Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i might be getting a cham in march,and and i have narrowed my choices to either a panther or a veiled.i'm leaning more towards the panther,mainly due to color options.i've kept herps for over 20 years,but this would be my first cham.i've successfully kept and bred various pythons,satanic leaftails,various turtles,and some venomous over the years,and i feel that i'm ready for a cham.i've done some research,and understand that a well started juvie(a couple months old)is probably the route to go,but any tips,warnings,unbiased opinions,or practical knowledge would be greatly appreciated.
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1.1 cb spotted turtles (parker(f),stinky(m))
0.0.1 cb red cheek mud (pickles)
2.1 wc razorback musks
0.0.1 cb ally snapper (gamera)
1.0 cb homo sapien(kaelan,5)

"my name is inigo montoya...you killed my father.prepare to die."

although panthers are amazing they cost alot. my first cham was a veiled. If you decide on a veiled don't get a female, they don't change colors much and it seems thats what you are interested in.

Veileds tend to be a bit more tolerant of keeping mistakes...a bit tougher while you are learning their needs. But, these days either one you get from a responsible breeder would be a good choice. You do want to stay away from the montane high humidity types until you learn how to "read" them. They are quite different than other herps even high humidity species. Actually I think of chams as a cross between birds and lizards in terms of husbandry. Yes, a juvie is a better choice. A good breeder will not sell his tiny hatchlings to a newbie. Panthers tend to be more approachable personality-wise, but there are always exceptions. Veileds used to be amazingly colorful until careless mass production diluted the gene pool. There are some gorgeous veileds out there still, you'll just have to look (and pay more for them just like a panther). I'd say, choose the one you want based on your favorite color/pattern. If you like casques, spines, and the veiled blue/green yellow color range choose them. If you like the looks of a particular panther locale, go for that. If you like spines and texture but like the overall body shape of a panther, consider a F. verrucosus. Not common in the hobby but after having one for years I found them just beautiful, tolerant of humidity and temp ranges like a veiled, many subtle color details, not aggressive but shyer, and needing about the same cage size.

I pretty much agree with Carlton.
Slightly better chance of getting a less aggressive animal if you go with a male panther. Either way, go male not female, so that you dont have to deal with the added issues of eggs.
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Sandra
BC Canada