Why are panthers so expensive?

[jodeoh60]

Well, I found it much more satisfying to donate the most recent clutch to members of this forum here (see our thread "The Jackson Nine"), instead of trying to sell them to a pet store that might sell them to knuckleheads who will be going to a lizard funeral soon.

I'm a physician for people and I have a really hard time with vet centers that will let you administer chemo and other advanced interventions to your pet for thousands of dollars. No offense is meant, and I'm sorry for my blunt opinion, my fellow forum members.

But back to the original subject of the cost of panthers, then are breeders making a fortune $300 at a time?

 

[DekuScrub]

ferret, i think you may be spoiled on having a competent veterinarian. i have searched and searched for someone that is worth their metal and that guy is over 8 hours away.

ive found myself agruing with vets oh husbandry, bringing home a savannah monitor with severe burns, and slicing open a female veiled after my herp vet "turtle expert" told me salvaging the eggs was futile. guess waht the majority hatched out.

Well, I found it much more satisfying to donate the most recent clutch to members of this forum here (see our thread "The Jackson Nine"), instead of trying to sell them to a pet store that might sell them to knuckleheads who will be going to a lizard funeral soon.

i totally get where youre coming from with with this statement BUT who hasnt been a knucklehead as some point. NOT one of us ever realized what we were getting ourselves into, even with all the research in the world.

i feel like its a bitter sweet experience being a keeper/breeder.

sending your kids home with someone you dont know. ive seen everything from complete moron excel to overly intelligent people have their chams die from "complications"

i feel like any time ive ever sold a chameleon, maybe just maybe, im igniting a passion like my own.

But back to the original subject of the cost of panthers, then are breeders making a fortune $300 at a time?

like i said when i was over your house, they will charge that much because they can charge that much.

should they? depends. if youre entire income is reliant on clutches of panthers and dealing with overhead, advertisement and most of all the cost of keeping its totally understandable.

but honestly theyre no more difficult than veileds. only difference ive seen is clutch size. there is no reason to have to spend so much on a male let alone a female. on occasion you find hobbyists and private breeders that will drop them at a fraction of what the norm is.

when i bred i made MUCH MUCH more off of the veileds. people were more willing to spend $25 than $250 for a baby. its less of a risk. you would have to see an enormous influx of available panthers to make it drop dramatically.

what do you think sells more and makes a larger profit. an affordable car or some high end BS. both will get you from a to b. its just supply and demand

in fact as i mentioned before in a separate thread i stopped breeding because i had an escapee panther eat nearly and entire clutch worth a few thousand. almost all of his siblings a generation younger. johnathan swift.

i dont think anyone else double/triple/quadruple checks the cages to make sure theyre shut like i do. even without youngins around that was kind of traumatizing..... ill never stop blaming myself for leaving that cage ajar.

thats when it was no longer a self sustaining hobby and i had to sell off the majority of my breeders.

anyways why do they cost so much? becuse they can.

why do we pay that much? becuse we have to.

again places like kammerflage and screameleons and camco have to, its their bread and butter, they dont work part time at longhorn steakhouse or contract painting jobs. thats their livelihood.

 

[chamlover98]

I have a Halloween Harlequin Crested Gecko, I have found breeders back in 2007-2009 none lately I bought her for 50 dollars at a reptile show Captive breed today I have people wanting to buy her for 600 flat, ( dunno if they are joking or not)

 

[CostaMesaChams]

Supply & Demand.

 

[DanSB]

I don't know exactly why Panthers can be or are as expensive as they are but I think it is good and wish the price would go up on more chameleons. It is better for the hobby and forces people to stop and think before a purchase more than a 60 dollar cham would.

It is especially good for panthers because their coloration really appeals to people and would be a more common impulse buy if they were less expensive.

As far as the vet thing I think some serious evaluation is in order. This is very complex contrary to what all you who believe a person is being irresponsible if they don't have extra money to take their animal to the vet at a specific time.

Just for perspective there are still many human children around the world that die of easily preventable causes regularly just because there is no funding for the treatment. Does this mean those parents didn't love their children, should never have had children, or are worse people than those of us who can afford basic medical treatment?

 

[JohnnyD]

Some dog breeds are more expensive based on supply and appearance. A common Black Lab my be very affordable (no offense to black lab owners, I think they are gorgeous dogs) while a Bullmastiff may be $2000 or more. There are specific species of any reptile that are more expensive than others. I feel that panthers are more "unique" to most people than veileds, although I breed both and think they are each beautiful in there own way. I also feel that veileds, along with having much larger clutches on average, are much, much easier to breed. My veiled males are always "ready to go" and it is easier to see when the my veiled females are receptive. My female panthers receptive colors vary greatly making it more difficult to catch the right moment for breeding. I also feel that the higher price point may keep them out of the "throw away" pet marketplace. Sad to say but an inexpensive chameleon in some cases may not be taken as seriously as one that calls for a larger financial commitment.