Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've done all types of research. I get so many opinions. I guess it's hard to get stone cold facts in this arena. I would like to know the most beautifully colored chameleon? Is that chameleon one of the more hardier chams? If not, which one is? Which chams seem more personable? Which ones have better interactions w/ people (I know naturally they like to be left alone)? ETC...................

I would so appreciate some help w/ these questions. I search all over the internet and I get pages giving information, but who better to ask about the chams then the cham owners.

at least in a common sense.
Panthers are Hardy, colorful, and somewhat personable.

As far as beauty..well that is quite subjective. what are your favorite colors? There are reds, orange, blue, purple, yellow, green, and a host of colors in between!

Most personable? none of them. However the Panther again would be your best bet.

Im a Jacksons fan..or any other montane species. I prefer the colors my male Jackson shows over almost any Panther out there. When his eye sockets turn pinwheel yellows and his sides flare up in yellows and 10 colors of green...couple that with three huge horns and I am so pleased with him.

Him and I have a deal though. I dont bother him..and he lets me feed him and clean up his poop. Funny thing is - I still consider myself to have the better deal.

anyhow Panther my friend.

Panthers are in my opinion (and probably everyone else's) by a long shot the most beautiful of chameleons, and one of the hardiest, probably only behind the veiled. They are also very personable, and most are easy to get to eat from your fingers. They are expensive though, so plan on that. Veileds look nice, get big and are hardy, but they're kinda mean. There are some that are nice, but mine seem like they got mean for no reason. I treat them the same as a panther, but they're much meaner now. None of my panthers even attempt to bite and both my veileds do. Depending on what type of color you want to see will determine what panther you're looking for. Nosy Be's are beautiful blue all the time and when excited they don't chamge a whole lot, mine gets a lighter sky blue color. Sambavas or Tamataves change alot, and some won't have a speck of green on them when excited. But to excite them and even see these colors, you either have to have a male to show them to (which is stressful for them both) or a female for them to display to (which is stressful for her, if it happens too often). GOOD LUCK!
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Tyler Stewart
Las Vegas NV
1.2 Nosy Be Panthers
2.2 Sambava Panthers
1.0 Tamatave Panther
1.0 Nosy Be X Unknown Cross
1.1 Veiled Chameleons
0.0.2 CBB Desert Tortoises
0.0.1 Sulcatta Tortoise

That information is giving me a lot more insight!! I didn't know there were a bunch of different Panthers. Is there a sight you know of where I kind find out more info on each? Or you can tell me more if you'd like. Do the different types of panthers act differently or are all of the same in temperament?

Thanks again!

There are alot of different panthers, probably from 7 to 10, depending on who you ask. And they're all different in certain ways. I don't know how they could be different in temperament since they're all tachnically the same species, but my tamest ones are my Nosy Be panther male , ZEUS and my panther cross male (a mix of a few morphs.... It's ZEN in the photo gallery on this site). It all just depends what you're looking for. Some panthers change colors completely, others don't. My personal favorite panther by a long shot is the good old fashioned Nosy Be. They look great day in and day out. They don't however, chamge colors dramatically. But even at that, 99.9% of their lives in captivity, panthers are just their basic color. And from all the basic colors in all the panthers, I think Nosy Be's are the best looking. If you want to see some different morphs of panthers, check out Kammerflage Kreations at www.calumma.com. They have nice pics of 5 or 6 varieties. They also have some awesome animals for when you're looking to get one. Also check with Amazing Blue Reptiles, as they also have nice chameleons (not as big of a variety, but as beautiful as anyone's). And I have found Amazing Blue Reptiles the best breeder to work with. They are friendly and do whatever it takes to make it right, no matter what it is. NO other breeders do that that I know of.

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Tyler Stewart
Las Vegas NV
1.2 Nosy Be Panthers
2.2 Sambava Panthers
1.0 Tamatave Panther
1.0 Nosy Be X Unknown Cross
1.1 Veiled Chameleons
0.0.2 CBB Desert Tortoises
0.0.1 Sulcatta Tortoise

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder". I think almost all species are very beautiful, but we all have favorites. They are so different their individual beauty is hard to compare. Even the simplest leaf green cham can be stunning close up. Montiums are gorgeous but much more complicated to care for. Verrucosus is mostly ignored because it looks sort of dull most of the time. Well, look close and watch them fire up and you will be amazed! The blues, greens, and pure white is amazing. Melleri are my favorite by far, but I would not recommend them to anyone who can't have their life revolve around them. Parson's? Well, there is no comparison to seeing a 36" male in the wild, but most of us will never get that chance. I've been very fortunate to see several subspecies, ages, both sexes, etc. and will never forget it. I've seen many beautiful panthers but for some reason prefer things with horns such as deremensis, jax and fischeri. Beauty can also be from things like health and being "easy to live with", so in that sense veileds and panthers are great favorites for many keepers. If you are having a hard time deciding on a species just spend lots of time looking at pics. I bet you will find yourself going back to some pics more than others and liking some color/pattern/shapes more.