Well, I have to disagree on the colorfulness of pardalis vs. veilds...
I have seen some pretty ugly pardalis. Many veilds are ugly too. If you buy from a breeder who isn't hesitant about showing the breeders, you can have a degree of certanty about the color of the offspring. You can argue weather the veild or panther is NICER than each other, but I do not think you can say in general a panther is more colorful than a veild.
My veild is totally color-where he's not grenn he's bright orange, blue or yellow, not a dull spot on him.
The ones I've bred in the past were even nicer.
Panthers vary more, and display a larger variety of colors as a species. Veilds usually display the same colors across the species, but more colors on each animal.
Both species will vary from individual to individual. You can find nosey be's that are plain green, some are a bright blue that doesn't seem should exist in nature.
I've seen some ambanjas that were a ruddy maroon and a hazy green, and veilds that are grey and brown.
Some look like crap normally, but show awesome colors when displaying. Most veilds will show color when relaxed, but show even more when excited, some panthers willonly show theuir bright colors when displaying.
all veilds display the same base colors: green, maroon, blue, yellow and orange. Some show more of one, others a range of them all.
Panthers vary somuch it's not worht repeating, just look at the pictures.
Veilds are a buit eaiser in that they don't need the humidity, and can be seemingly indestructable, going for long periods without food, water or heat if needed. Their ability to withstand poor treatment is a reason so many get MBD--anything else would have dropped dead before symptoms got so bad.
Most veilds have a nice, pleasent colro, some, ones with extremly defined patterns, can be an incredible sight, as nice as any other lizard.
Some panthers have nice colors, but many are simply so shockingly artificially colored, they seem fake. Madagascar has a habit of producing things like that--ever see some of those day geckos??
A nice veild can be just as nice as the nicest panther. However, with so many veilds being bred for profit(and not for the proliferation off the best genes--as we usually see in pardalis), there are a lot more ugly ones.
You have a better shot with panthers, unless you find a breeder who will show you his breeders.
Panthers are usually $150-$350, depending on locale and age. Veilds can go for $25-$75 for a 2 month old, depending on the breeder's reputation/quality of adults, etc. Set ups are similar, although you'll mist more withthe panther.
Here's my veild, for example. The pic, taken with a cheap digital camera does not show his color, and the oprange is bright orange, the blue very bright, etc...
He's a nice one(SO I think..hehe)
Bottom line, look at this pic, then look at some of the monsters on champaradise's site, decide which one you like better, and save up...
have fun.
