Carlton
Chameleon Enthusiast
Thanks for the pictures. IMHO the black patches are not exposed bone, but they are necrotic. I would suspect they are old abrasions or possibly spots of old infections. Might even be just the skin surface not deeper. I don't see signs of current infections (swelling, discharge, reddened tissue around the edges of the black). I can see that injuries like this could well be present on a recent import who hasn't been treated very carefully since it was caught. Loaded into bags, cages, boxes, crawled over by other chams, rubbing itself on rough surfaces, etc. I've seen imported melleri with similar damage.
This isn't to say the cham is in "good" shape, but you could end up with a cham who heals OK with good care and attention. It just won't look perfect. I couldn't really see what you were talking about on the male though. Again, I've seen imported melleri (who have similar raised dorsal ridges that can be injured or burned) with broken scallops. We trimmed away the dead tissue gradually and found clean healthy tissue underneath.
Basically, we have a shop who buys imported chams and sells them in their "original" condition, bad or good. I am not saying this is a good thing, but for species like quads it is reality. I know you are mad and I completely sympathize, but I have seen wc chams in similar condition many times. Life in the wild is tough even before they get caught. They do get injured! A wc cham often won't be perfect, but they can be healthy with care and kindness.
If you really want a quad in perfect condition you will need to get a cbb from a breeder or raise a young one yourself. Actually, if the shop offered me a baby from a known source I would be interested because I could give it all the good care it needs to grow into a beautiful adult. And that could happen in a year or so giving you the breeding pair you want.
You are entitled to a refund for the returned male at this point. Nothing more or less. A store credit for the same amount might be useful (they will still have to eat the cost of the supplies you get). I would not want to support the shop's policy of buying wc from dealers, so I would take some good expensive supplies (like a bunch of ReptiSuns, foggers, terrariums, bigger ticket items) and walk away forever.
This isn't to say the cham is in "good" shape, but you could end up with a cham who heals OK with good care and attention. It just won't look perfect. I couldn't really see what you were talking about on the male though. Again, I've seen imported melleri (who have similar raised dorsal ridges that can be injured or burned) with broken scallops. We trimmed away the dead tissue gradually and found clean healthy tissue underneath.
Basically, we have a shop who buys imported chams and sells them in their "original" condition, bad or good. I am not saying this is a good thing, but for species like quads it is reality. I know you are mad and I completely sympathize, but I have seen wc chams in similar condition many times. Life in the wild is tough even before they get caught. They do get injured! A wc cham often won't be perfect, but they can be healthy with care and kindness.
If you really want a quad in perfect condition you will need to get a cbb from a breeder or raise a young one yourself. Actually, if the shop offered me a baby from a known source I would be interested because I could give it all the good care it needs to grow into a beautiful adult. And that could happen in a year or so giving you the breeding pair you want.
You are entitled to a refund for the returned male at this point. Nothing more or less. A store credit for the same amount might be useful (they will still have to eat the cost of the supplies you get). I would not want to support the shop's policy of buying wc from dealers, so I would take some good expensive supplies (like a bunch of ReptiSuns, foggers, terrariums, bigger ticket items) and walk away forever.
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