chameleonman57
New Member
Anilr16 you are so true.
Just the average Pet Store visit
- Thread starter wickella
- Start date
tkilgour
Member
Whats next? Pet stores carrying Chameleons in little cricket keepers?....Oh wait, nevermind lol.
Yes, the pet store at my house has a baby veiled in a cricket keeper, I yelled at the manager.
rmhawk
New Member
wow thats horrible
That employee needs to be dropped from a 2 story building so he knows how it feels. If he gets up, then assume he is fine and needs no medical attention.
sinisterchameleon23
New Member
i can not stand the employees at the petco next to my house when i bought my veiled cham Scoop the employee tried shoving her in a little plastic container and i said thats way too small and he said it doesnt matter......
Carlton
Chameleon Enthusiast
I know we all want to wring their #$%^& necks when we see all this bad info being passed on, but I've found a few tricks that helped me get the message across to the new owners, made me feel a bit better, and hopefully saved that poor cham's life. Remember the old saying about flies, honey and vinegar.
First, I act all excited for them "oh wow, what a beautiful cham! It's a veiled (or whatever), right?"...etc. They are excited and hopefully a bit overwhelmed. Don't put them on the defensive at first or they'll turn you off. Draw them in cheerfully and then pounce with info.
You want them to think they are joining a privileged club of which you are a member and that you are on their side. Mention how much you love YOUR OWN chams and start chatting about interesting things they do, their names, your setups, and then THEIR new setup. This gives you the opportunity to talk about what to use for your own setups in the local climate, how YOU handle the cham or not (OK, lie...tell them you have kids the same age and that none of your chams like to be played with or bite despite handling...its just the way chams are wired.). Be nice, be helpful, offer a website or phone number for questions. Give them the name of a great vet (they'll need it probably). Just bowl them over, not with commands (you must do this, you must do that), but with suggestions (I've found this works better than that, my chams prefer this, not that). If they are sticking to the shop employee's bad info, you can whisper that they are a little out of date or trying to sell more supplies and that you have been there and moved on to better advice. Offer the website info to back up what YOU say. After all, they don't know you and don't have any reason to trust what you say over the pet shop. If they realize you are a cham keeper too it helps a lot. Besides, isn't it nice to get to know other cham lovers in your area? I think so.
First, I act all excited for them "oh wow, what a beautiful cham! It's a veiled (or whatever), right?"...etc. They are excited and hopefully a bit overwhelmed. Don't put them on the defensive at first or they'll turn you off. Draw them in cheerfully and then pounce with info.
You want them to think they are joining a privileged club of which you are a member and that you are on their side. Mention how much you love YOUR OWN chams and start chatting about interesting things they do, their names, your setups, and then THEIR new setup. This gives you the opportunity to talk about what to use for your own setups in the local climate, how YOU handle the cham or not (OK, lie...tell them you have kids the same age and that none of your chams like to be played with or bite despite handling...its just the way chams are wired.). Be nice, be helpful, offer a website or phone number for questions. Give them the name of a great vet (they'll need it probably). Just bowl them over, not with commands (you must do this, you must do that), but with suggestions (I've found this works better than that, my chams prefer this, not that). If they are sticking to the shop employee's bad info, you can whisper that they are a little out of date or trying to sell more supplies and that you have been there and moved on to better advice. Offer the website info to back up what YOU say. After all, they don't know you and don't have any reason to trust what you say over the pet shop. If they realize you are a cham keeper too it helps a lot. Besides, isn't it nice to get to know other cham lovers in your area? I think so.
sinisterchameleon23
New Member
ur right but the thing i cant stand is the employes' lack of knowlage of their own animal!
jojackson
New Member
I think its important, weeather you buy there or not, to keep these petstore owners aware that you are not happy with the level of care and respect afforded their for sale captives of any species.
Unhappy (non Buying) customers will hit them in the hip pocket hopefully.
Nice approach, Much better, If it works! Sometimes it wont though. But I like positive!
Unhappy (non Buying) customers will hit them in the hip pocket hopefully.
Nice approach, Much better, If it works! Sometimes it wont though. But I like positive!
Carlton
Chameleon Enthusiast
Oh I know. Consider the kinds of people hired by pet shops...they aren't paying them much at all, so tend to get inexperienced young people who can figure out a cash register or clean up. Managers for those chain stores are hired for their ability to turn a profit and manage a stockroom, not animals. Most of us who do have chams or care about them aren't looking for work in a pet shop. I used to volunteer in a decent local herp shop on weekends in exchange for supply discounts just so I could help buyers with chams and leaftail geckos. Well, I was in there buying something almost every week anyway. Not all managers will want something like this, but for us it worked well.
jojackson
New Member
Well thats cool, Im sure Id rather hire folk who cared and were enjoying the animals, enjoying their care and getting paid for it and having fun, than anyone who was bored sh**less and didnt care less.
Its a great idea, not only to educate others but to learn more yourself and get paid for hanging out with cool herps!
Its a great idea, not only to educate others but to learn more yourself and get paid for hanging out with cool herps!
Carlton
Chameleon Enthusiast
No, it doesn't always work, but every time it does it means a healthy cham and a few more educated pet owners. Some people are just jerks who won't care no matter what you try. I found the majority of people I talked to in a friendly enthusiastic way really wanted to do the right thing for their new cham. Even when talking people out of a sale or steering them toward a much better choice. Sometimes suggesting that their kids will be upset when they see their pet get sick and die miserably does the trick. Nothing wrong with that. Sometimes a kid turns out to be a great keeper. You just don't know.
