Local Petco-Sick Chameleon

[bcadybug]

While visiting my local Petco for crickets and superworms I breezed by the chameleon area and there was a panther that wouldn't open his one eye. ugh, broke my heart to leave him there.... My daughter drug me away reminding me that is why we don't buy animals from them. They have a pretty knowledgable repile guy there during the week, think I may go back by when he's there and bring it to his attention. I'm new to chameleons so I could be overreacting but seems to me that not using an eye means there is something wrong.

 

[Andee]

One eye closed is usually a vitamin deficiency or something wrong with the uvb bulbs

 

[alphakenc]

Hi bcadybug,welcome to the forum,my friendly suggestion is increase ur warm water misting sort like rinsing out his problem eyes,and next time drug ur daughter back to this forum....so she can learn and enjoy more healthy chameleons here.happy holiday to you and ur daughter.

 

[Andee]

She does not own the chameleon Alphakenc, and since it is being kept at petco my thought is he hasn't been supplemented correctly. Petco does not make it a necessity to supplement their reptiles, though it is not against their rules. So since it is not forced upon the employees by regulations, very few will actually dust.

 

[Petco]

Hi bcadybug,

When you have a moment can you email your store location to [email protected] so we can follow up with the store to check on the chameleon and make sure it receives any needed care?

Thanks

 

[MissLissa]

Whoa, I hope that Petco actually made that @Petco forum membership, and if they did that they will actually do something about the cham. That might change my mind about pet stores! ...well, no, it won't, but still: a handful bonus points to Petco if they go through with it.

@Petco; is it true what @Andee said, that there aren't mandatory supplementation protocols in place for your reptiles?

 

[bcadybug]

I emailed the Petco location as directed, fingers crossed they get him all fixed up.

 

[Sputnik's Mom]

I don't think pet stores should be allowed to sell ANY pets. Leave that to the professionals

 

[OldChamKeeper]

I'm still surprised any of you visit Petco for anything other than dog or cat food.

 

[Blang]

Corporate Petco only let's the stores feed their chameleons mealworms! I mentioned it to the employees at the one here in Wisconsin & the manager said that's all the corporate office allows them to feed them!

 

[Carlton]

I'm still surprised any of you visit Petco for anything other than dog or cat food.

Or buy anything at all. I think we all realize our boycotts don't have a huge effect, but if we only boycott the herp-related stuff it is tiny. The point is not to purchase anything regardless what pet it's for. They can avoid changing their corporate policy because they know their volume buying gives them industry clout and keeps prices low...and that keeps $$ conscious customers coming through the doors. I do not buy anything there at all. Plus, I prefer to support independent local shops instead of impersonal corporations.

 

[OldChamKeeper]

Or buy anything at all. I think we all realize our boycotts don't have a huge effect, but if we only boycott the herp-related stuff it is tiny. The point is not to purchase anything regardless what pet it's for. They can avoid changing their corporate policy because they know their volume buying gives them industry clout and keeps prices low...and that keeps $$ conscious customers coming through the doors. I do not buy anything there at all. Plus, I prefer to support independent local shops instead of impersonal corporations.

And I agree with this too. Personally I'm proud to say I haven't bought a single thing from Petco in over five years. Some folks can't find an independent retailer due to Petsmart or Petco driving them all out. I happen to be lucky in that I support a local reptile store and travel to a different dry goods store for my other pet's needs

 

[wodesorel]

I'm not sure why, but my local Petco closed down a few years back, but then reopened in the same location 18 months later - but with practically no pets. They have bettas, feeder fish, small rodents and the occasional ferret, but that's it. No reptiles. No hermit crabs. No fish - and they used to have the biggest aquarium department in 60 miles! Yes, their reptile and fish sections are pathetic, but I don't mind having to look there for things now. The chain itself may be horrible, but I like the little mostly-pet-free shop here, it's refreshing!

Also - every Petco and Petsmart and chain shop should have a master book from corporate saying what the minimum care requirements are for each species. It's usually not too hard to find a disgruntled employee who will spill on what the books says. Those are guidelines written by vets and no store is supposed to deviate from it. If the minimums aren't being met, you can report it up the corporate ladder and someone should make the store comply. (ie, if the store manager doesn't care, alert the district manager, if the district manager can't be bothered, sent a message to corporate and watch them jump.) Granted, the basics are usually still awful care recommendations and you really do want the staff to be doing more, but if it's really bad at least it's something that can make a small difference. Just don't ask for the world and they'll take you seriously. I've done it a few times before when things got bad at my local Petsmart. Submitted the form online and got followup calls from both the store and the district manager to make sure I was happy with the changes they made - which was just bringing it up to their own standards!

 

[Andee]

Corporate Petco only let's the stores feed their chameleons mealworms! I mentioned it to the employees at the one here in Wisconsin & the manager said that's all the corporate office allows them to feed them!

The petco store I work at feeds crickets everyday, and I personally dust everyone's crickets when I feed them. The issue is we don't have plain calcium for our feeders right now, none in store either. So I've gone to my manager and said, we need this, because none of the other associates care enough to. I am planning on becoming the aquatics specialist and making some changes when I do. Our veiled chameleon is aggressive with every other store associate but me but that's because I actually take my time with her and don't expect anything out of her other than hopefully no reaction of aggression. Everyone else moves to fast and wants to hold her, or forces her to do something she doesn't want to do. And everytime I try to explain that they can't do that, they give me the, "oh that new girl doesn't know what she's talking about," look.

 

[alphakenc]

So far all the poor veiled babies I saw in most of the petco stores,are prisoners in a glass tank....they put whole bunch of them inside the tanks and waiting to be sold....space and labor is the main issue as far as im concern,they would never place each single veiled baby individually in a screen cages cause the space and time consuming labor,im sorry to say this,this is a corporate world,unfortunately when the general public has no else to go and purchase their pet related items,so when they arrive in the store like this,they are all became the "imposed buyer" by seeing how the tiny cute little chameleon is and make that instant purchase,then when they brought the chameleon homes...they start having issues,and they desperately seeking for help and answer...which brought them all here to this forum.
But sometimes its already be too late,since the heath issue on the chameleon is too far gone.personally I think petco should have their chameleon exotic specialist vet on site from opening to closing,after all if the customer service is their first priority,they shall take care all the issues they created instead of us in this forum,being their "customer service " department,and they will still put those chameleons in those glass tank,its a vicious cycle will never been resolve unless we start boycott like Carlton said.

 

[jajeanpierre]

One eye closed is usually a vitamin deficiency or something wrong with the uvb bulbs

How do you know that?

 

[jajeanpierre]

And I agree with this too. Personally I'm proud to say I haven't bought a single thing from Petco in over five years. Some folks can't find an independent retailer due to Petsmart or Petco driving them all out. I happen to be lucky in that I support a local reptile store and travel to a different dry goods store for my other pet's needs

Or you can buy from the internet. If everyone refused to purchase their reptiles and reptile supplies from the big box pet store chains as you have done, they might change the way they do things.

 

[gotwqqd]

They don't need a specialist at the store. Simply a policy change for appropriate feeding/habitat & personnel to be trained properly. I think a video would more than suffice to give them adequate knowledge about the species and its care.

 

[alphakenc]

So is the new policy will include "every single screen cages for every single chameleon on their isle 9,and if you buy it from us,we will be100percent assure ur chameleon health for 30days and that include lifetime free consultation in our own customer service department " if that will be done,I will get dress right now,and hurry to the store,buy all the chameleons they got,who knows they will have some parrot ,turtles,hamster,dog,cat foods on sale too.

 

[gotwqqd]

Do immature chameleons need to be isolated?