I am an Owner of 2 water dragons, so I slightly know stuff about lizards. The other day I was walking out to my car, and looked around. I saw a little black thing but didn't pay much attention to it. I started to back out of my drive way, and had a second thought about the little black thing I saw, so I pulled back up. I got out, walked up to it, and surprise, here sat a lifeless little creature. Me being an owner of reptiles myself picked it up and noticed it was still breathing, so I ran it in the house and as fast as I could set up a little wet/dry habitat for him. I called Pet Supply's around my house and asked if they would like a new friend. They took it and surprisingly someone bought it within a half hour. ( lol because I sat there with it for awhile.) I thought about keeping the guy, but I'm not into the Amphibians, and lizards that you can't interact with as much.

I JUST THOUGHT THAT WAS COOL AND HAD TO SHARE.

Another life saved, good job man!

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Mike
"Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time, and always start with the person nearest you." - Mother Teresa

Wait, you found a salamander at death's doorstep, and instead of taking it inside, getting it hydrated and feeding it you took it to a store where it was SOLD in 30 minutes? How do you know its going to get the care it needs? Does this store even have a license to sell native species?

Did the people who bought it know its history? That it was found almost dead and would need rehab?

You didn't save it, you helped a store make a profit.

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My name is Liz
Do what's best for the animal, not what's best for you.

I hate to say it, but sending any animal to a petstore is not actually saving it. It's a gamble as you never know how much the potential owners know. From your post though, I would suggest you never shop at that petstore again.

This is what I see from your post. The petstore didn't care if the salamander was healthy or not, whether it was a native species or not, tossed a pricetag on it and sold it anyways.

There was no quarantine period to ensure it was healthy. There was no regard for it being a native species. They SOLD it when it was given to them free. I know in MA you are suppose to adopt out any animal brought into the store that isn't part of the normal inventory as it was never taxed.

If you come across a native species that is on the verge of death and want to save it, try to set it up correctly and help it get some fluids and food in its belly. Once it is showing it is more alert and active, return it to its natural habitat. Your post shows exactly why petstores are not the best places to bring an animal.

I mean after all, they had it available for sale and sold within 30 minutes of it arriving. For all any of us know, that little salamander could be loaded with parasites and that is why it was looking so bad on the driveway. Hopefully the new owners didn't have any other amphibians they were tossing this new addition in with or at least new enough to quarantine it for 30 days before they did toss it in with other amphibians.

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I have to agree.
While your intentions were good, this was not thought out very well.
And in many places capturing native wildlife to sell is highly illegal! Your best bet would have been to rehab it and return it to the area you found it. Or if you were incapable of it contacting the local wildlife department and asking them where to take it.

This petshop just showed its true colors. They took in an animal that they KNEW was in very bad shape, and knowing this, IMMEDIATELY pawned it off on someone!
They had no qualms about selling an animal that had been in bad shape to some unsuspecting buyer.

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

I have to say that the first time I read this it REALLY bothered me. I refrained from saying anything cause I couldn't without being very rude. After reading it again I have to post, if only to keep anyone else reading this thread from thinking that you really saved this animal. In my opinion you most likely doomed it. Why would you take an animal that was living with no boundaries and think you were saving it by caging it? If there was something wrong with the animal and it was unable to fend for itself in the wild then I might be able to see that argument, but if this salamander had just been given a chance to rehab (even for a few hours) and be released.

I guess we have different definitions of Saving a Life.

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Lets not be too rough on him.
He DID have good intentions, even if it may not have been the best choice of action.

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

The person that took him in owned 2 or 3 of the same Sala. So I think he knows what he was doing. On another subject. Someone said about rehab...and then let him go. I called a Vet, And the vet said the best thing to do was to bring him in warm him up and find someone that knew what they were doing with it. Sala. Are not the smartest creatures. The vet said if I would let him go, he would probley be confused and end up burrowing somewhere and dieing. And also someone said something about the store not having the proper license to sell or take care of an animal like that... I called 3 different places before I took him to one. the pet supply's around here had sold them before, Not only have the sold them, the person that bought the lizard also worked there, and had experience with these lizards, and its not like I never hear of him anymore, the guy still has him, and he is more alive and active then he was when I found him lifeless in my drive way.

I still have a problem with the fact that he was SOLD. Taken from the wild and SOLD. I can see a person who is good with salamanders just taking him in to rehab him.... that makes sense. But to SELL something that was on the brink of death?

That's just wrong.

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My name is Liz
Do what's best for the animal, not what's best for you.

He was sold to someone to REHAB him, im not the person to do that. hence me calling my vet to ask him what to do. LIKE I SAID ONCE. The vet said he would most likely die if I were to "rehab" him and put him back into the wild, I just listened to the pro. I still talk to the guy that owns him. The salamander is in perfect health and happy. Eats well, Bathrooms well. Also when I said sold I really didn't mean sold for cash. I meant given away pretty much, The store "Gave" it away to someone that worked with them that had experience taking care of them.