Picture check up from Petstore

[morpheon]

Hey there,

I am currently very seriously considering buying this pair of WC Verrucosus. So if you think they look healthy/unhealthy, i would like to know and it would be appreciated.

So far, the female was VERY calm when the guy at the petstore took her. The male was stressed out when he took him out of his enclosure, and was constantly moving and trying to climb higher. He even went from the petstore guy to me to my girlfriend and then climbing on her head. The fact that both looked alert and not too stressed out nor too agressive is a plus to me.

Physically, i didn't find any missing nails or spines, everything was fine. I didn't see any scars, scratches, odd bumps, signs of mushrooms, etc. However, just in case you didn't know, i'm no vet!! So i may have missed something!

The petstore got these two only 2 days ago (or 3, not sure), and they have already been hand feed, which is a good sign to me. I'm supposed to talk to the manager tomorrow by the phone, so if you have any question you think i should ask, feel free to tell me!

If i buy them, i won't be picking them up before a week easily (for various reasons), but they can save them to me.

Time for the pictures now!!

Male:

 

[morpheon]

Female now!

Any comments/suggestions/opinions/complains/hellos will be appreciated!

 

[Jonasburns]

I cant really speak on the health of the animals however i think that female has awesome colors and patterns.

good luck mate!

 

[kinyonga]

For WC's they both look like the are in very good condition from what I can see in the pictures.

The second one...can't tell if the head pads need to be plumped out a little...were they bumped out??

 

[morpheon]

From what i remember, it was neutral, like not bumped in nor bumped out (i don't know if i can say that lol, but i'm sure you'll understand!). I think she could be rehydrated a little, but i was not worried at all when i saw her. Thank you for your input Lynda!

Thank you for the comments Jonas

If anyone else has something to add, i would be glad to hear it!

 

[kinyonga]

Neutral is the way I would have described them.

 

[morpheon]

I'll upload the photos unmodified, this way you'll have a better idea Lynda! Give me a few minutes and i'll be up in this thread!


EDIT: Here are the 3 links for the female:
http://a.imageshack.us/img828/5439/99186532.jpg
http://a.imageshack.us/img807/1353/81559671.jpg
http://a.imageshack.us/img840/9665/91931240.jpg

 

[kinyonga]

I wouldn't be worried about the head pads since they are not sunken in. They should come up with a little TLC.

 

[morpheon]

TLC?? ()

 

[OOOst16]

Go for it! If you got the money, why not. Save them from petstore disaster!

 

[kinyonga]

Not all pet stores are disasters.

 

[OOOst16]

Privately own I agree, but large corporation chains, yes

 

[morpheon]

This is a petstore that is a small corporation in Quebec, and trust me, this is the best petstore i have ever seen for reptiles. Even the other petstores that have the same name aren't as good as this one! They have over 30 chameleons for sale at the moment, and probably over 60 snakes!

I spoke a lot with the manager, and he cares more for his reptiles than for himself! He gives them silkworms without counting them, he dusts the crickets, yes sometimes there are a few chameleons in the same enclosures (big enclosures, not small), but as soon as he sees any sign of rejection he separates them. He even mentionned that the two full grown Melleris he had for sale he secretly wished to never sell them haha! He also hide his gravid females from the public, to avoid to stress them!

At the end, the petstore is not perfect, yes they are in glass enclosure and i'm not a big fan of them even if they can be Ok sometimes, but it's far better than what i have ever seen before!

 

[OOOst16]

Until a pet store houses chameleons the way members on this forum do, then I'll be happy, if the Cham I see is in glass, it beter be an exoterra or I'm not happy.

 

[morpheon]

Just in case you haven't seen my newly post OOOst16: https://www.chameleonforums.com/there-still-few-good-petstores-45282/

 

[kinyonga]

I'm a member of this forum and mine are in glass cages with screen lids...some are exoterras but most aren't...good thing you can't see them! I'd hate to make you unhappy.

I don't know how the veiled females live to be over 6 and some even over 7 and males even older in these cages when they aren't all screen. C. chameleons, dwarf jacksons, fischers, verrus, and many others have lived pretty long lives in them too....poor things.

Sorry for the rant...but I am so tired of hearing that glass cages are not acceptable. They need a little extra attention so that there is no water left laying stagnant on the floor of the cage, etc. but chameleons also don't have to sit up under the basking light all the time in order to be warm.

 

[morpheon]

*hugs* Lynda!

 

[kinyonga]

Thanks morph.

 

[OOOst16]

Glass cages . Improper ventilation unless it's the vented double door exotera (I think zoomed has a version out aswell) End of story, will always disagree. Lol just like dem vs rep, always a debate XD

 

[Elizadolots]

I'm happy when I see a major chain pet store that does not sell chameleons. To me, that smacks of responsibility.

Also, while they are chains, there is a lot of flexibility for the individual store owners.

I've mentioned that I live in the hometown of Petco and I've never seen a chameleon in any of their stores here. I understand that store owners in other places don't hold to that. I buy crickets from a Petco that does not even sell reptiles (and, they have the best cricket keeping system I've seen in a store, they clean the containers weekly, they feed them Flucker's Cricket Feed and keep them hydrated with water crystals).

So, please do not condemn all branches of a chain just on the name. Go in, look around, ask questions.