Carlton
Chameleon Enthusiast
I've hardly ever seen chams offered for sale up here, but just the other day was surprised to see two juvenile veileds at a mom-pop pet shop/feed store/nursery. Of course they weren't set up very well, but they did have UV lighting and didn't look terrible...yet. Yes, a CF coil type bulb. Typical plexi/glass terrarium with one or two inadequate branches, no live foliage, and a dish of crickets in the bottom. One of the chams (they are probably about 2.5 months old) was hanging upside down under the light getting its first thermal burn, the other was clinging to the tip of a branch leaning against the glass. There really was nowhere else to go. There was no water dish so I have to assume they were spraying them. Deja vue all over again. When I asked the person behind the desk how long they'd had them they said they were new...just arrived, and they were all excited to see them.
I don't want to insult these folks right off the bat as they seem pretty decent about other things they carry, but it was hard not to start blurting out all the things that were wrong and why their brand new livestock was probably doomed. Anyone buying these little guys is going to have a long hard road with them. I don't keep chams here because I can't get any decent variety of live feeders reliably, there is no vet care available, and the climate is tough to counteract. If your cham ends up with any health problems a vet would need to help you treat you basically get to watch it die.
So, I was wimpily diplomatic...gave them a few really basic things to ease the stress on the two chams for the moment, gave them my phone number offering the shop or the buyers answers or any help at any time, and also gave them this web address. Just in case they decided I was some off-the-wall crank. Little do they know who lives in town...
I don't want to insult these folks right off the bat as they seem pretty decent about other things they carry, but it was hard not to start blurting out all the things that were wrong and why their brand new livestock was probably doomed. Anyone buying these little guys is going to have a long hard road with them. I don't keep chams here because I can't get any decent variety of live feeders reliably, there is no vet care available, and the climate is tough to counteract. If your cham ends up with any health problems a vet would need to help you treat you basically get to watch it die.
So, I was wimpily diplomatic...gave them a few really basic things to ease the stress on the two chams for the moment, gave them my phone number offering the shop or the buyers answers or any help at any time, and also gave them this web address. Just in case they decided I was some off-the-wall crank. Little do they know who lives in town...
