saved a Chameleon from Petco this weekend

[moner]

so here i was going to Petco to get some cat food, and a new bulb for my Bearded Dragon. what do i see in the reptile section but this Veiled that had to be at least 9 months old (since he was about 3 times larger then my Veiled thats 4 months old now) just sitting in the enclosure that contained a single wooden bird perch, and a single strand of a fake vine that was half-a**ed wound around the perch. this poor guy had no cover at all, and the top of his casque was no more then 1/2 of an inch below the enclosure top. he was so cramped in this cage, i felt horrible for him... i had to save him!!

so, i got home and talked to my wife. explained it to her, and told her that we had to rescue this poor guy. she agreed, so i went the next day to check him out. obviously he had been there at Petco for a long time, would he attack my hand if i tried to touch him? has he had any vitamin supplemts? has he ever been out in the sun? how about MBD? has he eaten anything other then plain ol' crickets? in my mind, there could have been so many things wrong with this poor, cramped, hansome guy.

RELIEF, needless to say he seemed fine when i finally handled him. he crawled up on to my hand with no problems, and all of his bones and joints seemed fine (granted i am NOOOOOO expert in MBD). but i just could NOT let this guy live like this any longer! unfortunately, i had no extra equipment, so i had to buy all brand new stuff for the new addition to my family.

so a quick run to Petco that should have cost me $20.00 on friday, ended up costing me about $250.00 or so on sunday, AND I AM TOTALLY COOL WITH THAT!

poor guy seems totally freaked out with his new big cage and real Ficus. i am sure he will be a lot more relaxed once he settles into his new house.

i never did get that cat food and basking lamp that i needed. but i did get all the other stuff for the Chameleon from a great local Family owned Pet store instead.

all in all... it was a good weekend!!

Ramon-

 

[hinoco1225]

Congrats on your new addition. Can we see pictures?

Edit: I'm also glad to see that you saved him, but bought the stuff you needed for him elsewhere. I think that was the best decision.

 

[camimom]

If you are not sure on his state of health, you can post a few pics of him here. for people who can spot MBD, dehydration, etc.

WHile many people dont like supporting chain pet stores that treat their animals this way,
Im glad you were able to provide him with a better home.

 

[ApolloT]

Great Job! That was a very noble thing to do. Congrats!

 

[moner]

Great Job! That was a very noble thing to do. Congrats!

Thanks... but i was a little selfish as well. i was concerned with his health and well being, and my heart was in the right place... but i was also able to get another Cham. hey, everyone wins, right?

 

[MrGonzo123]

Wow

A Round of applause... Good job saving that Cham.. Shows you have a SOFT SPOT for Chams !!! What name did u give him? Post pics when you get a chance

 

[KarmaChameleon1337]

Sadly when you save one cham they order new ones.

 

[Carlton]

this poor guy had no cover at all, and the top of his casque was no more then 1/2 of an inch below the enclosure top. he was so cramped in this cage, i felt horrible for him... i had to save him!!

so a quick run to Petco that should have cost me $20.00 on friday, ended up costing me about $250.00 or so on sunday,

While I certainly understand why you did this, my main problem is unfortunately, you "rewarded" this store for stocking an animal they were clueless about and slowly killing due to neglect. Over 70% of pet store customers break down and buy an animal out of distress, concern, sympathy over the animal's poor treatment in the store.

If you don't want to see PetCo try to sell chams in future, tell them you will boycott their store (and I mean supplies as well) every time you see one there. THAT will get some attention and justice for your poor veiled.

 

[carol5208]

I am glad you did it! Yes, there are two ways to look at it as others have pointed out but I am all for giving an animal a great home and new lease on life! Kudos to you!!! Definitely post some pics!!

 

[moner]

While I certainly understand why you did this, my main problem is unfortunately, you "rewarded" this store for stocking an animal they were clueless about and slowly killing due to neglect. Over 70% of pet store customers break down and buy an animal out of distress, concern, sympathy over the animal's poor treatment in the store.

If you don't want to see PetCo try to sell chams in future, tell them you will boycott their store (and I mean supplies as well) every time you see one there. THAT will get some attention and justice for your poor veiled.

i know i perpetuated the situation; guilty as charged! but my immediate concern was this specific chameleon. i can't save them all, but this one i could. i TOTALLY understand what you are saying, but i did what i felt was right- for him. it wasnt his choice to be hatched into the trade world he was born to, but now its my responsibility to give this Guy (we named him Dean) the best life we possibly can!

 

[antithesis123]

I've used that "I need to save it from the pet store" line on my wife a few times and she has on me!

It's cool that you mentioned that you bought from the local store too.. I personally can't stand The big guys because I want to shop at small stores and buy local. Too bad there are just as many threads of how crappy local stores are too

Congrats on your new cham! My veiled would have killed me in my sleep if he had the chance and never ever got used to me.. Cold stone killer! lol

 

[JackP308]

hope you didn't buy all the supplies from them at least.

 

[Pilotman800]

So.... All this talk and no pictures? Stop teasing us already!

 

[moner]

hope you didn't buy all the supplies from them at least.

yea, got the Cham from Petco, but got everything else (cage, bulb, dripper, etc)from the family owned pet shop.

 

[moses904]

I agree pictures!