Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have been away from Chams for quite some time due to renewed interest in racing. But lately I have been wanting to get some chams again, I thoroughly enjoyed them before, and want to again. I am undecided between Veileds and Panthers. I am sure that there have been ALOT of advancements in captive care since I had my veileds. What are the basic housing and care requirements now-a-days? And what differences would there be between the requirements for veileds or panthers? Any help would be greatly appreciated

Rather than spend a lot of time re-stating what is available elsewhere and trying to predict all sorts of questions, I'd suggest reading articles on the Chameleons! Ezine that is shown as one of this forum's sponsors. Lots of good current information there on both general husbandry, species specific info, etc. Then, if you can hone down some specific questions it will help a lot.

after doing some reading as you suggested i do have a question or two.#1 mercury vapor bulbs are the same bulbs used in street lamps are they not? do they produce alot of heat? #2 looking at husbandry articles and care sheets for both veileds and panthers one thing becomes clear, there is considerably less detail and information available on panthers, why is this? is there bev simply less to know or just less known

MV bulbs do produce a lot of heat. Some keepers like them some don't. I'm sure they are not exactly the same as streetlights, but similar. I have not used them as most of my chams have been montane species who want less intense light levels. A better place to read about their use will be the more active cham forums at Chameleonforums.com

There is more written about veileds because they have been established in captivity longer and in more places around the world. Again, check out the various forums at the website I listed above. You'll hear more about panthers there.