Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,

I attended the New York Reptile show and was introduced to a Jackson chameleon for the first time. Awesome!!

I've done a little research and I've decided to purchase either a jackson or a veiled chameleon. I've noticed in the classified section "Sunburst Veils." Do these tend to be the most colorful of the bunch?

I'm looking for the most colorful jackson or veil chameleon(the jacksons at the NY show were great). Can anyone recommend what are a few things I should look out for? I've seen torquoise veils advertised.

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Peter F.

There are several color phases out there, but veileds vary a lot individually. It is probably more important to find breeders who make a point of using unrelated or wc stock and making sure their animals are perfectly healthy with good feeding, gutloading, proper lighting or outdoor living etc. A healthy well bred veiled is beautiful regardless of the morph. They are amazingly colorful "normals" or not. The beauty is often in the details of markings and intensity of color. Remember, they won't look the same all the time. When relaxed most chams are duller and plainer than the ad photos. It also helps to see the animals in person if possible...online pics are easy to edit. As for what you personally like, you'll just have to search for bloodlines that appeal to you visually. Try to deal with smaller breeders rather than big retail vendors...they often buy in bulk without much thought for what they end up with. Also consider personality. A big gorgeous male veiled could be so vicious he won't be handleable, so know what you expect from a cham personality-wise. Jax don't vary much in coloration, but with those horns and gentler nature are very nice to have.