but they're not the best either.

The reason pet stores/departments feed them is cost. Retail, crickets are usually upward of $.10 ea., dubias can run $.25, while mealworms are less than a penny. They also know (hope) it will be a temporary situation.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

I was very tempted to buy her to get her out of there, but I don't have the finances nor correct stuff for her at the moment..

Then IMO you made the correct decision.