local pet store incident

[woodsball]

today I went to big al's to look at their chameleons... my gf and I saw an adult panther chameleon, who was obviously injured.

its right front leg had a cut on it near it's feet, and It was favouring the leg and sort of dragging it as he was walking around on the bottom substrate. I noticed that it had a cut that was bleeding, and at one point he took his back leg and was grabbing at his front almost like trying to straighten out the injured leg. it only made the cut worse and it was bleeding..

i notified one of the guys hanging out, and he stated that the owner wanted it out in the front, however they usually take sick animals in the back.

very heart breaking to see it... what kind of things could I do to help this guy?

 

[kinyonga]

You could report them or talk to the manager about it.

 

[carol5208]

I would definitley report them for animal abuse. Here in the states we have places that you can call and they will investigate if someone is abusing a pet. Can you buy it and rescue it? That would be even better. I know the forum frowns upon buying from pet stores but this sounds like this guy needs help!

 

[woodsball]

its $500... I definately do not have the experience to take care of it. Although I guess any person could do an improvement from what it currently is going through

 

[Matt1851]

are you talking about the one on kennedy? I go there all the time and i want to take that little ambilobe home I dont have the money to buy her tho. Every time i go there i find something new to complain about!

 

[ChameleonRave]

that is soo sad! they shouldn't be allowed to own them if they are in that condition!

 

[Warrix642]

Take pics and send them to PETA, I think they will deal with them!

 

[ChameleonRave]

Take pics and send them to PETA, I think they will deal with them!

yeah! they'll be on there butts like that!

 

[woodsball]

no this is one in oakville, and I dont think PETA would do anything...

I think im going to give the manager a call.

 

[Matt1851]

i doubt they will do anything. I tried that at a pet smart psssssssh i had a thread about it. pretty much what happend was i complained about
1. The coil UVB Bulb
2. No heat source
3. Lack of foliage/climbing space/hiding space
4. The water dish
5. How she looks dehydrated
6. The substrate
So the manager sends me an email back saying everything is fine with the way they care for the animals as they take the same care at all locations and they will add more climbing vines ext.

I go in the next week and they threw a big stick on the bottom no higher than the 1 vine that was in there that was only about 2 inches off the ground max

 

[Psi]

no this is one in oakville

I think im going to give the manager a call.

The Male Sambava hurt himself ? That's sad. He never really looked very healthy there though.

Dealing it the manager wont do you any good really.

 

[Carlton]

i notified one of the guys hanging out, and he stated that the owner wanted it out in the front, however they usually take sick animals in the back.

very heart breaking to see it... what kind of things could I do to help this guy?

Frrst, give the shop manager a chance to do the right thing. Go in with a camera and show them that you are documenting its condition. Be polite but firm. Tell them you will report the injuries (and that there is no sign the animal has gotten vet attention).

But, before you do that you'll need to find out what agency in Toronto inspects the conditions of animals in shops or in agriculture. There should be some entity whose job it is to make sure that "livestock" offered for sale is healthy and cared for. If the shop does not get vet care for the cham use your photos and report the shop for negligence!

Whatever you do, do NOT buy the poor thing much as your heart tells you to. If the shop will give it to you fine, but do not help them make any profit off it. That just lets them buy another and treat it just as badly.

 

[elrojo]

Take pics and send them to PETA, I think they will deal with them!

First and foremost PeTA would NOT allow us to even OWN chameleons if they had their way. Never side with those lunatics. They don't even want us owning dogs and cats. No pets is PeTA's policy. I can back this up, ad infinitum.

Secondly, I own a pet store and I wouldn't suggest buying a reptile from most pet stores. I know Tim Criswell's "House of Reptiles," do reptiles the right way, as do tons of other independent shops in the country, including my own. But hand to the bible, pet shops are the worst place for easily stressed animals, even many tropical fish! The amount of passersby in a day, the screaming kids, the tapping on glass, etc., simply equals a day of terror until the lights turn off in most establishments. In short, if herps aren't kept out of reach, shop elsewhere.

My third thought is really simple. You don't buy animals to rehab, ever. Take them free if offered, but putting money into a vendors pocket only empties a cage and pads their wallet to put a new one in it. You might be letting an animal die, but you aren't supporting the place of business to keep rotating new ones to fill its place.

This shop might be one of the good ones, I have no idea. And I wont fault them for having an injured animal on their premises. Accidents occasionally happen. If you've kept enough animals long enough, something has gotten hurt. If blood has dripped from a lizard, it is a bad laceration and needed care immediately. I don't know that they haven't had it checked and are treating it appropriately, though. That would be my first question to the shop owner/manager. I would just suggest being friendly and concerned, using logic and gathering information before acting.