Literarily, horrified.

[UrbanChameleon]

I'm not sure if I should be posting this in the General or Health. So I apologize if my thread is in the incorrect place.

I am HORRIFIED.

I went on vacation to Chicago from Sunday to Friday. I just walked off of the train and came back home. I cannot even explain how I feel right now. I do not think the "Cham-sitter" did anything for my Chameleon and Crestie! I seriously want to cry right now, but I'm extremely livid at the same time. How could anyone have the responsibility of two lives and just do nothing? HOW?

This person has 15+ snakes, 4 spiders, 3 geckos, 2 dogs, etc. that I babysat this month. I even cleaned her house while she was gone, just to be nice. She is the only person I know with a ton of reptile experience. She put everything off, and didn't listen to a word I said. Everything was done incorrectly (if even done at all). I'm not sure what to do. I came home to 40 crickets (half dead) in a cup in my Chams cage. He doesn't even cup feed!!!!

I think what happened, is that they (my friend & her boyfriend) fed, cleaned, emptied water tray, etc. the first.. maybe second day. After that, they gave up.

Now I'm scared to death for my baby Chameleon and Crested Gecko. I don't know what they need. And I'm in the position that I've now lost my best friend of 10 years because she's too immature to do what she promised to do. I am never going out of town again and I'm truly heartbroken. I'm exhausted from the trip and really did not want to come home to this. I feel so disgusted.

What do I do? Are there any signs I need to watch for with my Chameleon? I put CGD in the Gecko cage (even though it's day time now). I took out the thousands of living/dead crickets roaming Loki's cage and in the cup. I know his humidity and heat have been fine because it's on a timer and Mistking. He ate 2 Butterworms from my hand. I ordered crix before I left to make sure they didn't have to worry about that, so that's $60 down the drain. I cleaned out the cricket bin and almost all were dead. The water crystals were completely dissolved.

I am so so so worried! Someone talk me down off a ledge. I'm about to murder the "Cham-sitter". I have no idea what my baby needs and I just want to give it to him.

 

[Psychobunny]

Okay, maybe I'm missing something, but besides the dead cricks, I dont understand why you are upset!!??

 

[clarkrw3]

I know how you feel!! I have been there. I came home to a similar situation only my Cham was injured too due to the person trying to take pictures and show off the tongue at full extension.
As far as the crestie I would give him a "sauna" bath for 15 min and tonight give some bugs. As long as it doesn't have any shed issues and isn't too dehydrated it should be fine. Your Cham should be good too as long as he is still eating for you that's a great sign. How does he look fat wise? Are his fat pads completely depleted? I would probably just feed as much As he will eat over the next few days to help him put some grams back on.

The one thing that I have learned since being into reptiles is snake people as a huge generalization do NOT understand the needs of lizards and chameleon. They are so use to something so low maintainance they don't comprehend what it takes to properly care of the reptiles we keep.

 

[AngieL]

I'm so sorry that you've been betrayed, that really sucks!

I've not had this experience before but what I would do is this

Hold off talking to your friend until you've calmed down a little, get your thoughts and exactly what you want to say together and then tell her how you feel.

If you were only away friday to sunday then it's only been a short time that your babies have not been cared for.

How are they looking? ok or bad? I would just start off like any other day, feed them and maybe give them some extra attention and hopefully they will be fine. The heat and humidity are the most important things that could have gone wrong (on a 3 day basis) and if this is all automated then I think they will be fine!

 

[Captive Creations]

I completely understand but i agree with clarkrw3. This is the exact reason why i havent been on vacation in a few year. Sometimes its best to find another chameleon owner to watch your cham. You could try posting for a sitter on here.i am sure they will be back to normal in no time. Good luck

 

[UrbanChameleon]

Thank you for all of your support guys.

Loki was awake (2 hours before lights on) when I got home. He looks alright. He shed right before I left for the 6 day trip. He usually gets wrinkles near his back right before that, but he has them now. He just ate about 5 Butterworms total, and is picking off some loose crickets in his cage as we speak. He did seem pretty hungry.

