‘You should see the animals on delivery day’: Texas woman goes to PetSmart. Then she sees what happened to this chameleon for sale

Ideally, pet stores should take exceptional care of the living creatures available to purchase. But real life is so rarely ideal. And one Texas shopper says the conditions of one animal at a pet store stopped her in her tracks.

‘This is Wrong on So Many Levels'

Selah Mathews (@selahspencer) shares footage from her local PetSmart in Southlake, Texas. According to her bio, Mathews owns three rabbits, 13 guinea pigs, five cats, two dogs, chickens, mice, and one crested gecko. Her video has since accumulated more than 315,000 views.

The footage begins with Mathews pointing the camera at herself, looking disgusted. In text overlaying her video, she writes, “Really petsmart. This is wrong on so many levels.”

Mathews flips the camera to show a small glass tank holding a green chameleon. The chameleon appears to be pressing against the glass, raising its front foot as if looking for something to climb.

In her caption, Mathews demands that PetSmart “DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS.” She tags the post with #animalabuse.

Commenters were quick to weigh in, with one person saying that Mathews “should see the animals on delivery day.” When one viewer said they “[didn't] get it,” another explained that the chameleon was “in a small cage with nothing to climb on or do.” Mathews liked the latter comment.

“Chameleons should not be owned except by EXTREMELY advanced keepers in the first place,” one viewer wrote. “Poor baby.”

“Genuinely believe it should be illegal for retail stores to sell exotic animals,” another commented. “Including hamsters and fish that need more than 20 gallons.”

A third warned that “someone is going to take [the chameleon] home thinking this is the correct setup and that little one is going to die.”

Mathews herself weighed in under one comment thread, alleging that “improper enclosures” aren't “a new thing from petsmart.” She claimed “they have always been abusing these animals.”

What Kind of Enclosure is Safe for a Chameleon?

PetSmart's own veiled chameleon care guide recommends a screened or acrylic enclosure and says to “Avoid fully glass tanks, which trap heat and humidity and may contribute to respiratory illness.”

The Royal Veterinary College's exotics service, in a veiled chameleon care sheet reviewed in December 2024, likewise says “Mesh sided vivaria are ideal.”

It recommends a minimum of 24 by 24 by 48 inches, with the enclosure taller than it is wide, and plenty of greenery. The sheet adds that daily UVB exposure and humidity of 75 to 80 percent are needed. It describes chameleons as mostly solitary animals that feel secure when perching at height with hides and dense foliage.

Has PetSmart Faced Criticism Over How It Keeps Animals?

PetSmart has faced several accusations regarding the welfare of its animals over the years. However, the company has disputed them. According to Patch, Metro Nashville Animal Care and Control seized six hamsters, mice, and guinea pigs from a PetSmart in 2018 after PETA released “a video allegedly showing injured, sick and neglected animals” there.

PetSmart said at the time that it was investigating the video's validity because “some of the footage [was] several years old.” As of the publication of the Patch article, the animals were recovering, and no arrests had been made.

Additionally, in 2015, Adweek reported that a PetSmart spokesperson said “an associate accidentally discarded a bag of goldfish” after a video showed live fish being thrown out with the trash.

In 2022, Vice reported that “some understaffed PetSmarts are dealing with freezers overflowing with dead pets.”

“[One former employee] estimates that she was asked at least 30 times to dispose of dead animals on her own time by her superiors,” Vice wrote. “[She] says she would have to throw away hamsters, guinea pigs, rats, mice, bearded dragons, geckos, and snakes because the coolers in her store were overflowing with dead animals.”

A law firm representing PetSmart called the allegations “defamatory falsehoods.” PetSmart has more than 1,600 locations, and these controversial incidents represent a small fraction of PetSmart stores as a whole.

@selahspencer

Subplot News reached out to Mathews via TikTok comment and to PetSmart via email.

The post ‘You should see the animals on delivery day': Texas woman goes to PetSmart. Then she sees what happened to this chameleon for sale appeared first on Subplot News.