I want honest opinions please...

[Texas Panther Man]

Based on the look of him in that pic on the day he arrived I'd say he was already dehydrated prior to you receiving him and the stress of shipping was probably more than his compromised body could take. Your dealing with an animal with very little body weight so it doesnt take long for them to go beyond the point of no return. Dehydration affects everything skin, internal organs, they are all affected by lack of water. You misting him was the right thing to do but if his kidneys or other organs were damaged already all the misting in the world wont help.

I hope this experience doesnt make you give up on chams. We all have lost a cham or two and learned from our mistakes. Just dont repeat the same ones over again. Next time make sure you get an animal thats at least 6" total length they are past the real fragile stage by that size. Getting chams that small theres really a very small margin for error for the novice keeper.

 

[Drakonia13]

I'm too stubborn to give up. I wouldn't have admitted him in the animal hospital if I wasn't prepared to give it my all. My mom and I worked toward this a long time and she wouldn't want me to give up God rest her soul. I will gladly take the advice of seeking a larger male and I thank you truly for the advice.

 

[Tay And A]

That was not a healthy Cham at all! Shame on that "breeder" for making it seem like you did something wrong! They just want to keep your money. That's sad! You should ask them to replace the Cham, give you a discount on another one, or just give you your money back! That's what a good business owner would do! Sorry for all the pain u have had to go through! I learned a valuable lesson on here....only buy Chams from site sponsors and or senior members. To me it shows their dedication to chameleons. I know I myself am not a senior member yet but I am working on getting there! Anywho I've discovered that these members are the most trustworthy!

 

[Cainschams]

I agree, that cham was sickly when you got it The size doesnt look too bad for shipping but as was said, it should have weighed more. That is a bummer

Its a shame that a breeder can even think of selling a cham in that shape. The price these animals go for they should be perfect. Even if it was in 100% health it would have still had battle marks all over it like you can see in the pic.

I would contact the breeder, show them this thread and hope for a refund. If not, plaster them on fuanaclassifieds.com BOI section. Make sure you notify the seller of what you did, post both yours and his emails etc. Post the pics. Im sure anyone who looks at your thread will have the same thought as us.

 

[shaunaroxanne]

Just a thought.....was a heat pack used to ship him? If so, how close was it to the animal? I ask because he looks really light in color coming out of the deli cup, which could indicate heat stress. Maybe the poor guy got really over-heated in his shipping container...which would cause all kinds of problems. This is purely a theory and I could be way off, but I'm just a little curious about the heat pack.

 

[ReptileLove18]

Just a thought.....was a heat pack used to ship him? If so, how close was it to the animal? I ask because he looks really light in color coming out of the deli cup, which could indicate heat stress. Maybe the poor guy got really over-heated in his shipping container...which would cause all kinds of problems. This is purely a theory and I could be way off, but I'm just a little curious about the heat pack.

the deli cup pic was several days after he got home. the second pic where he was on the new owners hands was the day he arrived.
im curious if a heat pack was used as well tho

 

[shaunaroxanne]

the deli cup pic was several days after he got home. the second pic where he was on the new owners hands was the day he arrived.
im curious if a heat pack was used as well tho

Yes, you are right, and he actually looks even more washed out in that pic, but maybe a flash was used.....

 

[ReptileLove18]

i thought he looked washed out too. i just think its sad, he shouldnt have been sold in that shape.. its always heart breaking to lose a baby like that

 

[Dr O]

hi drakonia—


check your PM’s since you didn’t get the last one until today. i’ve got one waiting for you!

 

[Cainschams]

That is a good thought, Shauna. This happens a good bit I think. This is why I like using bags instead of deli cups. The heat can build up quickly in the box and even quicker in a deli cup.

 

[ReptileLove18]

That is a good thought, Shauna. This happens a good bit I think. This is why I like using bags instead of deli cups. The heat can build up quickly in the box and even quicker in a deli cup.

this brings up a good question to ask a breeder when having a cham shipped to you. are they being shipped with a heating pad and if so are they in a deli cup or a bag? may make a huge difference in the health of the cham when it arrives

 

[midcoastchameleon]

I know this has been addressed already, but i figured I would throw this out there. I remember your original post, the photo you attached was shocking..and put a cringe in my spine. The young man, who has now past on, was unfortunately what i refer to as SUA..Sick Upon Arrival. His eyes sunken, his appearance of being dehydrated and malnourished clearly evident. One can only imagine MBD in the making along with many other possible health issues. In my honest and humble opinion, you did your best to provide adequate care for a cham that was very much in need of some tender love and caring. As for your little man who has passed "May the wind always be on your back and the sun upon your face and may the winds of destiny carry you aloft to dance with the stars."

 

[Drakonia13]

Just a thought.....was a heat pack used to ship him? If so, how close was it to the animal? I ask because he looks really light in color coming out of the deli cup, which could indicate heat stress. Maybe the poor guy got really over-heated in his shipping container...which would cause all kinds of problems. This is purely a theory and I could be way off, but I'm just a little curious about the heat pack.

There were two heat packs, and he was quite black and white when I first opened his deli cup. The picture of him light colored is about five minutes after I got him calmed down. He came out biting lol. And yes flash was used because without it was blurry. Bad lighting in that room.
This is him right out of the cup. (Please ignore my laundry basket lol)

 

[Drakonia13]

So last night late in the evening, the breeder of Hicks called me at home. They did concede that if there were a deficiency that caused the hard shed, I couldn’t have caused it in that time frame. However, they don’t feel there was a deficiency so we continued to talk while they tried to determine why Hicks died. After an hour or so, they finally determined we weren’t going to find a cause we were both satisfied with. In the end we both accepted some causality and agreed to a solution. I just wanted to let everyone with kind words know the breeder did make it right and we worked things out amicably.

 

[Olimpia]

Awesome, I knew you could work something out if you approached them maturely. Most breeders are good people and want to do right by customers.

 

[twinzell]

If that was the day you got him, the breeder definitely knew something was wrong with him. I would ask the breeder for another chameleon or blast his name everywhere you could.