NikkiA
Avid Member
I have children who really love chameleons. They love to learn about them and the proper husbandry. When we got our first chameleon, it was going to be my pet, but taking care of our chameleons has turned into a family affair.
My girls understand the proper requirements in caring for a chameleon and become very discouraged when they see chameleons not living in a proper environment. My five year old has given several employees of big box stores the rundown on proper chameleon husbandry.
We went into a big box store last week and they had a gravid female Jackson's in a small enclosure with a male Jackson's. My kids became VERY upset, especially because the female was stressed. My kids all requested that we express our displeasure with their living situation to an employee, which I let them do. The employee was very kind about the situation and he listened to their concerns. He did tell us they would separate the Jackson's if the male continued to cause the female stress.
We had a long conversation in the car and my girls really wanted to "rescue" the female. It was a hard thing to explain that we're part of the problem if we bring her home because we are creating demand for chameleons in big box stores. My husband and I explained several times in different ways, but emotions were very high because they wanted to help her so badly. They also had a hard time understanding why such a big store wouldn't treat animals better.
My girls asked to write a letter to corporate, so they brainstormed ideas on a white board. I helped them with the correct spelling of words and some of the grammar. I took a picture of the letter that my oldest wrote, with her permission, I have attached a picture of it here.
I am sharing her letter because many of you have helped us learn about proper husbandry and/or the appropriate sources to learn about how best to take care of our chameleons. A big thank you to all of you who take time to help others learn about the appropriate chameleon husbandry.
My girls understand the proper requirements in caring for a chameleon and become very discouraged when they see chameleons not living in a proper environment. My five year old has given several employees of big box stores the rundown on proper chameleon husbandry.
We went into a big box store last week and they had a gravid female Jackson's in a small enclosure with a male Jackson's. My kids became VERY upset, especially because the female was stressed. My kids all requested that we express our displeasure with their living situation to an employee, which I let them do. The employee was very kind about the situation and he listened to their concerns. He did tell us they would separate the Jackson's if the male continued to cause the female stress.
We had a long conversation in the car and my girls really wanted to "rescue" the female. It was a hard thing to explain that we're part of the problem if we bring her home because we are creating demand for chameleons in big box stores. My husband and I explained several times in different ways, but emotions were very high because they wanted to help her so badly. They also had a hard time understanding why such a big store wouldn't treat animals better.
My girls asked to write a letter to corporate, so they brainstormed ideas on a white board. I helped them with the correct spelling of words and some of the grammar. I took a picture of the letter that my oldest wrote, with her permission, I have attached a picture of it here.
I am sharing her letter because many of you have helped us learn about proper husbandry and/or the appropriate sources to learn about how best to take care of our chameleons. A big thank you to all of you who take time to help others learn about the appropriate chameleon husbandry.