I'm very very very glad I bought the Mistking before I left. He would have probably been in bad shape if I didn't have the heat & humidity perfect. I'm waiting on a fecal to check how hydrated he is.

The reason I brought up the dead crickets is because, it makes it so obvious that they didn't do anything. I would have taken a pic, but I was so worried about getting them out of his cage. Basically, they threw 40-50 crickets (in a cup) and left it in his cage for 2 days or so. I guess so they didn't have to waste 5 minutes of their precious day. And when I walked to the cricket bin, they hadn't been fed or watered since I did it. Which makes me wonder.. did Loki eat, did he over-eat (ie the cup of 50 crix), was he over or under supplemented? He seems hungry, so I'm just observing and doing what I think is best. He needs to get back on his schedule.

I will be sure to care for the Crestie as well. I put food in and covered his cage with a blanket. Hopefully he will think it's night-time and eat. Thank you for the advice. I make sure Phoenix is well fed and hydrated today. One thing that doesn't make sense is that these people put a WATER BOWL in the Crestie cage. A water bowl filled with water!!! What the crap? They have a Crested Gecko and they know they drink from the leaves. There are so many things amiss here and it's not adding up.

I'm going to spend the day with the animals, and calming myself down. The sitter has my house key, so I'm going to have to see her soon. But I'm too upset and angry to worry about that now. I really hope this doesn't happen to anyone else. Jan should start a "Cham-sitting" service. She would get rich quick, I can tell you that much. Lol.

Thanks so much for the support everyone. I feel lost and really needed to rant. If anyone else has some horrible vacation stories, feel free to share. They make me feel less alone about the situation.

 

[Hoj]

So sorry to hear you came home to that. I too have had a similar experience. I came home to a baby panther with a dozen or so adult crickets roaming the cage and a bowl of water had been added cause spraying was too much work, urghhh
Everyone turned out ok but still a frustrating exp,

 

[clarkrw3]

Thank you for all of your support guys.



I will be sure to care for the Crestie as well. I put food in and covered his cage with a blanket. Hopefully he will think it's night-time and eat. Thank you for the advice. I make sure Phoenix is well fed and hydrated today. One thing that doesn't make sense is that these people put a WATER BOWL in the Crestie cage. A water bowl filled with water!!! What the crap? They have a Crested Gecko and they know they drink from the leaves. There are so many things amiss here and it's not adding up.

Well...I breed cresties and I put a water dish in every cage even hatchling cages. Granted they are small. Most (sub-adult) get small bottle caps for food and water and get changed out every other day. I have seen many of my geckos drink from the bottle caps. They also get misted every night and hatchlings twice a day. I don't agree with giving them a water dish they can crawl inside of but a small one is a must in my husbandry....just fyi

 

[ISA my Veiled]

I hate when people are trusted to do things like that for you and completely "F-Off". Its disrespectful, especially when they are your good friends and slap you in the face like that. Maybe you can talk to them without arguing and just explain to them how important your chameleon and other animals are to you and you really thought they would do a better job. Hope they get better!

 

[UrbanChameleon]

I know how you feel!! I have been there. I came home to a similar situation only my Cham was injured too due to the person trying to take pictures and show off the tongue at full extension.
As far as the crestie I would give him a "sauna" bath for 15 min and tonight give some bugs. As long as it doesn't have any shed issues and isn't too dehydrated it should be fine. Your Cham should be good too as long as he is still eating for you that's a great sign. How does he look fat wise? Are his fat pads completely depleted? I would probably just feed as much As he will eat over the next few days to help him put some grams back on.

The one thing that I have learned since being into reptiles is snake people as a huge generalization do NOT understand the needs of lizards and chameleon. They are so use to something so low maintainance they don't comprehend what it takes to properly care of the reptiles we keep.

I would have been devastated if I came home to an injury. How did you handle the situation with the sitter? I'm not so sure what to do. If it was anyone else I would tell them what's on my mind, in a semi-polite manner. But because it's a long time friend, I'm afraid to even say anything. I'll probably be passive aggressive, not speak to them for a while, and never let them watch my animals again. If it wasn't my closest friend, it wouldn't be awkward like this.

