SidneyJohnsonPhil
Member
At the petsmart closest to me. A chameleon was dead, in the cage, for over a week. It was disgusting. They also did a terrible job of cleaning it. There was still marks from where the chameleons body was.
Stop supporting petco/petsmart
- Thread starter KobaOregonherper
- Start date
jamest0o0
Chameleon Enthusiast
We're friends so don't hate me when I say I disagree a little. I'm with @OldChamKeeper on this. Supporting petco/petsmart does nothing good, there's really no way around it. The utilitarian way is the only way for dealing with these corporate animal abusers.
I do agree that there's nothing wrong with taking action. I know you have, and oldchamkeeper has mentioned good ways to deal with these stores. But buying live animals from them is definitely a No-no in my book.
JoXie411
Chameleon Enthusiast
We can’t be friends now lol we agree to disagree.
I am a little biased because I bought Larry there and he’s made my life happy but I would never buy from Petco again that’s why I can’t fully denounce them.
jamest0o0
Chameleon Enthusiast
I'm with you. Im from Pittsburgh and know that store that was mentioned. It's a shame, we really don't have anywhere here worth buying from. I've looked into it because I wanted to buy frozen pinky mice and ordering them is too expensive. I've been all over within an hour of the city. We had a place that just recently closed down that I would go to. They were a small, family owned group of stores that were known for turning away customers that couldn't care for an animal. They even risked bad reviews from this, but they respected what they carried from what I saw. They only had several species at a time so they could care for them properly. When they closed this past year after I think 25-30 years? They basically said they couldn't compete anymore with the cheap, low quality selections that the bigger stores had. The only other stores that aren't petco/petsmart are the ones that horde exotics and look cool to an untrained eye, but tend to be riddled with sick animals and improper husbandry.
jamest0o0
Chameleon Enthusiast
Well he's made your life happy because you adjusted and kept him alive, but that doesn't mean petco/petsmart should keep selling them if you want what's best for the species.
JoXie411
Chameleon Enthusiast
No I agree but like we have said in the past we can’t stop them from selling them but we can try to educate them rather then crying like little babies about it all the time. IMO not trying to hurt anyone’s feelings with the comment
jamest0o0
Chameleon Enthusiast
Well the idea is that by repeating it enough, the word gets out, and over time, less and less people buy from these stores. Hopefully leading them to not carry animals like chameleons and other more delicate exotics. That will happen sooner than people getting educated(not that you can't apply both), especially these companies. I know it's a longshot, but it's worth doing if we know better.
JoXie411
Chameleon Enthusiast
But they will never stop the company is to big and to many stupid ppl in the world. We as a collective can say yea don’t buy from them but what about the other 99% of ppl?
At the end of the day the ppl who keep these animals right have an obligation to be voices for the animals. If that mean being called losers by ppl,by telling them there husbandry sucks so be it. Instead some chameleon keepers act like they are these entitled ppl to good to educate the little ppl on proper care.
jamest0o0
Chameleon Enthusiast
So what you're saying is that, if most people are doing the wrong thing without knowing(buying from pco/smart), then all of us should because there's no hope anyway? Those of us that know better, should do better. Just like you're saying those of us who know should educate.
You're kind of contradicting, basically saying that we should try to educate no matter how hopeless it is, yet it doesn't matter if we support these stores because it's a hopeless battle.
Shouldn't we do both? And most people I know seem happy to educate people interested in learning
JoXie411
Chameleon Enthusiast
Hey now don’t confuse me we know how easy it is lolSo what you're saying is that, if most people are doing the wrong thing without knowing(buying from pco/smart), then all of us should because there's no hope anyway? Those of us that know better, should do better. Just like you're saying those of us who know should educate.
You're kind of contradicting, basically saying that we should try to educate no matter how hopeless it is, yet it doesn't matter if we support these stores because it's a hopeless battle.
Shouldn't we do both? And most people I know seem happy to educate people interested in learning
I’m simply saying we can agree to not buy from Petco but we can’t stop stupid ppl who don’t know better to stop.
I’m suggesting speak out more on the animal abuse on the animals in there care. If it was a dog or cat we all know everyone would be up in arms but most ppl don’t know the care a lizard needs and thing what they see is ok. My own family member are amazed the stuff that goes into the care of these animals. When I’m at Petco having to buy something and I hear someone say how cute the chameleon is I go up to them right away and tell them “I own two and they are extremely hard to care for if you want one I suggest you read up on them on the chameleon forum b4 you get one and have the cage as well” I scare them enough to rethink the idea.
