Buy an abused cham?

[coolmoon]

I would get him. I can't stand to see them suffer, it makes me very angry. Sorry guys but not buying them and letting them die does not stop the pet store from buying more. If it dies it is a tax write off so they don't care one way or the other. Losing animals is part of the daily business.

 

[Dave Weldon]

Howdy Andrew,

From past experience with several reptile stores, I've found personal satisfaction in helping stores sort out their chameleon husbandry. It's tricky to get that first "meeting of the minds" . Usually store owners/workers are hyper-sensitive to criticism so if you want to help them, slip into that roll on an upbeat note. I'd suggest maybe something like: "Wow, I really like working with chameleons. Is it ok if I help with misting this chameleon?" "Would it be ok if I removed some of the crickets?" ..."Sometimes chameleons can get stressed with too many feeders to choose from"... And so on. Hopefully you can turn things around at the store before it gets worse. I've been given chameleons from stores and also rehabbed them and returned them (good learning experience).

 

[Huey08]

This might be an interesting read for you:

http://www.chameleonnews.com/?page=article&id=103

-Brad

Good article from someone else's first hand experience, thanks for the link.

 

[desultadox]

Contacting the authorities seems logical, but that may not play out in reality. It's a safe bet the SPCA deals with puppies and kittens all the time, but probably wouldn't know much about reptiles, especially chameleons, which have very specific needs. They would probably be satisfied with a glass terrarium, heat lamp, water bowl, and bowl of mealworms. Sure you could try to educate them, but they don't know that you're not just some angry customer whose lizard died 2 weeks out of refund period and are looking to strike back.

That being said, I would still make the attempt.

 

[Dave Weldon]

Contacting the authorities seems logical, but that may not play out in reality. It's a safe bet the SPCA deals with puppies and kittens all the time, but probably wouldn't know much about reptiles, especially chameleons, which have very specific needs. They would probably be satisfied with a glass terrarium, heat lamp, water bowl, and bowl of mealworms. Sure you could try to educate them, but they don't know that you're not just some angry customer whose lizard died 2 weeks out of refund period and are looking to strike back.

That being said, I would still make the attempt.

Howdy Chris,

Your post reminded me of a similar situation a year or two ago where a reptile store was inspected and they were cited for not having water bowls in the chameleon enclosures. Even though an automated misting was in place at the time, the inspectors have to follow their rules. I called the inspector's office and explained the situation. They gave a verbal wavier .

The story back in 2006: https://www.chameleonforums.com/no-good-deed-goes-1751/

 

[lbesok]

Yea i was just reading about that on melleridiscovery.com, do you happen to own one? I checked out your site, your breeders are gorgeous!

After reading melleridiscovery, is there any that owns two of them? do they seem to be happier seeing each other or being kept alone and secluded?

Thanks!

Andrew, I am the proud owner of two Melleri, Rambo and She-ra. They were purchased WC from a reputable supplier at the Orlando, FL reptile show last month. I appreciate your kind words in regarts to my site and my breeders, I try hard to keep everyone happy and healthy.
$130 is a RIP OFF! The pair we got was only $50 more than that
As others have already said Melleri are more difficult for many reasons, right off being WC and being in the situation makes things more challenging. They require tuns of food and a HUGE enclosure.
To answer your question about their temperament, while they are social animals, some specific animals may decide to be anti-social. So IMO it is a case by case situation. If I were going to provide my Melleri with a reptarium type set up, it was recommended to keep them separate. Now that they are in a huge enclosure they have their space to remain in their own territories if preferred.
Anyone considering Melleri should be one with http://www.melleridiscovery.com and be more than prepared when they bring their new babies home, which includes having an experienced vet on hand.
I wish you much luck, and I really do hope a good fate for that chameleon, but it sounds so horribly unlikely

 

[desultadox]

Howdy Chris,

Your post reminded me of a similar situation a year or two ago where a reptile store was inspected and they were cited for not having water bowls in the chameleon enclosures. Even though an automated misting was in place at the time, the inspectors have to follow their rules. I called the inspector's office and explained the situation. They gave a verbal wavier .

The story back in 2006: https://www.chameleonforums.com/no-good-deed-goes-1751/

I hadn't read that thread before, but came to the same conclusion anyway, which is probably a testament to how obvious the issue is. I don't blame anybody for not knowing proper care of certain animals (rumor has it some animals are so finicky there are entire forums devoted to their care!), but how difficult would it be to supply them with some kind of database or documentation to refer to in the event that they are unsure of proper husbandry? Given all the abuse and neglect that runs rampant in the exotic pet world, I'm a bit maddened by the fact that Fish & Game would waste their time at a place like that, which is probably better than any reptile store I've ever seen.

 

[AndrewH]

hey thanks to everyone for their input,

But I'm sorry to say, I've decided not to purchase him.

I went down there this weekend and the one owner would not budge on his price, He was telling me that the meller would originally for about 200-300 dollars so I was already getting a great "deal."

I tried to talk to him about the size of his enclosure and conditions but his eyes just glazed over and told me they would move hims once he got a bit bigger and that they have raised proper and healthy chameleons like that one before and they all turned out fine.

I'm gonna go ahead and contact the aspca this week and see what they have to offer.

If anyone is in the area and would like to go check him out and think they could do him right let me know and I can send you the directions.

thanks again guys n gals

 

[Julirs]

Most WC Mellers run you about $100. He is really trying to rip you.

 

[Jeweledchameleons]

Adult WC mellers run 100 bucks.

 

[Kat77]

Yup, $100 is the price of the one I considered buying on First Choice Reptiles, and theirs aren't all beaten up. That is rediculous. DO contact ASPCA and keep us posted.

Maybe you should give him this web address too. What a moron.