Very Dissapointing Pet Store

[JiouD]

Hey Everybody,


I was at the pet store a week ago when I stumbled along a pygmy Chameleon. He/she looked very very ill, and thin. Eyes closed an on the ground not moving at all. It was very sad. I was concerned so I talked with the reptile rep. and she reassured me that they were doing everything right. Which was total BS. Im no pygmy expert but with just observing they're husbandry I could tell that there was something wrong. It was very dry no signs of misting at all, dirty stagnant water bowl. No way of measuring heat, and humidity. I wish I could have taken the little one home but I had no space/resources to do so. So I left...


I went to the same pet store today to get some crickets, and went over to the pygmy, I saw it at the exact same spot eyes closed and about half the size as before, I knew she/he was dead by just looking it was sad as hell...
I again talked to the reptile rep and they didn't do anything about it. They went just said that Chameleons were "hard" reptiles to keep alive. I shook my head and left... That will be the last time I spend a dime there. It was truly heartbreaking.



JiouD

 

[Reganold]

do what i did at petco. put caresheets for the chameleon around the chameleons cage. But make sure you put correct info when doing this, as you dont want to give out misleading information yourself

 

[tony19]

do what i did at petco. put caresheets for the chameleon around the chameleons cage. But make sure you put correct info when doing this, as you dont want to give out misleading information yourself

Hahaha i love that idea i might have to do that at my local pet store......it really is sad and they dont care they just throw it out and order another one....the sad part is they higher these people who no nothing...and don teach them or send them to a course or anything its sad yet it wont syop and theres nothing anyone an really do:mad:

 

[Bunke]

Indeed it's very sad and makes me all furious. Lucky I go to a small reptile shop where I get all my feeders and stuff , even my chameleon. And they are great, all their reptiles look happy and are in good care. That's the biggest different between big animals companies and small breeders and shops. Sad but true.

 

[JiouD]

Hahaha i love that idea i might have to do that at my local pet store......it really is sad and they dont care they just throw it out and order another one....the sad part is they higher these people who no nothing...and don teach them or send them to a course or anything its sad yet it wont syop and theres nothing anyone an really do:mad:

Yeah Next time I see a chameleon or any reptile untreated I will make this a duty upon myself. However I rarely See Chameleons at this PetLand. The last one they had was a small veiled female. I took her home instantly I knew she would have a WAY better home with me (shes doing amazing btw). I agree that training is key for new hires, this is lacking at this location for sure....

Bunke,

I know of a small reptile shop as well, but the location is 45 mins away there reptiles are well taken care by people who know what they're talking about.
Im going over there sometime today to look at leopard geckos with a friend. i wish theyre were more small family own rep shops in calgary

 

[Willnevins]

Same thing happened to me at a local shop here in CT, only instead of just shrugging it off they fought with me! She insisted very rudely that some chams OLNY drink from water bowls, and they were trying to sell me a dying senegal, eyes glued shut directly under the UVB light, so shruken in from dehydration that the turrets were almost completely inside its head.

I offered to take the cham to attempt to save its life, her response was "that will be 49.95"

 

[Kate]

Same thing happened to me at a local shop here in CT, only instead of just shrugging it off they fought with me! She insisted very rudely that some chams OLNY drink from water bowls, and they were trying to sell me a dying senegal, eyes glued shut directly under the UVB light, so shruken in from dehydration that the turrets were almost completely inside its head.

I offered to take the cham to attempt to save its life, her response was "that will be 49.95"

I know how frustrating it can be. I am looking after two tinys just now as they are so small the shop admitted they were a bit out of their depth and with Xmas and new year hols they only managed to mist once a day. I've had them 24 hrs and they are still alive drinking and eating

 

[squeekz1992]

Same thing happened to me at a local shop here in CT, only instead of just shrugging it off they fought with me! She insisted very rudely that some chams OLNY drink from water bowls, and they were trying to sell me a dying senegal, eyes glued shut directly under the UVB light, so shruken in from dehydration that the turrets were almost completely inside its head.

I offered to take the cham to attempt to save its life, her response was "that will be 49.95"

I have a few responses for her...none of which would be ethical...some of which are choice phrases...

 

[Carlton]

I have a few responses for her...none of which would be ethical...some of which are choice phrases...