Last edited:
Even a broken clock is right twice a day. You got very lucky with Larry.
MissSkittles
Chameleon Enthusiast
Reading this reminds me of the cruelty-free movement. Used to be just a small handful of companies that didn’t do animal testing. After enough awareness, many of the mainstream companies have gone cruelty free and more people care. It’s all about education and speaking up.
JoXie411
Chameleon Enthusiast
Actually after a month of owning him he got really sick and I found out he had high levels of coccidia. His liver was enlarged and calcium levels extremely low. Witch is why I would never buy a reptile from them again.
The Wild One
Chameleon Enthusiast
That's where I got Coda my veiled cham from, when i brought her home she had sunken eyes from dehydration. Her "habitat" had the vines and stuff only in the back so the customers could see them, and the guy didn't even know whether it was a boy or girl. When he got her out he literally shoved her into the box, I hated that
. They gave me some crickets and THEY ATE EACH OTHER.So yea I despise of that place, when I went back to try to re-hydrate her with hornworms I was so happy to see that the other little baby was gone. But that was short lived when they put like 7 babies around 4 months in the same tank. My question is when they get older where do they go?! there was only one tank for chameleons. Im so mad.
OldChamKeeper
Chameleon Enthusiast
You can't educate them. Until people like you get that, things don't change. You're enabling them to continue with a proven business model. They even take into consideration people buying animals because they feel sorry for them. It's some ruthless stuff. You go right ahead and disagree with me. Keep buying that lizard from Petco when you need to feel like you've achieved something, that you've made a difference, that you've accomplished something or saved that animal. You're not a white knight.
All you've done is help Petco. You may have saved Larry, but.,,,, they'll just buy another "Larry", again hoping somebody will buy it before they kill it. Things will not change until they lose money, no profit means they stop doing it. The kicker is it has been this way for a decade, you are just another "new" person now involved in this "old" cycle. People like you have said "we need to educate them" for ten years now. They are not interested in changing a business model that is profitable at this time just because a few people want to talk it out.
Just stop buying their animals and eventually they will go back to just selling dry goods.
How about this? Start taking pictures of the sick animals and sending them to animal control and your local city rep? I've done that. Saw some solid progress too.
JoXie411
Chameleon Enthusiast
Don’t call me those ppl you don’t know me you don’t know what I’ve done.
I have lots of sick pic of animals on my photo who I report. So don’t call me those ppl, I might be new but I’m not stupid
Also simply saying let them die is horrible to say. Every life matter no matter where they are from.
Last edited:
jamest0o0
Chameleon Enthusiast
That's a very liberally progressive thing to say
By saving that 1, it potentially dooms many more. It's encouraging the way they run things. Sometimes you have to let 1 die so 10/100/1000 can live.
JoXie411
Chameleon Enthusiast
And that is where we will never agree. I don’t believe something needs to die to prove a point, to me that’s ignorance and how stupid stuff has and will continue to happen.That's a very liberally progressive thing to say
By saving that 1, it potentially dooms many more. It's encouraging the way they run things. Sometimes you have to let 1 die so 10/100/1000 can live.
I would like to clarify I wasn’t calling the bug lord stupid I was saying the method was. I respect @jamest0o0 immensely we just don’t see eye to eye on this method.
Last edited:
KobaOregonherper
Chameleon Enthusiast
No matter where I fall on the sphere and my leanings, which is not something I like discussing on a forum, this is something I have to agree with you on. I will NEVER, I couldnt even fathom for myself personally, be able to just stand by and let something die if I can do something to help. I went back a couple weeks ago to pick up that female (whom i demanded for free) and she died in the car ride home.
JoXie411
Chameleon Enthusiast
That poor baby girl. May she Rest In Peace and finally live a pain free life in paradise.No matter where I fall on the sphere and my leanings, which is not something I like discussing on a forum, this is something I have to agree with you on. I will NEVER, I couldnt even fathom for myself personally, be able to just stand by and let something die if I can do something to help. I went back a couple weeks ago to pick up that female (whom i demanded for free) and she died in the car ride home.
