I just sent the following email to Petsmart via their Web site. Probably wasting my breath, but thought I'd try. Maybe if they start hearing from people, they'll re-think their business practices:

I live in Springfield, IL. Around Christmas, I went to your store and saw a Jackson's chameleon on display. I'm just getting into reptiles and own a ball python and a bearded dragon, both of which I adopted at no cost when their owners could no longer care for them. Great-looking lizard, I thought. Then I went home and researched Jackson's chameleons. I was shocked at the expense involved in properly caring for one. Every care sheet I looked at--and I looked at many--emphasized that they need live plants AND space AND ventilation AND high humidity. Otherwise, they die. Again, I really like reptiles and spend no small amount of money on the ones I have, and I really liked the Jackson's chameleon. But no way--we're talking several hundred dollars for a proper enclosure. I went to your store in Springfield a couple more times and the chameleon was still there, looking ever more thin. It had also lost color from the brilliant green it started with. It was so sad. I stopped going and started buying the frozen rats I feed my snake from a different pet shop. Yesterday, however, I went to the Petsmart in St. Louis while on a business trip, and there was--you guessed it--a Jackson's chameleon for sale for $129. This is absolutely disgusting, in my opinion. Are your sales people telling potential buyers that this lizard is for advanced reptile keepers only? Are they being honest about the true cost? That any responsible owner will need an enclosure large enough for live plants, automatic misting equipment to keep the humidity right, special lighting, etc., etc., etc.????

Somehow, I doubt it. The sign beneath the cage describing the animal mentioned none of that.

Please: Stop stocking Jackson's chameleons. These are for experts only, and experts aren't likely to shop at a mainstream pet store. Please contact me and let me know a, where you are getting these lizards and b, what your future plans are regarding sales. Thank you.


The Web site for Petsmart is petsmart.com, in case anyone else wants to weigh in. Thanks.