Hi, I'm looking at panther Chameleons but out of interest, guy or gal?

Is there much difference in temperaments, lifespan, colour, size etc. between the sexes?

cheers all

If your looking for a pet, and you have no plans of breeding....I'd definately recommend a male. Females are much smaller, and usually a brownish pinkish color. They dont mature into the brilliant colors that the males do. Plus their nutritional requirements can be a bit more complicated than males. Another plus for the males is that they usually live longer.

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Noah @ 2by2

It seems that most people own males due to the fact that 1:Easier to care for, 2:Live longer, 3:Have brighter colors. I don't know much about female chams but I due know that they require more advanced care, espially since they have egss. I am not that knowledgable about the different sexes but for your first cham it seems like a male would be the way to go. Very intrested to see what others might post.

thanks, i'd heard males were better as a first and more interesting in general, (colour personality and ease of care!)

Another wondering then, what is the difference between the different types of pantheres, Nosey Bes ambanja etc. is it just colouring an price or are there any other differences?

Hi Noah,

If you go to this link on my website, I have a description of the differences between panther locales, their colorations, and where they are located. http://www.prismchameleons.com/About...hameleons.html . If I can help you with any more questions, please let me know.

I agree with the others here... If you are looking for a panther chameleon for the first time, I'd highly recommend a male for several reasons. 1) Males have the coloration that most enjoy, 2) Tend to be more friendlier than the females, and 3) live longer than females (females go through a lot of bodily stress in egg bearing, and will also grow eggs whether they are bred or not as it is part of their hormonal system). I would only recommend a female to someone who is considering breeding them to a male.

Good luck on your panther search! If I can help you, let me know .

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Jenna
www.prismchameleons.com

thanks thats very in depth!

So it is just georaphical distribution, colouration and respectively cost and rarity that sets apart the different Panther types. do personalties get passed down, parent to child, like very solitary doesn't like human contact, or very friendly loves to be handled? i.e. could ou roughly predict your chameleons personality by it's parents? Also what is you ropinion on crosses?? it is just that they generally seem to be cheaper than "pure breeds".

Thanks again, noah

Yes, their coloration is based on where they are located geographically. It really is quite a mystery as to why there are so many different coloration differences based upon where a panther chameleon is located. Scientists are still trying to figure it out! The name of the panther chameleon (i.e. Nosy Be, Ambanja, etc.) is actually where the panther chameleon was located geographically, with the exception of some "designer" names which I also explained on that website page.

Cost has to do with rarity, for example Ankaramy and Nosy Mitsio tend to be higher in price than some others, as well as the coloration and age of the chameleon. Babies tend to be cheaper as the breeder has 1) not had to care for them quite as long which can be costly, and 2) coloration has not been totally developed yet. The more colorful, rarity, and the older a panther chameleon is, the more they are likely to cost in price.

As far as personality, all panther chameleons tend to have their own little personalities just as we do as human beings. I have had VERY few males that were on the more aggressive stage (maybe 2 out of all of my male panthers) and this was during their adolescence when they were getting their hormones and acting like a teenager might . They have usually ended up settling down after they have grown up to adult stage. Other than those 2 panthers, all my males have been very gentle, some more timid than others, some love attention and are very loving, and others just prefer to hang out and only be handled when necessary. However, I have found that the more a panther gets to know it's owner, the more receptive they are to being handled. They learn to know that you are not out to hurt them and are really their friend and not a predator that is meant harm. I have not noticed that genetics has anything to do with this. It is much like you have a personality much different than maybe another family member of yours (brother, sister, mom and dad).

Crossbreeding: Michele and Brad here have some crossbred panthers that have turned out very beautiful. Personally, my own philosophy of breeding is to never crossbreed my panther chameleons. I am trying to maintain the originality of their locale colorations and uniqueness, so this is something that I don't do as a breeder. You can get crossbred panther chameleons at a cheaper price, however, I would recommend that you get an older one that starts to show coloration prior to purchasing one to be sure that you are happy with the colors he may turn out to have. You really never know what variations you may end up with on a crossbred panther (such as let's say you have a crossbred Nosy Be (blue) and Tamatave (red)). Will they be more blue? More red? What color barring will they have? You get the point . To me, maintaining their history of uniqueness in coloration and geographical location is important, which is why I don't crossbreed my panther chameleons.

I highly discourage getting a crossbred panther IF you plan on breeding later down the line. However, I see absolutely nothing wrong with having a crossbred panther chameleon as a pet, and as you can see from Brad and Michele's panthers here on the forum, they have some beauties. It all depends what your end game is in owning a panther chameleon.

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Jenna
www.prismchameleons.com

thanks jenna!

No problem! If I can help further let me know ok? One thing I love to do is talk about chameleons, especially my panthers .

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Jenna
www.prismchameleons.com

HI all, again.... lol.

More interest and I trhought I'd ask the oracle,

(or anyone else who may or may not wish to be given a mythical title due to their vast knowledge on a particular cham related subject)

Why do Panther prices vary so much between suppliers/breeders?

for example, these Ambanja Panthers http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog/...er-chameleons/

cost $149 at 2 and a half months old. (and I think...*cross fingers*.... that I'm correct in saying that the guy in the picture is a male cos of the markings?? feel free to correct me if I'm wrong)

ok and these Ambanja Panthers
http://chameleonsonly.com/aldamir.htm

also 2 and a half(ish) months old and are both male and female cost $300

Is the second just a more respected breeder??

I've been directed to the 1st example for enclosures by sum1 else on the forum i think so i presumed that it wasn't like dodgy or mass producing or that kind of thing i dunno! lol

Thanks for any input, oracle or not!

noah