Doss
New Member
So, today I visited my local petsmart for some cat related items. And I noticed in the reptile department, a male veiled chameleon. And im glad I noticed him!
This, "cage" as the called it, was more of a glass box! Roughly 1.5 feet wide, about 11/12 inches tall, and has a depth of about 10 inches. The entire box was glass, but the back and the sides were covered with a "foresty" background paper. The entire front window was completely exposed and highly reflective.
The bottom was filled with some kind of bark looking substance, I didn't feel it so I cant give a 100% accurate estimate of what it was.
The plants in the "habitat" were all fake, and only covered about one corner of the space. Not nearly enough or remotely thick enough to escape the day to day crowds.
And the water supply, was standing, in a small rock pond. Nearly empty, and quite bleak looking.
The only good thing i can say about the "habitat" was that everything was slightly damp, so he must have been misted previous to my arrival.
I was talking to a store employee, just about their chameleon shipments, not trying to come on as a "this is wrong, you need to fix it" person, and I learned that he had been in that box for nigh on 4 months now.
When I first arrived, he was a light shade of green, slightly pale, his crest was shedding, his tale was about average for his size, but the only thing off, was that he looked slightly skinny. Especially when he walked.
So after my little discussion with the employee, I left to get my supplies. And as i was leaving, i figured, eh one more look just to see he is content. And guess what? He was a dark brown color. Sitting on a tiny branch in the open.
I felt so bad for leaving him there, but at the time I dont have the funds to be bringing a new reptilian friend home.
The only good thing I heard, was that someone within the next few days will be around to pick him up and take him home.
I've never left petsmart so disgusted, and I am sending them a formal e-mail about chameleon care and why what they are doing is cruel, and going into the store the next time I learn of a new chameleon shipment to see if conditions have improved.
This, "cage" as the called it, was more of a glass box! Roughly 1.5 feet wide, about 11/12 inches tall, and has a depth of about 10 inches. The entire box was glass, but the back and the sides were covered with a "foresty" background paper. The entire front window was completely exposed and highly reflective.
The bottom was filled with some kind of bark looking substance, I didn't feel it so I cant give a 100% accurate estimate of what it was.
The plants in the "habitat" were all fake, and only covered about one corner of the space. Not nearly enough or remotely thick enough to escape the day to day crowds.
And the water supply, was standing, in a small rock pond. Nearly empty, and quite bleak looking.
The only good thing i can say about the "habitat" was that everything was slightly damp, so he must have been misted previous to my arrival.
I was talking to a store employee, just about their chameleon shipments, not trying to come on as a "this is wrong, you need to fix it" person, and I learned that he had been in that box for nigh on 4 months now.
When I first arrived, he was a light shade of green, slightly pale, his crest was shedding, his tale was about average for his size, but the only thing off, was that he looked slightly skinny. Especially when he walked.
So after my little discussion with the employee, I left to get my supplies. And as i was leaving, i figured, eh one more look just to see he is content. And guess what? He was a dark brown color. Sitting on a tiny branch in the open.
I felt so bad for leaving him there, but at the time I dont have the funds to be bringing a new reptilian friend home.
The only good thing I heard, was that someone within the next few days will be around to pick him up and take him home.
I've never left petsmart so disgusted, and I am sending them a formal e-mail about chameleon care and why what they are doing is cruel, and going into the store the next time I learn of a new chameleon shipment to see if conditions have improved.