Reptile & Amphibian Forums

ok this is what im thinking so far. at first i was thinking a vailed but i have heard they dont like to be held then i was thinking a panther and i dont have 250$ for a lizered. this is what i want....

1)something that can be in a 2x3x4 foot chage
2) some thing at or under 150$
3)something that wont mind being held
4) something colorfull

i liked some of the coloring of the vailed cham but its pointless if he will not like it when i handle him. i like the panther but the local breeder has them for 225$ at the cheepest. im looking for something in the middle kida so let me hear your thoughts. i know so far im going to have to spring for the money to get the mister, and the lights and everything eles i just dont want to be broke off of that that i cant aford the cham.

let me know what u guys think i should get. if u guys have links of pics of the kinds u think i should get plese add that into it too

thanks for all your help

250$ for a panther!?! where are you buying?
the only people who charge that much aree well known people who raise their prices because they can!
i got a strong bloodline maroantsetra pantehr cham for 150$ canadian (about 100$ us) from a breeder, who for ALL of their panthers has that as a standard price regardless!!!

hope this helps

Jason
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Jason
f2.pg.briefcase.yahoo.com/dank7oo
1.0 maroantsetra panther chameleon
0.2 dwarf panther chameleons
jsinger_jimt@hotmail.com

Who is the breeder that you got your maroantsetra panther cham from? does he have an email address? or a website?
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Chris/Mike
L&R Reptiles

I got my panther from aboreal exotics in guelph!
The owners name is Connie, and her email adress is aborealexotics@hotmail.com

she won't normally sell to the public unless she is a a show (she does all the ones in Toronto, and many of the large US shows such as in Daytona). She WILL NOT ship a cham in the mail unless it is overseas to one of her regs.

Connie is the largest panther cham breeder in Canada, and probablly one of the largest in the world producing 1500 panthers for sale each year!

hope this info helps!

Jason
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Jason
f2.pg.briefcase.yahoo.com/dank7oo
1.0 maroantsetra panther chameleon
0.2 dwarf panther chameleons
jsinger_jimt@hotmail.com

i bought my panther from a very well known and well established breeder, kammerflage kreations. before i bought mine i "shopped around" and quiclkly decided that if it ws a panther i wanted i'd be spending $200-250 for it.

dennis
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compasscreek backcountry adventures

200 is 300 canadian .. i got mine for half o fthat

in my opion places like kammer that want 250 us for a pantehr are overcharging because they are well established ... thats my opinion and i know many disagree, but thats that
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Jason
f2.pg.briefcase.yahoo.com/dank7oo
1.0 maroantsetra panther chameleon
0.2 dwarf panther chameleons
jsinger_jimt@hotmail.com

Awesome...thanks a lot
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Chris/Mike
L&R Reptiles

i was looking at NORCAL chameleons i really dont know the price of them so if u guys could help me out so i dont get riped off.

norcal is only a 10min drive from me so that is y i was thinking there

NORCAL just raised their prices to $225. It used to be $200. These are for Panthers.

i you want something that likes or won't mind being held, DON'T get a cham at all. get a gecko or something like that. with the way chameleons react to stress, holding them and removing them from their habitat regularly will eventually cause serious effects, as none of them should be held regularly. i only recommend holding them when you have to. i take mine out when i clean their cages, and that's about it. granted i will take pictures of them, and do anything that i need to do at that time, but chameleons are not puppies or kittens, none of them should be handled a lot..........
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groups.msn.com/JEChameleons
2.1 Chameleo Calyptratus
1 Chameleo Melleri

i understand that they dont like to he held but i have heard that vailds and just mean when u try and hold them im not plainin on holding it alot there is better for me this way i dont have to hold it and calm it down like my bearded i just leave him there and he will be ok . so is there something price wise inbetween a panther and a vailed i still do want something colorfull but i cant bring my self to spend 250 on a cham

If you cant bring yourself to spend $250 on a cham - then how can you bring yourself to spend the money of his food? Kinda special needs compared to a dragon. Silkworms? wax worms, betterworms? (I assume you have the crix with that dragon though!)

then there are plants...new soil for the plants...new plants to replace the dying plants...etc... Filtered water? Those filters can get pricey too.

The cham is going to be expensive - I'd say it will run you quite a bit of cash - especially in the first few months.

$250 is not that much at all when you compare it to everything else. If that is your stopping point with your selection - then I would vear away from the cham...

think of it this way..do you want a cham to make you happy - or do you want a cham to make the cham happy?

Personally Im the latter - I have leared so much by sitting in my chair and watching him..his habits and his mannerisms.

Chameleons don't have to be that expensive if you put in a little extra time. Granted, they are still not cheap, but you can breed your own food to bring down the cost (or if you know a place that doesn't spray chemicals, collect your own bugs. I do this for 4 months of the year and it cuts down on my costs.), mist them with a hand sprayer or pump up sprayer with a fine mist nozle, get a dripper, and get several plants to rotate in and out, so that you don't have to keep buying new ones this will cut down your cost. I know that you can get tropicals at homedepot for less that $6 each. Cost depends on how much time you can put in, if you get an automatic misting system, buy new food every 3 weeks, and get new plants every month, yes it is expensive, but with a little planning, you can keep the cost down and keep the chameleon happy.

im saying i want to spend 150 on the cham so that i can provied a good home for him. with the other money i have i can get him plants, misters, and what ever else i need. food i dont think will be a problem im buying 500 crickets at a time now so all i would have to do is order some worms from some place online. i know its not going to be cheep so what i am asking what kind of cham can i get for 150 or under i know i can get a vailed and a jackon. i have heard the vaileds are nasty but i like the color and the jacksons are jsut green i figure if im getting a cham i would like it to be colorfull too

Jacksons are just green. My jackson read that.....