There IS something you can do about these situations even if the store staff won't listen to you. First offer them a caresheet that YOU did not write...such as the husbandry basics from this forum (this way they can't claim you are just some crackpot). Find out which agency inspects and licenses pet shops in your area. It could be a city function, a county or state office. Might be local animal control...it varies. If the shop still doesn't take some action tell them (or write them a letter) you will be reporting their negligence and abuse. Give them info about what a sick or dying cham looks like and photo document the cham in the shop that is being denied care. Make the shop owner/manager squirm and do it publicly.

 

[Carlton]

I know how frustrating it can be. I am looking after two tinys just now as they are so small the shop admitted they were a bit out of their depth and with Xmas and new year hols they only managed to mist once a day. I've had them 24 hrs and they are still alive drinking and eating

I've worked with shops that admitted they got in over their head with a cham, helping to get their cham back on its feet, providing them with better husbandry info, finding a good local vet, finding easy sources for the right lighting, dusts, gutloads, etc., creating a cham-friendly setup for the store, offer info to customers who are interested in ordering or buying a cham through the shop, necessary supplies lists with prices, all sorts of stuff. I also reward them for their willingness to learn...by buying all my supplies through them. It can be a very rewarding project! Plus, the good info the shop gets can be passed on to help other chams in the area.

Once I ended up working at a shop part time to manage any humidity herps they decided to stock. I created setups with live plants from cooperating nurseries, correct lighting, foggers/misters, ventilation, etc. and gave tutorials to customers after sales. A few customers ended up watching the displays being assembled and came back to buy the cham plus the entire setup.

 

[Kate]

I've worked with shops that admitted they got in over their head with a cham, helping to get their cham back on its feet, providing them with better husbandry info, finding a good local vet, finding easy sources for the right lighting, dusts, gutloads, etc., creating a cham-friendly setup for the store, offer info to customers who are interested in ordering or buying a cham through the shop, necessary supplies lists with prices, all sorts of stuff. I also reward them for their willingness to learn...by buying all my supplies through them. It can be a very rewarding project! Plus, the good info the shop gets can be passed on to help other chams in the area.

Once I ended up working at a shop part time to manage any humidity herps they decided to stock. I created setups with live plants from cooperating nurseries, correct lighting, foggers/misters, ventilation, etc. and gave tutorials to customers after sales. A few customers ended up watching the displays being assembled and came back to buy the cham plus the entire setup.

I'm working on it. Have passed on care sheets and they have been accepted. I think it was a big step forward in letting me care for them until they are out of danger . Another good thing is that they are not holding me liable if they don't make it. They have ordered fruit flys that I have requested so progress made.

 

[Carlton]

Hahaha i love that idea i might have to do that at my local pet store......it really is sad and they dont care they just throw it out and order another one....the sad part is they higher these people who no nothing...and don teach them or send them to a course or anything its sad yet it wont syop and theres nothing anyone an really do:mad:

Many times your success depends on your approach. I've found that if I casually start asking questions about the store's cham (to see just how ignorant they may be but keep that to myself for the time being), ease into talking about MY chams and how I got started with them, what I enjoy about keeping them, a few little tips and tricks I use, etc. you can sort of feel the person out to see where their own interest might lie. It sort of disarms them so they are not defensive, and before you know it you become a friendly source of help or info. If they show any signs of wanting to know more or improve their cham's situation I reward the shop by buying something I need. I guess by being a bit subtle and devious you can get farther than you might otherwise.

Only if they continue to be jerks about it do I get out the big stick...and report their negligence to a local authority who can embarrass or cite them publicly.

 

[JiouD]

I've worked with shops that admitted they got in over their head with a cham, helping to get their cham back on its feet, providing them with better husbandry info, finding a good local vet, finding easy sources for the right lighting, dusts, gutloads, etc., creating a cham-friendly setup for the store, offer info to customers who are interested in ordering or buying a cham through the shop, necessary supplies lists with prices, all sorts of stuff. I also reward them for their willingness to learn...by buying all my supplies through them. It can be a very rewarding project! Plus, the good info the shop gets can be passed on to help other chams in the area.

Once I ended up working at a shop part time to manage any humidity herps they decided to stock. I created setups with live plants from cooperating nurseries, correct lighting, foggers/misters, ventilation, etc. and gave tutorials to customers after sales. A few customers ended up watching the displays being assembled and came back to buy the cham plus the entire setup.

That's amazing, I will definitely be using this advice on my future visits to the pet store. Im pretty new to this forum, but Im happy I came across it. really great info and advice from lots of good people.