I have fallen in love....please help

[CamC]

I have seen a beautiful Cham. I can't explain why she has captured my heart but she has. She is in a pet shop looking beautiful but sad. Noisy children are making her hide, scared, amongst the leaves. I am desperate to save her. My problems are as follows: :-(


1) I am a novice - never kept a reptile

2) I am vegetarian. I don't think I could cope with the insect side. My husband has said he would do it if he really had to but both of us feel terrible at the thought of condemning insects to death

3) I have been told by the pet shop that the Cham is female and have read that they live a lot shorter lives than males (about 2 years lifespan). It would break my heart if she died soon (who knows how old she already is?).

I'm going to to try and post some picS of her in a minute. Hopefully photobucket img code cit and pasted will work.

I have visited her several times and feel so sad for her :-(

I am not sure what I am asking of you! I found this forum earlier today and I suppose I want you to tell me to forget it and hope she finds a good home.


Xx

 

[CamC]

Here she is hiding after a little boy banned on the glass, shouted and screamed at her :-(

 

[CamC]

After little boy had gone she came out to see me

 

[CamC]

Another couple of nice pics:

 

[mcanham]

That's a male veiled chameleon. Easiest of the chameleons to care for. Eat veggies and insects. I would not buy it because you would be supporting the establishment that allows that sort of crap to happen. That of course is my opinion. You have no idea of its history nor do they (probably), and no idea of how it's been cared for. Too many variables are unknown. Close your eyes and walk away. Good luck.

 

[CamC]

 

[norcalChams]

I might be wrong but I think that she is really a he! He is also a veiled chameleon!

Knowledge is power. Do all the research you can on these forums so that you can create a suitable environment for the little fella.

Oh yah and if you really want to have a chameleon you are gonna have to sooner or later look past the condemning insects part. LOL!!!

 

[CamC]

Thank you Mcan and Norcal for your prompt replies.

Wow at 'her' being male! That does not reflect well at all on the pet shop. You are probably right, God knows how they are caring for cham given they don't even know the bloody gender.

I know I have to be strong and ignore this poor Cham. Why do I want to visit her tomorrow though?!

 

[FrankTheTank]

That's a male veiled chameleon. Easiest of the chameleons to care for. Eat veggies and insects. I would not buy it because you would be supporting the establishment that allows that sort of crap to happen. That of course is my opinion. You have no idea of its history nor do they (probably), and no idea of how it's been cared for. Too many variables are unknown. Close your eyes and walk away. Good luck.

I agree. I told someone else the same thing today. "Rescuing" these animals sends a bad message to pet shop owners. They just want to make a buck. They don't care about how the animals are treated as long as they sell before they die. There isn't much you can do but walk away. Maybe if one of them dies, it will prevent them from getting more, or even learning how to take care of these animals so that they can live and prosper.

 

[CamC]

Thank you Frank. I am relieved that you are all telling me to walk away. I think he looks so thoughtful and sad that he has totally drawn me in.
Is he a particularly beautiful Cham or do they all look that lovely?

 

[CamC]

Also, could anyone guess how old he is? Thanks

 

[FrankTheTank]

Thank you Frank. I am relieved that you are all telling me to walk away. I think he looks so thoughtful and sad that he has totally drawn me in.
Is he a particularly beautiful Cham or do they all look that lovely?

He is very pretty. I love all of the blues in his color. I had a veiled and he was not as pretty.

I'd say he's at least 8 months. But I could be wrong.

 

[CamC]

Thank you, Frank. It is good to know that I might be able to resist other Chameleons given that this one is an extra pretty beast. I have never seen one before and i am not going to go looking for one again! I hope someone knowledgeable buys him soon.

Just out of interest, do chams like to come out of the cage and sit on you and be held or do they run about and hiss/hate contact? I had hamsters before and I loved holding them, they even slept on me.

I really appreciate all the help.

 

[symphonica]

As others have said, consider this guy to be a martyr, losing his own life to hopefully prevent others from being in his shoes in the future.

 

[carol5208]

I am going to against the majority here as I believe in buying a pet to give it a better home than it has! It is a male Veild as stated and it looks to be in quite good health from what I can see. It is not like you would be taking on a sickly chameleon. If you cannot feed live bugs, then do not get it. That would be my only reason to tell you not to. As far as how to keep this guy healthy, we can all help you with that, tell you what you need to buy and what to do. There is great debate over handling chameleons, but many of them are very friendly and it just can take some time for them to warm up to you. I say if you can handle feeding live bugs, then GET him!

 

[TNChameleon]

Well said Carol. I agree 100%..... It might of came out because it was hoping that you would open your heart and place him in a better home.

 

[CamC]

People, I am honestly torn. If he ate fruit and veg only or even cat and dog food tinned or dried I would save him tomorrow. It is the live insect part. I can't do it. He is such a thoughtful chap.
If anyone in the UK who is experienced and can offer a good home wants this beautiful boy then please PM for details. I will tell you where he is for sale. I am going to go and see him again tomorrow xx

 

[Swayne8998]

Wow, what a beautiful male veiled! Looks just like my boy when I got him It's nice to see you have a heart for saving the guy.

Unfortunately, chameleons are one of, if not the toughest reptiles to take care of and it would help to have some previous reptile experience. They require very specific needs in all aspects of their habitat, and they will need a variety of insects, which really are not all that bad to take care of.

If you plan to adopt him, make sure you get everything set up for him--probably a 24x24x48in screen cage for the size of him (he looks close to about 8 months to a year old), along with the plants, climbing material, lighting, supplements, insects, and misting system. Feel free to ask questions on the forum about all of these, this is the best place to get genuine cham info.

The choice ultimately comes down to if you are ready for the commitment or not. It's a big responsibility, but definitely worth it. Best wishes

 

[TNChameleon]

People, I am honestly torn. If he ate fruit and veg only or even cat and dog food tinned or dried I would save him tomorrow. It is the live insect part. I can't do it. He is such a thoughtful chap.
If anyone in the UK who is experienced and can offer a good home wants this beautiful boy then please PM for details. I will tell you where he is for sale. I am going to go and see him again tomorrow xx

Remember the more you see him the more you will adore him.......Your best bet is if you can't handle the bug thing (Feeding) Then ask around for him to find him a home. If you keep seeing him your heart will give in..........

 

[Carlton]

Thank you Mcan and Norcal for your prompt replies.

Wow at 'her' being male! That does not reflect well at all on the pet shop. You are probably right, God knows how they are caring for cham given they don't even know the bloody gender.

I know I have to be strong and ignore this poor Cham. Why do I want to visit her tomorrow though?!

A couple of things that may make walking away a little easier:

He looks pretty healthy actually.

Chams don't hear higher frequency sounds well at all. The shop noise and kids yelling wouldn't really bother one.

Chams don't really show emotions in their face...he can't really look sad. They just look the way they look. Skin color change is how they show emotion. If the cham was extremely stressed or frightened it would be very dark. Doesn't look that way in your pics.

There's no way you could own one without feeding it insects. Just can't happen.