And I whole heartedly agree with your statement about snake people. They DO NOT understand. They think we are just over protective and uptight, but that's not the case at all. Chameleons need certain types of care every single day. You can't "put things off" or just let something slide. It's really annoying how they don't understand. I've made this very clear to them for a long time, and I put my animal in their care. What would they have done if he died? Just say sorry? Sadly I live in a very small town. Even the people that own Chameleons, have no idea how to care for them.

I would rather get someone completely trust worthy, that will follow my directions, whom has never owned a reptile. Then someone who has multiple reptiles, and just blows it off.

I completely understand but i agree with clarkrw3. This is the exact reason why i havent been on vacation in a few year. Sometimes its best to find another chameleon owner to watch your cham. You could try posting for a sitter on here.i am sure they will be back to normal in no time. Good luck

I know exactly what you mean. I haven't gone out of town since I started keeping Chams. This was the first time I put my trust in someone else, when it comes to my animals. Chameleons can live up to 5 years, some even longer. You have to expect to go out of town at least once in that time span. As much as we love our animals, we still have our human lives to tend to. If only others understood that being a "Cham-sitter" is just as important as being a "baby sitter".

So sorry to hear you came home to that. I too have had a similar experience. I came home to a baby panther with a dozen or so adult crickets roaming the cage and a bowl of water had been added cause spraying was too much work, urghhh
Everyone turned out ok but still a frustrating exp,

True that. It's a lot scarier with a youngin' too. They have particular requirements that need to be met for their growing bodies. An adult Cham could handle much more than a baby. You'd think writing 10 pages of "how to's" and the schedule, on top of showing them how to do everything yourself wouldn't be too hard to figure out. I spent hours writing down everything so they could refer to it if needed. The papers are sitting in the same spot and haven't been moved. People suck. Why can't we all just be Chameleons? Lol.

 

[UrbanChameleon]

Well...I breed cresties and I put a water dish in every cage even hatchling cages. Granted they are small. Most (sub-adult) get small bottle caps for food and water and get changed out every other day. I have seen many of my geckos drink from the bottle caps. They also get misted every night and hatchlings twice a day. I don't agree with giving them a water dish they can crawl inside of but a small one is a must in my husbandry....just fyi

Yes I use bottle caps for everything with my Crestie. They are sturdy and disposable. The water dish in question, is a large Exo Terra dish. I could fit about 6-7 Phoenix's in there. He's only about 6 months old. Phoenix is a tiny little fella. Thank you for the advice. I don't know anyone that uses a small water bowl for them. He's always done pretty well with the misting, but that would be good as an extra precaution.

I really want to move him into the 18x18x24 Exo I've got. He's so little, but the cage he's in now doesn't have enough room for climbing, hides, etc. Do you think a 6 month old would do okay in an enclosure that size? I think he would be much happier, but I need to make sure he can find his food.

 

[clarkrw3]

She was my cousin and I never said anything to her....just found someone else to watch them in the future. I honestly doubt they ment to do things wrong. They are just lazy and think they know better than you and that you are being over protective etc. You can see in my sig how many animals I have to take care of everyday, and it takes time and effort. But it is much easier to do it and do it right than always having to deal with problems because I am too lazy to address things the right way everyday.

 

[clarkrw3]

Yes I use bottle caps for everything with my Crestie. They are sturdy and disposable. The water dish in question, is a large Exo Terra dish. I could fit about 6-7 Phoenix's in there. He's only about 6 months old. Phoenix is a tiny little fella. Thank you for the advice. I don't know anyone that uses a small water bowl for them. He's always done pretty well with the misting, but that would be good as an extra precaution.

I really want to move him into the 18x18x24 Exo I've got. He's so little, but the cage he's in now doesn't have enough room for climbing, hides, etc. Do you think a 6 month old would do okay in an enclosure that size? I think he would be much happier, but I need to make sure he can find his food.