I love my jackson. However he is a little harder to take care of than a velied.

If you want a cham - get a veiled. They are wonderful. they go through a 1 year hissy fit and then are very tame and happy. Almost all reptiles go through this. It is not "that" bad...

heck man - you could get a juvie veiled from the boards here for like $50. a great sunburst. One from a breeder that cared a lot for the little guy.

with the extra cash you could upgrade some of your components or just have it in reserve for other things.

I think veiled have gotten a bad rap lately. They are wonderful chams to take care of. Hardy. colorful. Lower priced. Much more interactive than my just green jackson

hope that helps.

-adam

i spent almost $500 on a cage, automated mister, plants and lights! of course this is because i was starting from scratch but i assume you will be as well. after the intial purchase of the chameleon and his habitat it has been relatively cheap, aside from the retile shows we go to and books i've bought. look at this way, new hobbies are never cheap getting in to. right know i have an empty small cage that i'd like to put a veiled in but my wife says no. that's mainly because we plan on getting another panther in a few months(male sambava or a female ambanja)...that and i need to make some room.

dennis
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compasscreek backcountry adventures

heh - you and I are on the same page!

cage - $65
bigger cage 89.00
rainmaker jr. - $180 (supports a couple other herps now - the hour of misting per day got to me)
Food - $5 to $10 per week for the cham. (once the crix or silks get too big...cant feed em. using th elarger ones to start a colony of each)
rubbermaids and materials for colonies ($40 - including incubator for hatched silks)
cham $100
plants, new soil, larger pots - $50 - $60
two digital termometers (one for general area - one for hot spot) - both are hydrometers as well.
lights UVA UVB - shoot - dont recall- fair though
Timer for lights - 7.00
Dripper for occasional drips - $5.00
some branches and other climbing things - $20
moss and rocks to go over plants $10

I know I went overboard on some stuff, but I would feel so terrible if I let my guy die or suffer because I did not feel it was worth it to do it the best I could. I saved up for 9 months and built everyting - ran out of $ - and THEN I saved for another month and brought home the cham.

I have enough gear now to get another cham. My wife says no - I spent too much on this one. However I have everything needed to take care of another.

well i know it wont be cheep but that is ok with me but i as a college student can only spend so much. it sounds like im going to need lots of stuff ok u guys said breed the sild worms? dont the silk worms turn into butterflys how easy is it to breed them? any way if any one can help me out with that. woule be great. crickets are not a problem i buy 500 3 week old ones so that buy the time i get though them they arent makeing noise. so they wont be to big for him and if they are the biger ones can go to my bearded. also how big of a cage should i build? i was thinking of a 2x3x4 do u think that will be ok?

depending on the age of the chameleon you are getting but if you are starting out with a little one (3 months) i'd get something like 36 high x 18 wide x 18 long. that size should do you well for a while. the first cage i got was a 24 x 12 x 24, that quickly got small for him. his current cage is 36 x 18 x 30. i think this is the perfect size. as it will take him into adulthood. one other thing about the size of the cage. think of where you are going to put the cage and make sure it will fit the area and not get bumped and will be dark enough when it is time for him to go to sleep. we have our chameleon in the center of the living room but the area doesn't get too much traffic and when it's lights out it is dark enough. this is something i was concerned about so with the new cage i bought some black shade cloth and some hooks with tape on the back of them and stuck them on the sides of his cage to make sure it is dark enough. BUT now he sleeps in the front of the cage! guess he doesn't like it that dark LOL!

chameleons do take a bit of money to get into and require daily care but there is not a day that goes by that i can't wait to get back home to check him out! i can promise you this, once you get your chameleon you will want more! for me it all started wanting a mountain king snake but my wife said absolutely "NO SNAKES!" so started looking for a retile that i could use as a "stepping stone" to get my snake. i looked at frogs first but what i wanted was to delicate (dendrobite). then i thought about a gecko but just could see one in my house. then my buddy says" get a jackson chameleon! there sweet! and that was the start of what we have today, although it's not a jackson. i want something more colorful so i got a ambanja/nosey be cross. he'll be 5 months on the 26th.

dennis
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compasscreek backcountry adventures

great storie
like u said jacksons are cool but if im getting a chameleon i want something a little more colorfull then that. i do like the horns though

great storie
like u said jacksons are cool but if im getting a chameleon i want something a little more colorfull then that. i do like the horns though

great storie
like u said jacksons are cool but if im getting a chameleon i want something a little more colorfull then that. i do like the horns though

It could end up costing more in vet bills in the long run.
And vet bills can be pretty expensive for a chameleon.
For a panther cham I recommend
Mythical Chameleons (the owner is a reptile vet the chams are top notch) He also helps out lots of us with advice.
I also recommend Amazing Blue Reptiles
and Kammerflage
None are cheap but you get what you pay for and you can be sure their animals are not inbred
You can also see if John at Charm Paradise has any babies yet.
Or maybe Reptalys or one of the others.
(don't mean to leave anyone out.)
With them you know where to find them for advice and they care about their chams.
But be warned chams are not cheap animals to keep and they always need something or other. They are just NEEEEEDY!