Raidous
New member
I attended the most recent reptile expo in white plains New York. There I purchased a young male Blue Bar Ambilobe panther chameleon as well as as cage with magnetic perches for about $320+ from a vendor named Jay of a breeding organization called "Franken Chams". The chameleon when I purchased it was pretty thin but thankfully he ate voraciously and has been growing fast. I was told by Jay that the cage with magnets and magnetic perches was his design and was innovative and safe. However on June 17th I found out this was not the case.Though I had assembled the cage to his directions and it seemed secure somehow my Chameleon had ate one of the rather powerful magnets. The magnet became lodged WITHIN his dewlap and somehow attracted 2 other magnet, clamping onto his dewlap EXTERNALLY from either side. They were clamping potently hard on his neck and he was almost suffocating. In addition to that the strength of the magnetic force was pinning him against the perches further torturing him. I had to call out of work and rush my Chameleon to the Avian and Exotic center of Medicine in New York City. Due to the danger of swallowing the magnet,stress, and pain the vet had to put him under anesthesia so she could safely remove the round magnet from within his dewlap as well as the 2 external clamping ones. Fortunately the chameleon survived up until this point. However on his neck there is visible black abnormalities in the skin likely from lost blood circulation. In addition to this the chameleon is unable to eat normally, his tongue seeming to be damaged during the magnetic crushing. Though he is still active I still had to pay a 301$ vet bill, have a future vet visit to come, and am unsure if his tongue will fully recover and if he will be able to live a normal life. The same night after this fiasco I had messaged Jay of "Franken Chams" on the "Franken Chams" facebook page as well as his gmail at [email protected] what had happened. In addition to this I text messaged the same contents of the email to the number he posted on franken chams' facebook page. Currently I have not received any form of response from Jay or Franken Chams even following up on the events. This cage though seemingly innovative and a good idea MUST be modified or altered because it is DANGEROUS and the concept nearly resulted in my chameleon's death and may have permanently disabled him. I do not recommend this breeder\vendor or his magnetic products and he does not offer any customer service. Customers should be warned. I will also attach pictures of the email\facebook message\and injury on my chameleons neck. Should the copy of the Vet invoice also be requested to be viewed or their contact information as a reference\proof of my word that is information I could offer.
stuck magnets on either side of the chameleon to see if they'd stick.