Veileds tend to be a bit more tolerant of keeping mistakes...a bit tougher while you are learning their needs. But, these days either one you get from a responsible breeder would be a good choice. You do want to stay away from the montane high humidity types until you learn how to "read" them. They are quite different than other herps even high humidity species. Actually I think of chams as a cross between birds and lizards in terms of husbandry. Yes, a juvie is a better choice. A good breeder will not sell his tiny hatchlings to a newbie. Panthers tend to be more approachable personality-wise, but there are always exceptions. Veileds used to be amazingly colorful until careless mass production diluted the gene pool. There are some gorgeous veileds out there still, you'll just have to look (and pay more for them just like a panther). I'd say, choose the one you want based on your favorite color/pattern. If you like casques, spines, and the veiled blue/green yellow color range choose them. If you like the looks of a particular panther locale, go for that. If you like spines and texture but like the overall body shape of a panther, consider a F. verrucosus. Not common in the hobby but after having one for years I found them just beautiful, tolerant of humidity and temp ranges like a veiled, many subtle color details, not aggressive but shyer, and needing about the same cage size.

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