I hate people

[platedlizard]

Just as I was leaving work today someone brought in a Jackson's chameleon that they had found outside. The poor thing was clearly at death's door, starved, it's eyes were collapsed, and dying of cold. (the temperature has been hovering at about 45-50*F). It probably wasn't dehydrated due to all the rain we've been getting, but the extreme cold (for a TROPICAL reptile) will probably do it in. If it survives one of my managers will probably take it home.

I don't think it will. It's eyes were sunken, which means that the muscles behind them had atrophied. That is the sign of a chameleon that is going die, they need those muscles to control their tongue, and if they can't use it then they can't eat. Chameleons also don't drink standing water, I have to mist my Veiled Chameleon once a day. They also need to eat pretty frequently (for a carnivorous reptile), at least five or six times a week.

What really pisses me off is that someone had to let it go outside. Chameleons are not exactly fast runners, and they don't like walking along the floor, so merely leaving the door open would not be enough to let one escape. No, someone probably got tired of keeping it and decided to 'free' it, nevermind that Hell would freeze over before a chameleon could survive an Oregon winter outdoors.

It isn't even an adult chameleon, at a guess it looks like it was about four or five months old. Still a baby. And the fuckers LET IT OUTSIDE TO DIE. Seriously, if you don't want a critter that much, why don't you put it up on Craigslist and sell it? The least they could do is find it a good home.

This isn't even the first stray reptile I've seen, my iguana, Radar, was found outdoors a couple of summers ago by some friends of my neighbor. Iggies are more prone to running away (he's FAST when he wants to be, and climbs as fast and as well as a squirrel. A giant green scaled squirrel), so I'm willing to give his first owners the benifit of the doubt, but not by much.

In summery, people suck.

Comments

[misora.livejournal.com]

;______;

That's so sad. I love chameleons. If I didn't have cats, I'd get one in a heartbeat and spoil the heck out of it. ;___;

I hope it survives. Poor baby!!

I have to LOL though at the thought of an iguana climbing a tree. I've never seen one do that before...lol@giant green scaled squirrel! ^^

[platedlizard.livejournal.com]

I have a Veiled Chameleon. He's so funny, when I mist him every morning he's like OHSHITRUNN!!!! Until he realizes that he's getting squirted with WATER, which is for DRINKING, then he laps it up off the branches and leaves. They don't drink standing water, so you have to mist them because they'll ignore a water bowl.

When the weather is nice I try to take Radar, the iggy, out for walkies in the park. Thing is, he isn't really used to going outside and it freaks him out. I keep him on a harness (the smallest toy-dog harness I could find) and leash, so he can't run away too far, but I have to keep him away from trees because he'll race up them, and then I either have to pull him down with the leash, or try to go up after him. Either way he tail-whips me because he's freaked out. My vet wants me to take him outside because the natural sunlight is best for him.

The chameleon is apparently still alive. One of my managers took him home.

[twistedimp.livejournal.com]

Hulk smash irresponsible pet owners. Captive animals of any kind are not meant to be released, and releasing an animal that is non-native and therefore not suited to the local climate is just... stupid. I'm sure that I'm preaching to the choir, but jeez! This reminds me of a story that a friend of mine, who does reptile rescue, told me a while back about someone who decided that their ball python should become a vegetarian, and then was so shocked when the python got sick.

Also, hi! 'Tis Rhia, from Harry's. I shall climb off my soap box now. Hulk smash!

[platedlizard.livejournal.com]

Yeah, no kidding. There's no reason to release a chameleon, so I hope it really was accidental. But then people abandon their dogs and cats all the time. A couple weeks ago someone left a box of kittens in front of the grocery store next to my Petsmart. The kittens got adopted out just fine, but that shit happens all the freaking time here. People just don't want to take care of their animals or find them good homes.

[twistedimp.livejournal.com]

That's awful, although I see it all the time, too. There are huge feral cat populations, where I live but especially up near my dad's place. Luckily at dad's place, a lot of the people are willing to leave out food, and a couple of sweet little kittens who became super domesticated (for ferals, that is) got taken in by a couple who lives in the complex. Still, it's pretty bad.

I just don't understand it, and it makes me so angry. Even if a pet becomes an "inconvenience" - and I've had pets in no-pets building, pets on prescription foods that cost a bundle, pets who got really gross when they got old or sick - you took responsibility for them, and you have to remain responsible even if the going gets a bit tough. If you can't handle that, you shouldn't get a pet to start with. Or at least, that's my feeling.