For the dogs!

[JonRich]

Hello All,

I haven't been on in a bit. But something today happened that made me want to address this with the forum.

Whats your take on placing a leash on your Cham?

Lets start by saying that I am 100% against it. Its worse than grabbing a Cham in my honest opinion.

Clifnotes: Today on a social media site i was tagged in the attached photos. It shows the owner "walking" her Cham on a makeshift nylon leash. I simply stated that this was a "bad idea" and proceeded to list reasons why i thought so. ei: abrasive on their sensitive skin and restrictive and uncomfortable in this case.

She thought i was "being mean" and insisted that her Cham was "happy", "tame" and "enjoyed" this act. Looks like my comments were deleted and i was blocked shortly after. Which is her right. But what disturbed me the most was in her parting comment she said that she "did her research" and apparently this was fine. I was just wondering where did she source this information..

~Discuss

 

[laurie]

I think I can safely tell you the research my most likely from a equally stupid friend or it was all inside a really thick skull. That rates right up there with baths instead of showers. Sadly we seem to be getting more and more people who want to think their chams are like cats and dogs and respond as the animals do.

 

[JonRich]

I think I can safely tell you the research my most likely from a equally stupid friend or it was all inside a really thick skull. That rates right up there with baths instead of showers. Sadly we seem to be getting more and more people who want to think their chams are like cats and dogs and respond as the animals do.

My thoughts exactly Laurie..


By the way Laurieeeeeeeeee!! :hugs:

~Jon

 

[laurie]

Hugs back to you!! Where have you been? I miss you, and pictures, I love your pictures.

 

[JonRich]

Hugs back to you!! Where have you been? I miss you, and pictures, I love your pictures.

Been pretty busy with work and family. Still have a few Chams, but mostly geckos and frogs. , haha.

Recently i've had more time , so i'll be posting a bit more in the near future. Do you still keep L.williamsi?

 

[Rufi0]

I just don't understand why she would need to. They are not the fastest animals in the world so if you're keeping an eye on your cham he / she isn't exactly going to get away from you. I can only see potential disaster giving false confidence that you can allow your cham to climb higher into a tree / bush than you normally would and it getting tangled up / or being in a situation where you are forced to pull the leash.

I remember seeing this and noted the size available for chameleons and thought it was weird.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i073a957qhI

Maybe her source of information was she saw a product mislabel it for use with chameleons and so she made her own.

 

[JonRich]

I just don't understand why she would need to. They are not the fastest animals in the world so if you're keeping an eye on your cham he / she isn't exactly going to get away from you. I can only see potential disaster giving false confidence that you can allow your cham to climb higher into a tree / bush than you normally would and it getting tangled up / or being in a situation where you are forced to pull the leash.

I remember seeing this and noted the size available for chameleons and thought it was weird.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i073a957qhI

Maybe her source of information was she saw a product mislabel it for use with chameleons and so she made her own.

Haha. I mentioned them not being fast creatures. Her reply was "she gets lost in the grass and mulch easily. ".. At this point , i just assume she had already made up her mind about this being a "good idea" or was just being a sore looser and didn't know when to admit that it was a bad idea.

 

[odduc748]

Just wrong.

 

[ChamDE86]

It's a social media world out there. Anything to garner a few likes for the sole purpose of getting attention. I'm sure the cham turned out fine, but others will mimic this act or try to come up with one more clever, and that is where it gets iffy. I'm not sure how I feel about it though. It is definitely not something I would do, but feel as if it's one of those things we cannot control. I guess it could be worse...it's far better than most Petco chams living condition.

 

[nightanole]

Not to poke the bear, but nylon rope is one of the softest least abrasive ropes they make. While i dont leash my cham, all my other faster scale covered family members get hand my leashes made of leather and nylon.

Do we have any blacking of the skin pics around the area, or just turd colored vieleds with it on?

 

[mhfan305]

It's a social media world out there. Anything to garner a few likes for the sole purpose of getting attention. I'm sure the cham turned out fine, but others will mimic this act or try to come up with one more clever, and that is where it gets iffy. I'm not sure how I feel about it though. It is definitely not something I would do, but feel as if it's one of those things we cannot control. I guess it could be worse...it's far better than most Petco chams living condition.

The veiled chameleons at my local petco look horrible. They all sit with there eyes closed and in a bundle. They look super skinny. Plus they have them in glass terrarium that gets no air circulation. I would tell them how to take care of them but I dont want to be rude. Anyways, back on topic...yeah you shouldnt leash a reptile.

 

[zlew]

The veiled chameleons at my local petco look horrible. They all sit with there eyes closed and in a bundle. They look super skinny. Plus they have them in glass terrarium that gets no air circulation. I would tell them how to take care of them but I dont want to be rude. Anyways, back on topic...yeah you shouldnt leash a reptile.

So what you're saying is that you would let them suffer just because you don't want to be rude?

 

[JonRich]

Not to poke the bear, but nylon rope is one of the softest least abrasive ropes they make. While i dont leash my cham, all my other faster scale covered family members get hand my leashes made of leather and nylon.

Do we have any blacking of the skin pics around the area, or just turd colored vieleds with it on?

Understood, but a Cham is not a desert reptile like a Beardie or Monitor. Its skin will eventually ware at the contact points. The owner mentioned that as the weather gets warmer this will become a common practice.

 

[Blink]

Same with the Petco near me. They always have these poor little babies, at least two or three of them, in a tank with a little fake plant to sit on, a bowl of water, crickets bigger than their heads (usually dead in the substrate), and humid of less than 20% (how is that even possible in a tank?!?!). Almost always have their eyes closed. I had a "chat" with them. Did they change anything? No. Most of the time, telling pet stores like that how to care for their animals doesn't usually work.

And a leash on a chameleon is just downright wrong... IMO

 

[MelissaB]

One of the dumbest things I've seen in a while. I can't understand why she would want one on a chameleon. I see a lot of possible issues with it. It's not like you could leave it tied out and walk away. A predator would love having prey that can't run away.

 

[LilBlue]

I don't agree with leashes on any reptile. Maybe this instead?
(not my lizard)

 

[mhfan305]

So what you're saying is that you would let them suffer just because you don't want to be rude?

I have done it before, and sometimes they give me attitude, or just say ok thanks for letting us know. And then nothing changes. Last time I was in petco a month ago, I could have said something, but I didnt feel like someone giving me an attitude. So I let it be.

 

[OldChamKeeper]

Dumbest damn idea in a long time. The animal's physiology is just not meant for it.


Dumb people will defend their conveniences to the end, just be there with a good stick for a thumping when they realize their mistake and add to their headache.

 

[lovelychams]

Poor little guy.

 

[Trace]

You got to love the chameleon groups on social media! They are good in that they introduce people to the hobby and to each other but unfortunately what stems out of the groups are individuals that have a following. What is concerning is the popularity of these keepers, their admirers and how much influence they have in these groups and on newcomers to the hobby. Their experience, which isn’t necessarily wrong for their personal situation, is taken as accepted legitimate husbandry practices across the board. Inexperienced keepers read these posts, see the photos and aren’t necessarily going to know the difference. I honestly think a lot (not all) of those groups do a disservice to the hobby and are potentially breeding a new generation of bad keepers.