Pet stores can be rediculas...Part 2

[Matt1851]

so same pet store as the last thread i posted guys. They are selling a little tiny nosy Mitsio for $299.99. She is no bigget than 3 inches (snout to tip of the tail) i cant even explain the enclosure but ill have some pics up by tommorow. Shes all by herself in this big enclosure and i feel so bad for her

 

[richpass6]

so buy her.

 

[ALX]

I realy prefer to buy a Cham directly from the breeder. Pet store don't always know how to take care of cham who require much more specific care then some other reptile. Plus with all the people who come and go, and the enclosure that is not always good, they are put in a stressfull environement, and they sale them at very high price!!!

 

[laurie]

so same pet store as the last thread i posted guys. They are selling a little tiny nosy Mitsio for $299.99. She is no bigget than 3 inches (snout to tip of the tail) i cant even explain the enclosure but ill have some pics up by tommorow. Shes all by herself in this big enclosure and i feel so bad for her

You have got to stay out of that pet store. All that place does is make you feel bad. You deserve better than that so don't go near that shop.

 

[richpass6]

haha just don't look a the reptiles when you go in the store

 

[pssh]

It's a trap! Some pet stores rely on the pity card! Don't do it!!!

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

so buy her.

If you buy her then they make a profit and think there's a market and just get more. Vicious cycle, don't give in. Hurts to watch but saves the next ones hopefully...

 

[ScubaSteve318]

whos down for some mission impossible status stuff to save that chameleon?

 

[Matt1851]

well i actually went in to see if they fixed up the other cham i was talking about and she was gone, and if i had 300 bucks to spend i would buy her i really would. i hate that store -_- they do have cute bunnies tho

 

[pssh]

Don't buy the bunnies either! They probably have mites and stuff and came from a backyard breeder! Adopt don't buy!

 

[justjumpit621]

Yes adopt =D I work at a humane society and we have many nice animals come in in need of home, the adoption fee is cheap too! My friends just adopted a female columbian tegu from us for $15 and she was the sweetest thing ever!

 

[Nixehface]

Surely it's a good thing if she is in a big enclosure?
It's normally about how big the chams are and how small the enclosure is... it sorta makes a nice change in story.

My baby was in his adult enclosure since I got him and he's fine

 

[Olimpia]

It's a losing battle with pet stores.
We have one that used to have a big beautiful male veiled in one cage and a couple other guys in another (all togehter in the same 24x24x36 - about 3-4 chams), not sure what species. Both were continuously dehydrated, lethargic... everything sunken in - it was terrible. I sent them who knows how many emails, I talked to people about it, and nothing.

There was a day when I went in and I swear one of the guys of the other species wanted to kill itself. It was hanging from the one vine in the cage by the toenails of one foot, just dangling upside down. It was alive and looking around, but you could tell there was little life left in them.

Justjumpit, since you work at a shelter, isn't there something we can do about calling the "animal cops" on these stores or something? No one seems to do it, and I wonder why? Are there policies or something protecting these larger chain stores?

 

[Carlton]

Justjumpit, since you work at a shelter, isn't there something we can do about calling the "animal cops" on these stores or something? No one seems to do it, and I wonder why? Are there policies or something protecting these larger chain stores?

Um, I may not remember the OP's earlier thread about this pet shop, but first, is she being mistreated or neglected? Is the setup correct even if it is large? I don't think you can condemn a pet shop for simply offering a cham for sale (even though we agree that supporting a responsible breeder is better). Sure the price is high, but this isn't a commonly seen locale and she is relatively valuable. A high price sometimes does discourage the impulse buyer.

If a pet shop offers a healthy cbb cham for sale, cares for it properly, and is prepared to give correct husbandry info to the buyer, what's the problem? If they are clueless and the cham is obviously doomed, that's another story!

As for calling the animal police about chain stores, remember, depending on where the store is, the regulations and authority to enforce them varies widely. Some regulations are so vague as to be useless. The inspectors often have very few tools available (vague poorly written laws and regs, not enough staff or funding to investigate every complaint, the kind of evidence required to trigger a raid is very strict, etc). I doubt very much there is "policy" that protects the stores compared to independent stores. I've worked for a county "animal control" that had this type of authority and I can tell you trying to get a shop to clean up its act is a lot more complicated that it seems. Not because the inspectors don't care, but because the burden of proof of neglect is hard to build.

 

[Olimpia]

I've worked for a county "animal control" that had this type of authority and I can tell you trying to get a shop to clean up its act is a lot more complicated that it seems. Not because the inspectors don't care, but because the burden of proof of neglect is hard to build.

That's why I'm asking, you'd think it would be as easy as letting the authorities know but that's not the case, so I was wondering why. It's a shame, I wish there was a way to lend some authority to our complaints.

 

[Carlton]

You would have to prove that the care the shop gives this cham is incorrect and document it with photos probably. Part of the problem is there may be no acceptable standards of care established for chams or herps for that matter. For most domestic livestock there are specific requirements for space, water, food, etc written into regulation. This is what the animal control agency must use to make a citation stick. If the standards don't exist, they will have a hard time taking action because it would come down to one opinion versus another.

What I would suggest is to get a generally acccepted care outline from a commercial breeder or possibly a herp society (so they can see it isn't just your personal opinion). Take photos of the cham's setup in the store and of a correct setup. Show a healthy cham and the cham in the store. Be able to show symptoms of poor care. Be able to point out what is incorrect in their husbandry. You've got to tie the problems to the cham's health.

If you submit this to whatever agency is responsible for investigating animal neglect by businesses this is at a minimum what you would need to help them make a case.

 

[athena9995]

I had dealings with a local chain pet store and was told that even the slightest changes to enclosure have to be approved by regional managers. I did all I could to re-educate the staff, but to no avail. Basically all I did was make the manager of that department hate me. Really fun when I go in for crickets.

 

[pantherlover]

that actually doesnt sound that bad. theres an adult male st marie in an ontario pet store in a tiny aquarium. i was there when they got it. 4 months ago this guy was HUGE!!! now he looks to be suffering from mbd among other sickness that are above my head in terms of knowledge & he is withering away. the thing that shocks me the most is that the price tag still says $500!?!?! rediculous. you dont have to be a cham pro to know that that guy has serious problems. as bad as i feel for the guy, its almost good that that guy is sitting there because it makes the store look really bad.