I do everything based on weight. They probably would do ok but I have never put anything but adults in an exo that large. I know people that house clutch mates in 12x12x18 but they also have tail loss issues and stuck shed issues

I put babies (hatch to 5g) into 6.5qt Husky bins and house each by it's self. At about 5g I move them to 29qt Husky bins where they stay till about 20g. At that point they go into larger 50ish qt bins or into an Exo Terra. Breeding pairs or trios are in 18x18x25 exos or in 92qt bins. The problem with exo terra's if set up as naturalistic viv's is that you will ALWAYS have to go digging for eggs which isn't fun. I have NEVER had a female lay in a laying bin if they were housed in a planted viv I wish they would because I would love to have all my adults in naturalistic viv's all the time.

 

[UrbanChameleon]

She was my cousin and I never said anything to her....just found someone else to watch them in the future. I honestly doubt they ment to do things wrong. They are just lazy and think they know better than you and that you are being over protective etc. You can see in my sig how many animals I have to take care of everyday, and it takes time and effort. But it is much easier to do it and do it right than always having to deal with problems because I am too lazy to address things the right way everyday.

Well said Clark. It's always best to do things the right way. Taking shortcuts just leads to problems, which leads to more time. Most everyone learns from their own mistakes, which is fine. But with animals, you lose a life. And I'd rather they do that with their own animals, not mine.

People should not think "I know best". There will always be someone who has more experience, and/or a better education. And that goes for anything in life. That is a good lesson to be learned for any Chameleon owner. We do not need to do everything the same way, but we can eliminate rookie mistakes by taking advice from those with more experience. In my opinion, ignorance is the least attractive attribute a human can have.

By the way.. I never noticed how many animals you have! You must be one busy guy. Haha! I had no idea that you bred Crestie's either. You sound like me in 5 years. Lol.

 

[Zubi]

So have you talked to your friend and found out why they completely f###ed up?

 

[Shawntea]

We went away for a week out of state and the best sitter ever turned out to be a 10 year old girl and her 8 year old brother from across the street. They properly and carefully cared for our jackson, beardie, pygmy colony, 4 rabbits, 4 guinea pigs, and 3 fish tanks. They are just kids and they did the best job I've ever seen. I think they took pride in us trusting them so much with our animals!

 

[Ulrich]

It is a very terrible story of distrust. But your pets should be ok the least. Watch out for them for a while for any 'bad'digns. And talk to the sitter.

 

[carol5208]

I don't think 2 days would do any harm to any of your animals so that is good. As far as your friend, you have to decide if you want to keep your friendship or sever it over this incident. How important is this friendship to you? Many years ago, my teenage nephew stayed at our house for 10 days while we went out of town. Back then, all I had as far as pets was my dog. I found out from the neighbor that he left on Friday morning (driving my new car which he was told not too) and came back on Saturday night! That means my dog was not taken out, and had no food or water for two solid days!. Granted he drank out of toilet so he was probably ok on that! When we returned, my pool was green, the garbage was never put to the street...I could go on and on. Bottom line is, I never said a word to him, but I knew to NEVER ask him to stay at our house again. Don't get me wrong, I was PISSED! Being a relative it even complicated things more. Me, I would let it ride. Both your animals are ok and that is what really matters in the end.

 

[kokom05lb]

My husband wants to go vacation on December and I really don't know what to do with Ringo. I don't want to leave him by himself or a person that doesn't know anything about chameleons. I might be bringing ringo with us.

 

[Texas Panther Man]

To me friendship means helping others when in need. If that person was/is a good friend they would care enough about preserving that friendship by taking care of your animals properly. You gave them a detailed schedule of feedings & gutloading by the description in your prior posts. Sounds like your friend totally disregarded your schedule & didnt even bother to read the list you left her. In my estimation thats not a friend I need. I want my friends to treat me & mine as I treat them. So I'd have to tell her how disappointed I was in my chams cage when i returned and I'd ask why they didnt bother to feed & water the bugs/cricks. If she lies and tells you she did, then you know she's not a friend who can really be trusted. If your gonna lie to my face about something like this then what other lies have you or could you have told me. I think things that come up like this are a good indication of that persons real make up and an indication if you need that person in your life. JMPO.

Glad the animals survived & I havent had a vacation myself in 3yrs because I dont have anyone to watch my crew for more than a few days. So I can relate to that problem....