Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hi my names ryan and im new to the forum, ive been considering buying a few panther chameleons and needed some advice. i was wondering what the average lifespan is, as ive heard chameleons in general are relatively low, ,also i would like very much to breed them so i was wondering how difficult that would be (what special reqs ect.. or will they breed naturally?) my only experience is with leopard gex and pictus, both of which breed like little reptile hampsters
thx -ryan

Life span can depends greatly on how well the cham is cared for so I will not put a number here... I will leave that for the extremely knowledgable people. Chams are hearty creatures and certainly it has been said that panthers are some of the easier to take care of. As for breeding, it is never good to breed a female until she is done growing her own bones as eggs require alot of calcium and water and such and is quite taxing for the female. Incubation is usually 5-9 months so its a big waiting game. MY BEST advice to you is READ EVERYTHING you can find on panther chameleons, go back in the forum and look for resources, get some books. Chams are a big responsibiity and if the husbandry isnt right it can lead to big problems with you chams health and happiness... I dont mean to discourage you I just want to you know that the best thing to do is read all the information you possibly can before getting a cham and understand they are time consuming but extremely rewarding.

Not sure if thats really going to help you but i dont call myself an perfect expert.

Good Luck
Jason

Hello!

Welcome to the Cham Forum!

I would start by doing tons of research on panther chams and make sure that you have enough space for two 4 x 2 x 2 (minimum) cages with sight lines between them so the chams wont be stressed, a constant supply of a variety of feeder insects, NOT just crix and mealies, the time to mist for a minimum of 30 minutes per day, the money to pay for the electricity they will require, and the fact that you can't handle them much -- they're really "to look at" pets, not "to play with" pets...

If you intend to breed, as you seem to, make sure you get an UNRELATED pair. That doesn't just mean from two different dealers, do your research and KNOW that the parents of both babies are different. We already know the bad results of inbreeding in bearded dragons and leopard geckos, and I would hate to see the beautiful chameleons go the same way. (though veils are started in that direction, as much as i hate to say it...) I would also reccomend that both members of the pair are from the same locality, but that is one of my own personal preferences.

Seeing that you've only kept geckos previously, i would heasitate to reccomend that you get Young chams. I would hope that you would try to get subadults or older juveniles rather than hatchlings, as they will tend to be hardier, rather than very young chams, which are quite fragile, even if they are one of the "hardier" species.

Good luck!

Research research research!!

Jamie

Seems as though your already getting the ROYAL treatment,

People here are not only super NICE, but there are some very knowledgable chameleon owners that are always glad to help.

Panthers, are Absolutely Gorgeous Creatures, I'm lucky enough to have one, also have a pair of werneri chameleons and enjoy them as well.

I agree with everyone else , RESEARCH, read and learn as much as possible, ASK many questions, they are beautiful animals but need alot of care/time devoted to them.

I would not rush into the breeding aspect to soon either, before I made sure I was willing to devote alot of my attentions to doing so.

Have to run, but again NICE to have you, and best wishes with your new QUEST. Your forum buddies will give you some good solid advice and point you in the right direction so to speak

** Also at the top of the page there is a Chameleon Help And Resources link to help you.
Suncharmers Christmas

-----
PHEve / Eve

Contact PHEve

There are many really good articles on the aspects of cham care and breeding on the sites below...it will be a lot of work, expensive, and not necessarily work out how you hope it will. But, that's up to you. One other thing to consider is how you plan to offer babies (if there are any) for sale and keep an eye on the market. If you end up producing babies that are not in demand (unknown or unclear bloodlines for example) you may end up keeping more than you planned. I'd really suggest first getting a single male of the locale you like best, get the care and other issues all sorted out, get a good relationship with herp feeder sources and an experienced herp vet, then get a female and try one pair. You may find they take a lot more time and effort than you think right now. Feeding even a partial clutch from one pair will be quite a job!

Anyway, check these sites out:

http://www.chameleonnews.com
http://www.adcham.com
http://www.chameleonjournals.com

thx for all the advice , yeah i deffinently plan to do my homework reading up on these guys